23.
24.
12. Amissing ordamaged discharge
cover can cause blade
contact orthrown o bject injuries.
13. Stop t heblade(s) when crossing gravel drives, walks, or
roads a nd while notcutting g rass.
14. Watch fortraffic w hen operating near o rcrossing
roadways.
This m achine isnot i ntended foruse onany
public r oadway.
15. Donotoperate themachine while under theinfluence of
alcohol ordrugs.
16. Mow only indaylight orgood artificial light.
17. Never carry p assengers.
18. Disengage
blade(s) before s hifting i ntoreverse. Back u p
slowly. Always look down a nd behind b efore a nd while
backing toavoid a back-over
accident.
19. Slow down before turning. Operate themachine smoothly.
Avoid e rratic o peration and excessive
speed.
20. Disengage
blade(s),
set p arking brake, stop engine and wait
until t heblade(s) come t oacomplete stop before r emoving
grass catcher, emptying grass, unclogging chute, removing
any grass ordebris, ormaking any adjustments.
21. Never leave a running m achine unattended.
Always turn
offblade(s),
place t ransmission
inneutral, set p arking
brake, stop engine a nd remove key before d ismounting.
22. Use e xtra care when l oading o runloading themachine into
atrailer ortruck. This machine should n otbedriven u por
down ramp(s),
because themachine could t ipover, causing
serious personal injury. The machine must bepushed
manually onramp(s) toload orunload p roperly.
Muffler and engine b ecome hot a nd can cause aburn. Do
nottouch.
25.
26.
Check overhead clearances
carefully before driving u nder
lowhanging tree branches,
wires, door o penings etc.,
where t he operator may bestruck orpulled f rom the
machine,
which c ould result inserious injury.
Disengage
allattachment
clutches, depress thebrake
pedal completely and shift i ntoneutral before attempting
tostart
e ngine.
Your machine
is designed
to cut normal
residential
grass of
a height no more than 10". Do not attempt
to mow through
unusually
tall, dry grass (e.g., pasture) or piles of dry leaves.
Dry grass or leaves may contact
the engine exhaust
and/
or build up on the mower deck presenting
a potential
fire
hazard.
27.
Use only accessories and attachments
approved
for this
machine
by the machine
manufacturer.
Read, understand
and follow
all instructions
provided
with the approved
accessory or attachment.
28.
Data indicates
that operators,
age 60 years and above, are
involved
in a large percentage
of riding mower-related
injuries. These operators
should
evaluate
their ability
to operate the riding mower
safely enough
to protect
themselves
and others from serious injury.
29.
If situations
occur which are not covered in this manual, use
care and good judgment.
Contact your customer
service
representative
for assistance.
Slope Operation
Slopes are a major factor related to loss of control
and tip-over
accidents
which
can result in severe injury or death. All slopes
require extra caution.
If you cannot back up the slope or if you
feel uneasy on it, 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 as
shown on the slope gauge, do not operate this machine
on that
area or serious injury could result.
Do:
1.
Mow up and down slopes, not across. Exercise extreme
caution
when changing
direction
on slopes.
2.
Watch for holes, ruts, bumps, rocks, or other hidden
objects.
Uneven terrain could overturn
the machine. Tall
grass can hide obstacles.
3.
Use slow speed. Choose a low enough
speed setting
so
that you will not have to stop or shift while on the slope.
Tires may lose traction
on slopes even though
the brakes
are functioning
properly.
Always keep machine
in gear
when going down slopes to take advantage
of engine
braking
action.
4.
Follow the manufacturer's
recommendations
for wheel
weights
or counterweights
to improve
stability.
5.
Use extra care with grass catchers
or other attachments.
These can change the stability
of the machine.
6.
Keep all movement
on the slopes slow and gradual.
Do
not make sudden
changes in speed or direction.
Rapid
engagement
or braking
could cause the front of the
machine
to lift and rapidly
flip over backwards
which could
cause serious injury.
7.
Avoid starting
or stopping
on a slope. If tires lose traction,
disengage
the blade(s) and proceed
slowly straight
down
the slope.
Do Not:
1.
Do not turn on slopes unless necessary; then, turn slowly
and gradually
downhill,
if possible.
2.
Do not mow near drop-offs,
ditches
or embankments.
The
mower could suddenly
turn over if a wheel is over the edge
of a cliff, ditch, or if an edge caves in.
3.
Do not try to stabilize
the machine
by putting
your foot on
the ground.
4.
Do not use a grass catcher on steep slopes.
5.
Do not mow on wet grass. Reduced traction
could cause
sliding.
6.
Do not shift to neutral
and coast downhill.
Over-speeding
may cause the operator
to lose control
of the machine
resulting
in serious injury or death.
7.
Do not tow heavy pull behind attachments
(e.g. loaded
dump
cart, lawn roller, etc.) on slopes greater than 5
degrees. When going down hill, the extra weight
tends
to push the tractor and may cause you to loose control
(e.g. tractor
may speed up, braking
and steering
ability are
reduced,
attachment
may jack-knife
and cause tractor
to
overturn).
4
I
SECTION 2 --
IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION
PRACTICES