Craftsman Weedwacker 172.74545 Operator'S Manual Download Page 11

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OPERATION cont.

OPERATING TIPS

1. Before each use make sure the protective safety guard is securely installed.

Tighten the guard screws, but DO NOT over tighten.
2. Be sure to check the auxiliary handle before each use, to make sure it is firmly

tightened into desired working position.
3. Before trimming, inspect the area for string, wire, branches, rocks, toys, or other

objects that could be entangled in or thrown by the cutting line.
4. Stand with the cutting head tipped down at an angle in front, guiding the trimmer in a

semi-circular motion around you.
5. Cut from left to right whenever possible. Cutting to the right improves the unit’s cutting

efficiency and clippings are thrown away from the operator.
6. To produce a smoothly trimmed area, move the trimmer in and out of the area being

cut with constant speed and height.
7. Use only the tip of the cutting line to do the trimming, especially near walls and fences.

Trimming with the side of the cutting line may overload the motor, wear out the line

faster, and break the line more often.
8. DO NOT rest the trimmer spool on the ground while you are trimming. This will cause

spool wear.
9. When cutting vegetation that is over 6 inches in height, work from top to bottom

in small increments to avoid premature line wear or engine drag.
10. When the trimmer is stopped and the spool stops rotating, the cutting line will relax

and may recede. Feed extra cutting line before storing the trimmer to prevent losing

the line in the spool housing.
11. If the diameter of the cutting area gets smaller, the line is worn down and needs to be

advanced.
12. If the trimmer is not cutting correctly, the cutting line may not be feeding properly.

Remove and rewind the line spool.

(See FILLING SPOOL WITH CUTTING LINE, pg. 20).

Fig. 14

TO REPLACE CUTTING LINE (Fig. 14)
REMOVE THE SPOOL
For easy spool replacement we recommend using Craftsman 71-85967, bump feed

replacement spool with 0.065 cutting line. It is factory wound for maximum reliability.
1. Disconnect the trimmer from the power supply. Turn trimmer over

to access spool head cover.

2. Press the release tabs on the spool head

cover and remove cover, pulling it straight

off of spool.
3. Lift the spool out of the spool housing.

WARNING:

To avoid injury, ALWAYS turn off and disconnect the trimmer

from the power outlet BEFORE installing parts or cleaning the trimmer

or making any adjustments.

REPLACE THE SPOOL

1. Replace the spool with a new

factory pre-wound spool, Craftsman

71-85967, available from your Sears

store or other Craftsman outlet.
2. Insert the end of one line through

an eyelet in the spool housing.

Insert the other line through the

other eyelet.
3. Insert the spool into housing and

press it down gently until you feel

it drop into place.Take care to keep

the line from becoming trapped

under the spool.
4. Snap the spool head cover back on

and at the same time pull lines and

be sure that they are released from

spool rail notch.

Release

tabs

Spool Head Cover

Cutting Line

Spool

FILLING SPOOL WITH CUTTING LINE
You may wind new cutting line onto an empty

spool. Replacement packs of 0.065 inch

(1.65mm) Craftsman Cutting Line 71-85822

are available from your Sears store.
1. Remove the empty spool from the tool

as described in “REMOVE THE SPOOL” above.
2. Remove any remaining cutting line from the spool.
3. First wind new line onto the uppermost part of the spool. Feed 3/4 inch of cutting line

into one of the line anchoring slots. Wind the cutting line onto the spool in the direction

of the arrow on the spool. Make sure to wind the line neatly and in layers Do not

crisscross (see Fig. 15).

CAUTION:

Before you begin trimming, only use the appropriate type of

cutting line. Ensure that cutting line is present in both sections of the spool.

(Fig. 15).

Spool

Rail

Notch

Spool

Rail