12. Amissing ordamaged discharge
cover can cause blade
27.
contact orthrown o bject injuries.
13. Many i njuries occur as aresult ofthemower being pulled
over thefootduring a fall c aused byslipping o rtripping.
Donothold ontothemower ifyou are falling; release the
handle immediately.
28.
14. Never pull t hemower back t oward y ou while you are
walking. Ifyoumust back t hemower away f rom awall o r
obstruction
first l ook down and behind toavoid t ripping
and then follow these s teps:
a. Step b ack f rom mower tofully extend your a rms.
b. Be sure you are well b alanced withsure f ooting.
c. Pull themower back s lowly, nomore t han half w ay
toward you.
d. Repeat these s teps a s needed.
Do:
15.
Do not operate the mower while under the influence
of
alcohol
or drugs.
1.
16.
Do not engage the self-propelled
mechanism
on machines
so equipped
while starting
engine.
2.
17.
The blade control
is a safety device. Never attempt
to
bypass its operation.
Doing so makes the safety device
inoperative
and may result in personal injury through
3.
contact
with the rotating
blade. The blade control
must
operate easily in both directions
and automatically
return
to the disengaged
position
when released.
18.
Never operate
the mower
in wet grass. Always be sure of
Do Not:
your footing.
A slip and fall can cause serious personal
injury. If you feel you are losing your footing,
release the
blade control
handle immediately
and the blade will stop
rotating
within
three seconds.
Mow only in daylight
or good artificial
light. Walk, never
run.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Stop the blade when crossing gravel drives, walks or roads.
If the equipment should start to vibrate abnormally, stop
the engine and check immediately for the cause. Vibration
is generally a warning of trouble.
Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to
a complete stop before removing the grass catcher or
unclogging the chute. The cutting blade continues to
rotate for a few seconds after the blade control is released.
Never place any part of the body in the blade area until you
are sure the blade has stopped rotating.
Never operate mower without proper trail shield,
discharge cover, grass catcher, blade control or other safety
protective devices in place and working. Never operate
mower with damaged safety devices. Failure to do so can
result in personal injury.
Muffler and engine become hot and can cause a burn. Do
not touch.
Never attempt
to make a wheel or cutting
height
adjustment
while the engine is running.
Only use parts and accessories
made for this machine
by
the manufacturer.
Failure to do so can result in personal
injury.
When starting
engine, pull cord slowly until resistance
is felt, then pull rapidly.
Rapid retraction
of starter cord
(kickback)
will pull hand and arm toward engine
faster than
you can let go. Broken bones, fractures,
bruises or sprains
could result.
If situations
occur which are not covered in this manual,
use care and good judgement.
Contact
Customer
Support
for assistance
or the name of the nearest service dealer.
Slope Operation
Slopes are a major factor related to slip and fall accidents,
which
can result in severe injury. Operation
on slopes requires extra
caution.
If you feel uneasy on a slope, do not mow it. For your
safety, use the slope gauge included
as part of this manual to
measure slopes before operating
this machine
on a sloped or
hilly area. If the slope is greater than 15 degrees, do not mow it.
Mow across
the face of slopes;
never
up and down.
Exercise
extreme
caution
when
changing
direction
on slopes.
Watch
for holes,
ruts, rocks, hidden
objects,
or bumps
which
can cause
you to slip or trip. Tall grass can hide
obstacles.
Always be sure of your footing.
A slip and fall can cause
serious personal
injury. If you feel you are losing your
balance,
release the blade control
handle immediately
and
the blade will stop rotating
within three (3) seconds.
1.
Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or embankments, you
could lose your footing or balance.
2.
Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as shown on
the slope gauge.
3.
Do not mow on wet grass. Unstable footing could cause
slipping.
Children
Tragic accidents
can occur if the operator
is not alert to the
presence of children.
Children are often attracted
to the mower
and the mowing
activity.
They do not understand
the dangers.
Never assume that children
will remain where you last saw them.
Keep children
out of the mowing
area and under watchful
care of a responsible
adult other than the operator.
Be alert and turn mower off if a child enters the area.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Before and while moving
backwards,
look behind and
down for small children.
Use extreme
care when approaching
blind corners,
doorways,
shrubs, trees, or other objects
that may obscure
your vision of a child who may run into the mower.
Keep children
away from hot or running
engines.
They can
suffer burns from a hot muffler.
Never allow children
under 14 years of age to operate this
machine.
Children
14 and over should
read and understand
the instructions
and safe operation
practices
in this manual
and on the machine
and be trained
and supervised
by an
adult.
4
I
SECTION 2 --
IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION
PRACTICES