5
22. Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to
a complete stop before removing the grass catcher or
unclogging the chute. The cutting blade continues to
rotate for a few seconds after the engine is shut off.
Never place any part of the body in the blade area until
you are sure the blade has stopped rotating.
23. Never operate mower without proper trail shield,
discharge cover, grass catcher, blade control handle or
other safety protective devices in place and working.
Never operate mower with damaged safety devices.
Failure to do so, can result in personal injury.
24. Muffler and engine become hot and can cause a burn.
Do not touch.
25. Never attempt to make a wheel or cutting height
adjustment while the engine is running.
26. Only use parts and accessories made for this machine
by the manufacturer. Failure to do so can result in
personal injury.
27. When starting engine, pull cord slowly until resistance
is felt, then pull rapidly. Rapid retraction of starter cord
(kickback) will pull hand and arm toward engine faster
than you can let go. Broken bones, fractures, bruises
or sprains could result.
28. If situations occur which are not covered in this
manual, use care and good judgment. Call customer
assistance for the name of your nearest servicing
dealer.
Slope Operation
Slopes are a major factor related to slip and fall accidents
which can result in severe injury. Operation on slopes
requires extra caution. If you feel uneasy on a slope, do
not mow it. For your safety, use the slope gauge included
as part of this manual to measure slopes before operating
this unit on a sloped or hilly area. If the slope is greater
than 15 degrees, do not mow it.
Do:
1. Mow
across the face of slopes; never up and down.
Exercise extreme caution when changing direction on
slopes.
2. Watch for holes, ruts, rocks, hidden objects, or bumps
which can
cause you to slip or trip. Ta
ll grass can hide
obstacles.
3. Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can
cause serious personal injury. If you feel you are
losing your balance, release the blade control handle
immediately, and the blade will stop rotating within 3
seconds.
Do Not:
1. Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or embankments,
you could lose your footing or balance.
2. Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as shown on the
slope gauge.
3. Do not mow on wet grass. Unstable footing could
cause slipping.
Children
T
ragic accidents can occur if the operator is not alert to
the presence of children. Children are often attracted
to the mower and the mowing activity. They do not
understand the dangers. Never assume that children
will remain where you last saw them.
1. Keep children out of the mowing area and under the
watchful care of a responsible adult other than the
operator.
2. Be alert and turn mower off if a child enters the area.
3. Before and while moving backwards, look behind
and down for small children.
4. Use extreme care when approaching blind corners,
doorways, shrubs, trees, or other objects that may
obscure your vision of a child who may run into the
mower.
5. Keep children away from hot or running engines.
They can suffer burns from a hot muffler.
6. Never allow children under 14 years old to operate a
power mower. Children 14 years old and over should
read and understand the operation instructions and
safety rules in this manual and shou
ld be trained and
supervised by a parent.
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.
2. Use only an approved gasoline container.
3. Never fill containers inside a vehicle or on a truck or
trailer bed with a plastic liner. Always place contain-
ers on the ground away from your vehicle before
filling.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6 Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other
sources of ignition.
7. Never fuel machine indoors because flammable
vapors will accumulate in the area.
8. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the engine
is hot or running. Allow engine to cool at least two
minutes before refueling.
2
Safe
Operation
Practices
WARNING
This machine is equipped
with an internal combus-
tion engine and should
not be used on or near
any unimproved forest-
covered, brushcovered or
grass-covered land unless
the engine’s exhaust
system is equipped with a
spark arrester meeting ap-
plicable local or provincial
laws (if any).
If a spark arrester is used,
it should be maintained in
effective working order by
the operator.
A spark arrester for the muf-
fler is available through your
nearest engine authorized
service dealer.
Notice regarding Emis-
sions
Engines which are certified
to comply with California
and federal EPA emission
regulations for SORE (Small
Off Road Equipment) are
certified to operate on regu-
lar unleaded gasoline, and
may include the following
emission control systems:
Engine Modification (EM)
and Three Way Catalyst
(TWC) if so equipped.
