3
S
ection
2 — i
mportant
S
afe
o
peration
p
racticeS
29.
If situations occur which are not covered
in this manual, use care and good
judgment. Contact your customer service
representative for assistance.
Slope Operation
Slopes are a major factor related to loss of control
and tip-over accidents which can result in severe
injury or death. All slopes require extra caution. If
you cannot back up the slope or if you feel uneasy
on it, do not mow it.
For your safety, use the slope gauge included
as part of this manual to measure slopes before
operating this machine on a sloped or hilly area. If
the slope is greater than 15 degrees as shown on
the slope gauge, do not operate this machine on
that area or serious injury could result.
Do:
1.
Mow up and down slopes, not across.
Exercise extreme caution when changing
direction on slopes.
2.
Watch for holes, ruts, bumps, rocks, or
other hidden objects. Uneven terrain could
overturn the machine. Tall grass can hide
obstacles.
3.
Use slow speed. Choose a low enough
speed setting so that you will not have to
stop or shift while on the slope. Tires may
lose traction on slopes even though the
brakes are functioning properly. Always
keep machine in gear when going down
slopes to take advantage of engine braking
action.
4.
Follow the manufacturer’s
recommendations for wheel weights or
counterweights to improve stability.
5.
Use extra care with grass catchers or other
attachments. These can change the stability
of the machine.
6.
Keep all movement on the slopes slow and
gradual. Do not make sudden changes in
speed or direction. Rapid engagement
or braking could cause the front of the
machine to lift and rapidly flip over
backwards which could cause serious injury.
7.
Avoid starting or stopping on a slope. If tires
lose traction, disengage the blade(s) and
proceed slowly straight down the slope.
Do Not:
1.
Do not turn on slopes unless necessary;
then, turn slowly and gradually downhill, if
possible.
2.
Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or
embankments. The mower could suddenly
turn over if a wheel is over the edge of a cliff,
ditch, or if an edge caves in.
3.
Do not try to stabilize the machine by
putting your foot on the ground.
4.
Do not use a grass catcher on steep slopes.
5.
Do not mow on wet grass. Reduced traction
could cause sliding.
6.
Do not shift to neutral and coast downhill.
Over-speeding may cause the operator to
lose control of the machine resulting in
serious injury or death.
7.
Do not tow heavy pull behind attachments
(e.g. loaded dump cart, lawn roller, etc.)
on slopes greater than 5 degrees. When
going down hill, the extra weight tends
to push the tractor and may cause you to
loose control (e.g. tractor may speed up,
braking and steering ability are reduced,
attachment may jack-knife and cause tractor
to overturn).
Children
1.
Tragic accidents can occur if the operator
is not alert to the presence of children.
Children are often attracted to the machine
and the mowing activity. They do not
understand the dangers. Never assume
that children will remain where you last saw
them.
a.
Keep children out of the mowing
area and in watchful care of a
responsible adult other than the
operator.
b.
Be alert and turn machine off if a
child enters the area.
c.
Before and while backing, look
behind and down for small children.
d.
Never carry children, even with the
blade(s) shut off. They may fall off and
be seriously injured or interfere with
safe machine operation.
e.
Use extreme care when 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 machine.
f.
To avoid back-over accidents, always
disengage the cutting blade(s)
before shifting into Reverse. If
equipped, the “Reverse Caution
Mode” should not be used when
children or others are around.
g.
Keep children away from hot or
running engines. They can suffer
burns from a hot muffler.
h.
Remove key when machine is
unattended to prevent
unauthorized operation.
2.
Never allow children under 14 years of
age to operate this machine. Children 14
and over should read and understand the
instructions and safe operation practices in
this manual and on the machine and should
be trained and supervised by an adult.
Towing
1.
Tow only with a machine that has a hitch
designed for towing. Do not attach towed
equipment except at the hitch point.
2.
Follow the manufacturers recommendation
for weight limits for towed equipment and
towing on slopes.
3.
Never allow children or others in or on
towed equipment.
4.
On slopes, the weight of the towed
equipment may cause loss of traction and
loss of control.
5.
Always use extra caution when towing with
a machine capable of making tight turns
(e.g. “zero-turn” ride-on mower). Make wide
turns to avoid jack-knifing.
6.
Travel slowly and allow extra distance to
stop.
7.
Do not shift to neutral and coast downhill.
Service
Safe Handling of Gasoline:
1.
To avoid personal injury or property
damage use extreme care in handling
gasoline.
Gasoline is extremely
flammable and the vapors are explosive
.
Serious personal injury can occur when
gasoline is spilled on yourself or your
clothes which can ignite. Wash your skin
and change clothes immediately.
a.
Use only an approved gasoline
container.
b.
Never fill containers 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 gasoline 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 machine indoors.
g.
Never remove gas cap or add fuel
while the engine is hot or running.
Allow engine to cool at least two
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 gasoline cap and tighten
securely.
j.
If gasoline is spilled, wipe it off
the engine and equipment. Move
machine to another area. Wait 5
minutes before starting the engine.
k.
To reduce fire hazards, keep machine
free of grass, leaves, or other debris
build-up. Clean up oil or fuel spillage
and remove any fuel soaked debris.
