Operator's Manual

DANGER
Incertainconditionsduringfueling,static
electricitycanbereleased,causingaspark
thatcanignitethefuelvapors.Areor
explosionfromfuelcanburnyouandothers
andcandamageproperty.
•Alwaysplacefuelcontainersontheground
awayfromyourvehiclebeforelling.
•Donotllfuelcontainersinsideavehicle
oronatruckortrailerbed,becauseinterior
carpetsorplastictruckbedlinersmay
insulatethecontainerandslowthelossof
anystaticcharge.
•Whenpractical,removegas-powered
equipmentfromthetruckortrailerand
refueltheequipmentwithitswheelsonthe
ground.
•Ifthisisnotpossible,thenrefuelsuch
equipmentonatruckortrailerfroma
portablecontainerratherthanfroma
fuel-dispensernozzle.
•Ifyoumustuseafuel-dispensernozzle,
keepthenozzleincontactwiththerimof
thefueltankorcontaineropeningatall
timesuntilfuelingiscomplete.
WARNING
Fuelisharmfulorfatalifswallowed.
Long-termexposuretovaporscancause
seriousinjuryandillness.
•Avoidprolongedbreathingofvapors.
•Keepfaceawayfromnozzleandfueltank
orconditionerbottleopening.
•Avoidcontactwithskin;washoffspills
withsoapandwater.
UsingStabilizer/Conditioner
Useafuelstabilizer/conditionerinthemachineto
providethefollowingbenets:
•Keepsfuelfreshduringstorageof90daysorless.
Forlongerstorage,drainthefueltank.
•Cleanstheenginewhileitruns
•Eliminatesgum-likevarnishbuildupinthefuel
system,whichcauseshardstarting
Important:Donotusefueladditives
containingmethanolorethanol.
Addthecorrectamountoffuelstabilizer/conditioner
tothegasoline.
Note:Afuelstabilizer/conditionerismost
effectivewhenmixedwithfreshfuel.T ominimize
thechanceofvarnishdepositsinthefuelsystem,
usefuelstabilizeratalltimes.
FillingtheFuelTank
1.Parkthemachineonlevelground.
2.Shuttheengineoffandsettheparkingbrake.
3.Cleanaroundthefuel-tankcapandremoveit.
4.Addregularunleadedgasolinetothefueltank
untilthelevelis6to13mm(1/4to1/2inch)
belowthebottomofthellerneck.
Note:Thisspaceinthetankallowsthegasoline
toexpand.Donotllthefueltankcompletely
full;referto(Figure4).
CheckingtheEngine-Oil
Level
Beforeyoustarttheengineandusethemachine,
checktheoillevelintheenginecrankcase;referto
CheckingtheEngine-OilLevel(page35).
BreakinginaNewMachine
Newenginestaketimetodevelopfullpower.Mower
decksanddrivesystemshavehigherfrictionwhen
new,placingadditionalloadontheengine.Allow
40to50hoursofbreak-intimefornewmachinesto
developfullpowerandbestperformance.
ThinkSafetyFirst
Pleasereadallsafetyinstructionsandsymbolsinthe
safetysection.Knowingthisinformationcouldhelp
youorbystandersavoidinjury.
DANGER
Operatingthemachineonwetgrassorsteep
slopescancauseslidingandlossofcontrol.
•Donotoperateonslopesgreaterthan15
degrees.
•Reducespeedanduseextremecautionon
slopes.
•Donotoperatethemachinenearwater.
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