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. Back u pslowly. Always look down and behind b efore and
while backing toavoid a back-over
accident. Be aware
and pay attention tothe safety s ystem f unction that
stops p ower totheblades when driving i nreverse. Ifnot
fuctioning properly, contact anauthorized
dealer forsafety
system i nspection
and repair.
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 machine unattended.
Always turn off
blade(s),
place d rive control levers i nneutral, setparking
brake, stop engine and 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, set t heparking brake
tothe'ON' position and move t heRH and LH drive control
levers totheneutral position before a ttempting tostart t he
engine.
Your machine isdesigned tocutnormal residential
grass of
aheight nomore than 10". Donot a ttempt tomow through
unusually
tall, d ry grass (e.g., pasture) orpiles o fdryleaves.
Dry grass orleaves may contact theengine exhaust and/
orbuild uponthemower deck p resenting
apotential fire
hazard.
27. Use only accessories
and attachments
approved forthis
machine bythemachine manufacturer.
Read, understand
and follow all i nstructions
provided withthe approved
accessory
orattachment.
28. Data indicates thatoperators,
age 60years and above, are
involved inalarge p ercentage
ofriding mower-related
injuries. These operators
should e valuate their a bility
tooperate theriding mower safely enough toprotect
themselves
and others from serious injury.
29. Ifsituations
occur which a re notcovered inthis manual, use
care and good judgment. Contact your c ustomer service
representative
forassista nce.
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:
I.
Mow across slopes, not up and down. 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 so that you
will not have to stop while on the slope. Avoid starting
or stopping
on a slope. If the tires are unable to maintain
traction,
disengage
the blades and proceed
slowly and
carefully
straight
down the slope.
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
acceleration
or deceleration
could cause the front of the
machine
to lift and rapidly
roll over backwards,
which
could cause serious injury.
Do Not:
I.
Do not turn on slopes unless necessary; then turn slowly
uphill and use extra care while turning.
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 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