Operator's Manual

Operation
Note:Determinetheleftandrightsidesofthemachine
fromthenormaloperatingposition.
BeforeOperation
BeforeOperationSafety
GeneralSafety
•Neverallowchildrenoruntrainedpeopletooperateor
servicethemachine.Localregulationsmayrestrictthe
ageoftheoperator.Theownerisresponsiblefortraining
alloperatorsandmechanics.
•Becomefamiliarwiththesafeoperationoftheequipment,
operatorcontrols,andsafetysigns.
•Knowhowtostopthemachineandshutofftheengine
quickly.
•Checkthatoperator-presencecontrols,safetyswitches,
andshieldsareattachedandfunctioningproperly.Donot
operatethemachineunlesstheyarefunctioningproperly.
•Beforemowing,alwaysinspectthemachinetoensurethat
theblades,bladebolts,andcuttingassembliesareingood
workingcondition.Replacewornordamagedbladesand
boltsinsetstopreservebalance.
•Inspecttheareawhereyouwillusethemachineand
removeallobjectsthatthemachinecouldthrow .
•Evaluatetheterraintodeterminetheappropriate
equipmentandanyattachmentsoraccessoriesrequiredto
operatethemachineproperlyandsafely.
FuelSafety
•Toavoidpersonalinjuryorpropertydamage,useextreme
careinhandlingfuel.Fuelvaporsareammableand
explosive.
•Extinguishallcigarettes,cigars,pipes,andothersources
ofignition.
•Useonlyanapprovedfuelcontainer.
•Donotremovethefuelcaporaddfueltothefueltank
whiletheengineisrunningorwhilehot.
•Donotrefuelthemachineindoors.
•Donotstorethemachineorfuelcontainerwherethere
isanopename,spark,orpilotlight,suchasonawater
heateroronotherappliances.
•Donotllcontainersinsideavehicleoronatruckor
trailerbedwithaplasticliner.Alwaysplacecontainerson
theground,awayfromyourvehiclebeforelling.
•Removetheequipmentfromthetruckortrailerand
refuelitwhileitisontheground.Ifthisisnotpossible,
thenrefuelfromaportablecontainerratherthana
fuel-dispensernozzle.
•Donotoperatethemachinewithouttheentireexhaust
systeminplaceandinproperworkingcondition.
•Keepthefuel-dispensernozzleincontactwiththerimof
thefueltankorcontaineropeningatalltimesuntilfueling
iscomplete.Donotuseanozzlelock-opendevice.
•Ifyouspillfuelonyourclothing,changeyourclothing
immediately.Wipeupanyfuelthatspills.
•Neveroverllthefueltank.Replacethefuelcapand
tightenitsecurely.
•Storefuelinanapprovedcontainerandkeepitoutofthe
reachofchildren.Neverbuymorethana30-daysupply
offuel.
•Donotllthefueltankcompletelyfull.Addfueltothe
fueltankuntilthelevelis6to13mm(1/4to1/2inch)
belowthebottomofthellerneck.Thisemptyspacein
thetankallowsfueltoexpand.
–Avoidprolongedbreathingofvapors.
–Keepyourfaceawayfromthenozzleandfueltank
opening.
–Avoidcontactwithskin;washoffspillswithsoapand
water.
RecommendedFuel
•Forbestresults,useonlyclean,fresh(lessthan30days
old),unleadedgasolinewithanoctaneratingof87or
higher((R+M)/2ratingmethod).
•Ethanol:Gasolinewithupto10%ethanol(gasohol)
or15%MTBE(methyltertiarybutylether)byvolume
isacceptable.EthanolandMTBEarenotthesame.
Gasolinewith15%ethanol(E15)byvolumeisnot
approvedforuse.Neverusegasolinethatcontains
morethan10%ethanolbyvolume,suchasE15
(contains15%ethanol),E20(contains20%ethanol),or
E85(containsupto85%ethanol).Usingunapproved
gasolinemaycauseperformanceproblemsand/orengine
damagewhichmaynotbecoveredunderwarranty.
•Donotusegasolinecontainingmethanol.
•Donotstorefueleitherinthefueltankorfuelcontainers
overthewinterunlessyouuseafuelstabilizer.
•Donotaddoiltogasoline.
UsingStabilizer/Conditioner
Useafuelstabilizer/conditionerinthemachinetoprovide
thefollowingbenets:
•Keepsfuelfreshduringstorageof90daysorless(drain
thefueltankwhenstoringthemachineformorethan
90days)
•Cleanstheenginewhileitruns
•Eliminatesgum-likevarnishbuildupinthefuelsystem,
whichcauseshardstarting
Important:Donotusefueladditivescontaining
methanolorethanol.
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