Lawn Mower Operators Manual

T he follo wing instr uctions ha v e been adapted from the
ANSI/OPEI standard B71.1-2003.
T his cutting machine can amputate hands and feet and
thr o w objects. F ailur e to obser v e the f ollo wing safety
instr uctions could r esult in serious injur y or death.
General Operation
• R ead, understand, and follo w all instr uctions on the
mac hine and in the man ual(s) before star ting .
• Do not put hands or feet near or under the mac hine .
K ee p clear of the disc harg e opening at all times .
• Only allo w responsible adults , who are familiar with the
instr uctions , to operate this mac hine .
• Clear the area of objects suc h as roc ks , wire , to ys , etc .,
whic h could be thro wn b y the blade . Sta y behind the
handle when the engine is r unning .
• Be sure the area is clear of b ystanders before operating .
Stop mac hine if any one enters the area.
• Do not operate mac hine barefooted or while w earing
sandals . Alw a ys w ear substantial footw ear .
• Do not pull mac hine bac kw ard unless absolutely
necessar y . Alw a ys look do wn and behind before and
while mo ving bac kw ard.
• Nev er direct disc harg ed material to w ard any one . A v oid
disc harging material ag ainst a w all or obstr uction.
Material ma y ricoc het bac k to w ard the operator . Stop
the blade when crossing g ra v el surfaces .
• Do not operate mac hine without the entire g rass
catc her , disc harg e guard, rear guard, or other safety
protecti v e devices in place and w orking .
• Nev er lea v e a r unning mac hine unattended.
• Stop the engine and w ait until the blade comes to a
complete stop before cleaning the mac hine , remo ving
g rass catc her , or unclog ging the disc harg e guard.
• Operate mac hine only in da ylight or g ood ar tificial light.
• Do not operate mac hine while under the influence of
alcohol or dr ugs .
• Nev er operate mo w er in w et g rass . Alw a ys be sure of
y our footing; w alk; nev er r un.
• Diseng ag e the dri v e system, if so equipped, before
star ting the engine .
• If the mac hine should star t to vibrate abnor mally ,
stop the engine and c hec k for the cause immediately .
Vibration is g enerally a w ar ning of trouble .
• Alw a ys w ear eye protection when operating mac hine .
• See man ufacturer’ s instr uctions for proper operation
and installation of accessories . Only use accessories
appro v ed b y the man ufacturer .
Slope Operation
Slopes are a major factor related to slip and fall accidents ,
whic h can result in sev ere injur y . Operation on all slopes
require extra caution. If y ou feel uneasy on a slope , do
not mo w it.
• Mo w across the face of slopes; nev er up and do wn.
Ex ercise extreme caution when c hanging direction on
slopes .
• W atc h for holes , r uts , bumps , roc ks , or other hidden
objects . Unev en ter rain could cause a slip and fall
accident. T all g rass can hide obstacles .
• Do not mo w on w et g rass or ex cessi v ely stee p slopes .
P oor footing could cause a slip and fall accident.
• Do not mo w near drop-offs , ditc hes , or embankments .
Y ou could lose y our footing or balance .
Children
T ragic accidents can occur if the operator is not aler t to
the presence of c hildren. Children are often attracted to
the mac hine and the mo wing acti vity . Nev er assume that
c hildren will remain where y ou last sa w them.
• K ee p c hildren out of the mo wing area and under the
w atc hful care of a responsible adult other than the
operator .
• Be aler t and tur n mo w er off if a c hild enters the area.
• Nev er allo w c hildren to operate the mac hine .
• Use extra care when approac hing blind cor ners , shr ubs ,
trees , or other objects that ma y bloc k y our view of a
c hild.
Service
Safe Handling of Gasoline
T o a v oid per sonal injur y or pr oper ty dama ge, use
extr eme car e in handling gasoline. Gasoline is
extr emel y flamma ble and the v apor s ar e explosi v e.
• Extinguish all cig arettes , cig ars , pipes , and other sources
of ignition.
• Use only an appro v ed g asoline container .
• Nev er remo v e g as cap or add fuel with the engine
r unning . Allo w engine to cool before refueling .
• Nev er refuel the mac hine indoors .
• Nev er store the mac hine or fuel container where there
is an open flame , spark, or pilot light suc h as on a w ater
heater or on other appliances .
• Nev er fill containers inside a v ehicle or on a tr uc k or
trailer bed with a plastic liner . Alw a ys place containers
on the g round a w a y from y our v ehicle before filling .
• R emo v e g as-po w ered equipment from the tr uc k or
trailer and refuel it on the g round. If this is not possible ,
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