4
•
Mow only in daylight or good artificial light.
•
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
engine is shut off. 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 guards, grass
catcher, plates or other safety protective devices in
place.
•
Muffler and engine become hot and can cause a
burn. Do not touch.
•
Only use accessories approved for this machine by
the manufacturer. Read, understand, and follow all
instructions provided with the approved accessory.
•
If situations occur which are not covered in this
manual, use care and good judgment. Contact your
dealer for assistance. Telephone 1-800-800-7310
for the name of your nearest dealer.
Slope Operation
•
For your safety, use the slope gauge included as
part of this manual to measure slopes before
operating this unit on a sloped or hilly area. If the
slope is greater than 15 degrees as shown on the
slope gauge, do not operate this unit on that area or
serious injury could result.
Do:
•
Mow across the face of slopes; never up and down.
Exercise extreme caution when changing direction
on slopes.
•
Watch for holes, ruts, hidden objects, or bumps. 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 in less
than 3 seconds.
Do NOT:
•
Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or
embankments. The operator could lose footing or
balance.
•
Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as
shown on the slope gauge.
•
Do not mow on wet grass. Reduced 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.
Never assume that children will remain where you
last saw them.
•
Keep children out of the mowing area and under the
watchful care of a responsible adult other than the
operator.
•
Be alert and turn mower off if a child enters the
area.
•
Before and while moving backwards, look behind
and down for small children or other objects.
•
Never allow children under age 14 to operate the
mower. Children 14 years of age and above should
read and understand the operation instructions and
safety rules in this manual.
•
Use extreme care when approaching blind corners,
shrubs, trees, or other objects that may obscure
your vision of a child or hazard.
Service
•
Use extreme care in handling gasoline and other
fuels. They are extremely flammable and the vapors
are explosive.
•
Use only an approved gasoline container.
•
Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the engine
is running. Allow engine to cool at least two minutes
before refueling.
•
Replace gasoline cap securely and wipe off any
spilled gasoline before starting the engine as it may
cause a fire or explosion.
•
Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other
sources of ignition.
•
Never refuel machine indoors because flammable
vapors will accumulate in the area.
•
Never store the machine or fuel container inside
where there is an open flame or spark such as a gas
water heater, space heater, or furnace.
•
Never run an engine inside a closed area.
•
To reduce fire hazard, keep mower free of grass,
leaves, or other debris build-up. Clean up oil or fuel
spillage. Allow mower to cool at least 5 minutes
before storing.
•
Before cleaning, repairing, or inspecting, make
certain the blade and all moving parts have
stopped. Disconnect the spark plug wire, and keep
the wire away from the spark plug to prevent
accidental starting.
•
Check the blade and engine mounting bolts at
frequent intervals for proper tightness. Also, visually
inspect blade for damage (e.g., bent, cracked or
worn). Replace with blade which meets original
equipment specifications listed in this manual.
•
Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure the
equipment is in safe working condition.
•
Never tamper with safety devices. Check their
proper operation regularly.
•
After striking a foreign object, stop the engine,
remove the wire from the spark plug, and
thoroughly inspect the mower for any damage.
Repair the damage before starting and operating
the mower.
