Professional 42" Briggs & Stratton 24 hp Gas Powered Riding Lawn Tractor Operator's Manual

• Slowdownbeforeturning.Operatethe machinesmoothly.Avoid
erraticoperationandexcessivespeed.
Disengageblade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandwaituntil
the blade(s)cometo a completestopbeforeremovinggrass
catcher,emptyinggrass,uncloggingchute,removinganygrassor
debris,or makinganyadjustments.
Neverleavea runningmachineunattended.Alwaysturnoff
blade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandremovekeybefore
dismounting.
Useextracare whenloadingorunloadingthe machineintoa
trailerortruck.Thismachineshouldnot bedrivenupor down
ramp(s),becausethe machinecouldtip over,causingserious
personalinjury.The machinemustbe pushedmanuallyon
ramp(s)to loador unloadproperly.
Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Do not
touch.
Checkoverheadclearancescarefullybeforedrivingunderlow
hangingtree branches,wires,dooropeningsetc.,wherethe
operatormaybestruckor pulledfromthe machine,whichcould
resultinseriousinjury.
Disengageallattachmentclutchesanddepressthebrakepedal
completelybeforeattemptingto startengine.
Yourmachineisdesignedto cutnormalresidentialgrassof a
heightnomorethan 10".Do not attemptto mowthroughunusually
tall,dry grass(e.g.,pasture)orpiles of dry leaves.Drygrassor
leavesmaycontactthe engineexhaustand/or builduponthe
mowerdeckpresentinga potentialfire hazard.
Useonlyaccessoriesandattachmentsapprovedfor this machine
by themachinemanufacturer.Read,understandandfollowall
instructionsprovidedwiththe approvedaccessoryor attachment.
Fora list of approvedaccessoriesandattachments,call 1-800-
659-5917.
Dataindicatesthatoperators,age60yearsandabove,are
involvedin a largepercentageof ridingmower-relatedinjuries.
Theseoperatorsshouldevaluatetheirabilityto operatethe riding
mowersafelyenoughto protectthemselvesandothersfrom
seriousinjury.
If situationsoccurwhicharenot coveredinthismanual,usecare
andgoodjudgment.Contact1-800-659-5917for informationand
assistance.
SLOPE OPERATION
Slopesarea majorfactorrelatedto lossof controlandtip-over
accidentswhichcan resultinsevereinjuryor death.Allslopesrequire
extracaution.Ifyoucannotbackupthe slopeor if youfeel uneasyon
it, do not mowit.
Foryoursafety,use theSlopeGuideincludedas partof this manual
to measureslopesbeforeoperatingthis machineona slopedor hilly
area. Ifthe slopeisgreaterthan15degreesasshownonthe Slope
Guide,do notoperatethis machineonthatareaor seriousinjurycould
result.
Do:
o
Mowupanddown slopes,not across.Exerciseextremecaution
whenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orother hiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthe machine.Tallgrasscan hide
obstacles.
Useslowspeed.Choosea lowenoughspeedsettingso that
you willnothaveto stopor shiftwhileon the slope.Tiresmay
lose tractionon slopeseventhoughthe brakesarefunctioning
properly.Alwayskeepmachinein gearwhen goingdownslopes
to takeadvantageof enginebrakingaction.
• Followthe manufacturer'srecommendationsfor wheelweights
or counterweightsto improvestability.Forrecommendations,call
1-800-659-5917.
• Useextracarewithgrasscatchersor otherattachments.These
can changethe stabilityof the machine.
Keepallmovementonthe slopesslowandgradual.Do notmake
suddenchangesinspeedor direction.Rapidengagementor
brakingcouldcausethe frontof themachineto lift andrapidlyflip
overbackwardswhichcouldcauseseriousinjury.
• Avoidstartingorstoppingona slope.Iftireslosetraction,disen-
gagethe blade(s)andproceedslowlystraightdownthe slope.
DoNot:
• Donot turnon slopesunlessnecessary;then,turnslowlyand
graduallydownhill,if possible.
• Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments.The mower
could suddenlyturnover ifa wheelis overthe edgeof a cliff,
ditch,or if an edgecavesin.
• Donot try to stabilizethe machineby puttingyourfooton the
ground.
• Donot usea grasscatcheron steepslopes.
• Donot mowon wetgrass.Reducedtractioncouldcausesliding.
• Donot attempttocoastdownhill.Over-speedingmaycausethe
operatorto losecontrolof the machineresultingin seriousinjury
or death.
• Donot towheavypull behindattachments(e.g.loadeddumpcart,
lawn roller,etc.)on slopesgreaterthan5 degrees.Whengoing
down hill,theextraweighttendstopushthe tractorandmay
causeyou toloosecontrol(e.g.tractormayspeedup, brakingand
steeringabilityarereduced,attachmentmayjack-knifeandcause
tractorto overturn).
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