Manual

• Thebladecontrolhandleisa safetydevice.Neverattemptto
bypassits operation.Doingso makesthe safetydeviceinopera-
tiveandmayresultin personalinjurythroughcontactwiththe
rotatingblade.The bladecontrolhandlemustoperateeasily
in bothdirectionsandautomaticallyreturnto the disengaged
positionwhenreleased.
• Neveroperatethe mowerinwetgrass.Alwaysbe sureof your
footing. A slip andfall cancauseseriouspersonalinjury.Ifyou
feelyou arelosingyourfooting,releasethebladecontrolhandle
immediatelyandthe bladewill stop rotatingwithinthreeseconds.
• Mowonlyin daylightor goodartificiallight.Walk,neverrun.
• Stopthe bladewhencrossinggraveldrives,walksor roads.
• Ifthe equipmentshouldstart to vibrateabnormally,stopthe
engineandcheckimmediatelyfor the cause.Vibrationis gener-
allya warningof trouble.
• Shutthe engineoff andwaituntilthe bladecomesto a complete
stopbeforeremovingthe grasscatcheror uncloggingthe chute.
Thecuttingbladecontinuesto rotatefor afewsecondsafterthe
bladecontrolis released.Neverplaceany partof the body inthe
bladeareauntilyou aresurethe bladehasstoppedrotating.
• Neveroperatemowerwithoutpropertrail shield,dischargecover,
grasscatcher,bladecontrolhandleor othersafetyprotectivede-
vicesin placeandworking.Neveroperatemowerwithdamaged
safetydevices.Failureto do socan resultinpersonalinjury.
Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Do not
touch.
• Neverattemptto makea wheelorcuttingheightadjustmentwhile
theengineis running.
• Onlyuse partsand accessoriesmadeforthis machineby the
manufactureras listedin the Partspagesof thisOperator's
Manual.Failureto doso can resultin personalinjury.
• Whenstartingengine,pullcordslowlyuntil resistanceis felt,then
pullrapidly.Rapidretractionof startercord(kickback)willpull
handandarm towardenginefasterthanyoucan let go. Broken
bones,fractures,bruisesor sprainscould result.
• If situationsoccurwhicharenot coveredinthismanual,usecare
andgoodjudgement.Contact1-800-4MY-HOME®for information
andassistance.
SLOPE OPERATION
Slopesare amajorfactor relatedto slipandfall accidents,whichcan
resultinsevereinjury.Operationon slopesrequiresextracaution.If
youfeel uneasyona slope,do not mowit. Foryour safety,usethe
SlopeGuideincludedas partof thismanualto measureslopesbefore
operatingthis machineon a slopedor hillyarea. Ifthe slopeis greater
than 15degrees,donot mowit.
Do:
o
Mowacrossthefaced slopes;neverupanddown.Exercise
extremecautionwhenchangingdirectiononslopes.
• Watchfor holes,ruts, rocks,hiddenobjects,or bumpswhichcan
causeyou to slip ortrip.Tallgrasscan hideobstacles.
• Alwaysbesureof yourfooting.A slipandfall can causeserious
personalinjury.Ifyou feelyou arelosingyourbalance,release
the bladecontrolhandleimmediatelyandthe bladewillstop
rotatingwithinthree (3) seconds.
DoNot:
• Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments,because
you couldloseyourfootingorbalance.
• Donot mowslopesgreaterthan 15degreesas shownon the
slopeguide.
• Donot mowon wetgrass.Unstablefootingcouldcauseslipping.
CHILDREN
Tragicaccidentscan occurif the operatoris not alertto the presence
of children.Childrenareoftenattractedto themowerandthe mowing
activity.Theydonot understandthe dangers.Neverassumethat
childrenwill remainwhereyou lastsawthem.
Keepchildrenout of the mowingareaandunderwatchfulcareof
a responsibleadultotherthan theoperator.
• Bealertandturn moweroffif achild entersthe area.
• Beforeandwhilemovingbackwards,look behindanddown for
smallchildren.
• Useextremecare whenapproachingblindcorners,doorways,
shrubs,trees,orotherobjectsthatmayobscureyourvisionof a
child whomayrunintothe mower.
• Keepchildrenawayfromhot or runningengines.Theycan suffer
burnsfroma hot muffler.
• Neverallowchildrenunder14yearsof ageto operatethis
machine.Children14andovershouldreadand understandthe
instructionsandsafeoperationpracticesinthis manualandon
the machineand betrainedandsupervisedby an adult.
SERVICE
Safe HandlingOf Gasoline:
• Toavoid personalinjuryor propertydamageuseextremecare
in handlinggasoline.Gasolineis extremelyflammableandthe
vaporsareexplosive.Seriouspersonalinjurycanoccurwhen
gasolineis spilledon yourselfor yourclothes,whichcan ignite.
Washyour skinandchangeclothesimmediately.
• Useonly anapprovedgasolinecontainer.
• Neverfill containersinsidea vehicleoron atruck ortrailer bed
witha plasticliner.Alwaysplacecontainerson thegroundaway
fromyourvehiclebeforefilling.
• Removegas-poweredequipmentfromthetruck ortrailerand
refuelit on the ground.Ifthisis notpossible,thenrefuelsuch
equipmenton atrailer witha portablecontainer,ratherthanfrom
a gasolinedispensernozzle.
• Keepthe nozzleincontactwiththe rimof the fueltankor
containeropeningat all timesuntilfuelingis complete.Donot use
a nozzlelock-opendevice.
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