4
S
ection
2 — i
mportant
S
afe
o
peration
p
racticeS
Safety Frame (OPS)
1.
Your vehicle is equipped with a operator
protective structure (OPS) which must be
maintained in a fully functional condition. Use
care when driving through doorways or spaces
with a low overhead.
a.
Never modify the OPS in any way.
b.
Never attempt to straighten or reweld
any part of the main frame if damaged.
Doing so may weaken the structure
and endanger your safety. Replace a
damaged OPS immediately.
c.
Never secure any parts other than Cub
Cadet approved accessories on the
main frame or attach the safety frame
with anything other than the special
fasteners specified.
d.
Never attach ropes, chains, or cables to
the OPS for pulling purposes.
e.
Although the OPS, when used with a
properly secured seat belt, provides a
crush-protective environment in the
event of a tip-over or rollover, never
take unnecessary risks.
Children
1.
Tragic accidents can occur if the operator is
not alert to the presence of children. Children
are often attracted to the vehicle. They do not
understand the dangers. Never assume that
children will remain where you last saw them.
Avoid run over accidents.
a.
Keep children out of the immediate
area of the vehicle and in watchful care
of a responsible adult other than the
operator.
b.
Be alert and turn the vehicle off if a
child enters the area.
c.
Before and while backing, look behind
and down for small children.
d.
Never carry small children, they may fall
off and be seriously injured or interfere
with safe vehicle operation.
e.
Use extreme care while approaching
blind corners, doorways, shrubs, trees
or other objects that may block your
vision of a child who may run into the
path of the vehicle.
f.
Remove key when vehicle is unattended
to prevent unauthorized operation.
2.
Never allow children under 16 years old to
operate this vehicle. Children 16 years old and
over should read and understand the operation
instructions and safety rules in this manual and
should be trained and supervised by a parent
and has obtained a state-issued motor vehicle
driver’s license.
3.
Do not let children ride in the cargo bed, in
the driver’s or passenger’s lap or anywhere
other than the passenger seat. Never give small
children a ride; not even in the passenger seat.
The passenger seat belts, handholds and seat
height are not designed to accomodate the
safe transport of small children.
Service
Safe Handling Of Fuel:
1.
To avoid personal injury or property damage, use
extreme care in handling fuel. Fuel is extremely
flammable and the vapors are explosive. Serious
personal injury can occur when fuel is spilled on
yourself or your clothes which can ignite. Wash
your skin and change clothes immediately.
a.
Use only an approved fuel container.
b.
Never fill containers in the cargo bed
inside a vehicle or on a truck or trailer
bed with a plastic liner. Always place
containers on the ground away from
your vehicle before filling.
c.
When practical, remove gas-powered
equipment from the truck or trailer and
refuel it on the ground. If this is not
possible, then refuel such equipment
on a trailer with a portable container,
rather than from a fuel dispenser
nozzle.
d.
Keep the nozzle in contact with the rim
of the fuel tank or container opening at
all times until fueling is complete. Do
not use a nozzle lock-open device.
e.
Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes
and other sources of ignition.
f.
Never fuel vehicle indoors.
g.
Never remove gas cap or add fuel while
the engine is hot or running. Allow
engine to cool at least five minutes
before refueling.
h.
Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no
more than ½ inch below bottom of filler
neck to allow space for fuel expansion.
i.
Replace fuel cap and tighten securely.
j.
If fuel is spilled, wipe it off the
equipment. Push vehicle away from
spilled fuel. Wait 5 minutes before
starting the engine.
k.
To reduce fire hazards, keep engine
compartment and exhaust system free
of grass, leaves, or other debris build-
up. Clean up oil or fuel spillage and
remove any fuel soaked debris.
l.
Never store the vehicle or fuel container
inside where there is an open flame,
spark or pilot light as on a water heater,
space heater, furnace, clothes dryer or
other gas appliances.
m. Avoid injury from explosion or fire.
DO NOT carry fuel or other flammable
liquids in vehicle or cargo bed.
General Service
1.
Never run an engine indoors or in a poorly
ventilated area. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide, an odorless and deadly gas.
2.
Before cleaning, repairing, or inspecting, make
certain all moving parts have stopped. Remove
the ignition key to prevent unintended starting.
3.
Check brake and parking brake operation
frequently as it is subjected to wear during
normal operation. Adjust and service as
required.
4.
Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure
the equipment is in safe working condition.
5.
Never tamper with the safety interlock system
or other safety devices. Check their proper
operation regularly.
6.
Never attempt to make adjustments or repairs
to the machine while the engine is running.
7.
Do not change the engine governor settings or
over-speed the engine. The governor controls
the maximum safe operating speed of the
engine.
8.
Maintain or replace safety and instruction
labels, as necessary.
9.
According to the Consumer Products Safety
Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), units in this product
category have an Average Useful Life of seven
(7) years, or approximately 400 hours of
operation. To extend the life of your unit, and
specifically after (7) years of ownership or at
400 hours of operation, have the unit inspected
annually by an authorized service dealer to
ensure that all mechanical and safety systems
are working properly and not worn excessively.
Failure to do so can result in accidents, injuries
or death. See Section 5 of this Operators
Manual for Maintenance and Service schedules.
10.
Observe proper disposal laws and regulations
for gas, oil, etc. to protect the environment.
Do:
1.
Travel straight up and down slopes, not across.
Exercise extreme caution when changing
direction on slopes.
2.
Travel slowly while on a slope. Always keep the
speed limited when going down slopes to take
advantage of the engine braking action.
3.
Keep all movement on the slopes slow and
gradual. Avoid starting or stopping on a slope.
4.
Avoid slopes with slippery, loose, or bumpy
surfaces as they are especially hazardous.
5.
Use extra care while carrying cargo. It may
affect the stability of the vehicle. Spread the
load evenly and secure to prevent movement.
Do Not:
1.
Do not travel near drop-offs, ditches or
embankments. The vehicle could suddenly turn
over if a wheel goes over the edge of a cliff,
ditch, or if an edge caves in.
2.
Do not stop or start suddenly when going
uphill or downhill. Be especially cautious when
changing direction on slopes.
3.
Do not turn sideways to the hill. The vehicle
may roll over. If you must turn, go slow and do
so carefully and gradually.
4.
Do not carry cargo or tow loads on steep slopes.
Towing
1.
Always use an approved hitch and hitch point
provided on the utility vehicle.
2.
Do not tow more than 500 lbs. rolling weight
(i.e. trailer plus cargo).
3.
Never load more than 85 lbs. tongue weight on
tow bracket provided.
4.
Go slow and use extra care when towing a
trailer. Allow for increased braking distance.
Load trailer properly.
5.
Do not tow heavy loads on slopes greater than
5° incline. When going downhill or turning, the
extra weight tends to push the tow vehicle and
may cause you to lose control (i.e. braking and
steering ability are reduced, towed equipment
may jack-knife and cause utility vehicle to
overturn).
Cargo Bed Loading/Operation
1.
Do not exceed vehicle’s Total Payload Capacity
rating of 850 lbs. This includes operator,
passenger, accessories, attachments, tongue
weight and cargo.
2.
Do not exceed 350 lbs. load in cargo bed.
3.
Spread load evenly and secure to prevent
movement.
4.
Do not load above height of cargo bed.
Load could shift forward and injure driver or
passenger.
5.
Avoid loads which exceed the physical
dimensions of cargo bed.
6.
Go slow. Heavy loads will affect steering,
braking, stability, and overall handling of the
vehicle. Limit loads to those that can be safely
controlled.
7.
Avoid sudden starts, stops, and turns which
could cause load to shift.
Cargo Bed Lift
1.
Stop vehicle on level ground and set Parking
Brake before raising cargo bed.
2.
Empty heavy cargo by hand.
3.
Do not operate vehicle with cargo bed in raised
position.
4.
Do not operate vehicle with cargo bed
unlatched. Always latch upon manually
lowering cargo bed.
