Safety
T his machine meets or ex ceeds the B71.1-2003
specifications of the American National
Standards Institute, in ef fect at the time
of pr oduction. Ho w ev er , impr oper use or
maintenance by the operator or o wner can
r esult in injur y . T o r educe the potential f or
injur y , compl y with these safety instr uctions
and al w ays pay attention to the safety
aler t symbol, which means CA UTION ,
W ARNING , or D ANGER-"per sonal safety
instr uction." F ailur e to compl y with the
instr uction may r esult in per sonal injur y or
death.
Safe Operating Practices
T he follo wing instr uctions are from ANSI
standard B71.1-2003.
T his product is capable of amputating hands and
feet and thro wing objects . Alw a ys follo w all safety
instr uctions to a v oid serious injur y or death.
General Operation
• R ead, understand, and follo w all instr uctions
in the operator’ s man ual and on the mac hine
before star ting .
• Do not place hands or feet near rotating par ts
or under the mac hine . K ee p clear of the
disc harg e opening at all times .
• Allo w only responsible adults who are familiar
with the instr uctions to operate the mac hine .
• Clear the area of objects suc h as roc ks , to ys ,
wire , etc ., whic h could be pic k ed up and
thro wn b y the blade .
• Be sure the area is clear of other people before
mo wing . Stop the mac hine if any one enters
the area.
• Nev er car r y passeng ers .
• Do not mo w in rev erse unless absolutely
necessar y . Alw a ys look do wn and behind
before and while bac king up .
• Be a w are of the mo w er disc harg e direction and
do not point it at any one . A v oid disc harging
material ag ainst a w all or obstr uction. Material
ma y ricoc het bac k to w ard the operator . Stop
the blade(s) when crossing g ra v el surfaces .
• Do not operate the mo w er without either the
entire g rass catc her or the guard in place .
• Be aler t, slo w do wn and use caution when
making tur ns . Look behind and to the side
before c hanging directions .
• Nev er lea v e a r unning mac hine unattended.
Alw a ys tur n off blades , set parking brak e , stop
engine , and remo v e k ey before dismounting .
• T ur n off blades when not mo wing . Stop the
engine and w ait for all par ts to come to a
complete stop before cleaning the mac hine ,
remo ving the g rass catc her or unclog ging the
disc harg e c hute .
• Operate the mac hine only in da ylight or g ood
ar tificial light.
• Do not operate the mac hine while under the
influence of alcohol or dr ugs .
• W atc h for traffic when operating near or
crossing roadw a ys .
• Use extra care when loading or unloading the
mac hine into a trailer or tr uc k.
• Alw a ys w ear eye protection when operating
the mo w er .
• Data indicates that operators , ag e 60 years and
abo v e , are in v olv ed in a larg e percentag e of
riding mo w er -related injuries . T hese operators
should ev aluate their ability to operate the
riding mo w er safely enough to protect
themselv es and others from serious injur y .
• Alw a ys follo w the recommendations for wheel
w eights or counterw eights .
Slope Operation
Slopes are a major factor related to loss of control
and tip-o v er accidents , whic h can result in sev ere
injur y or death. Operation on all slopes requires
extra caution. If y ou cannot bac k up the slope or
if y ou feel uneasy on it, do not mo w it.
• Do not mo w slopes g reater than 15 deg rees .
• W atc h for ditc hes , holes , roc ks , dips , and rises
that c hang e the operating angle , as rough
ter rain could o v er tur n the mac hine .
• Choose a lo w g round speed so y ou will not
ha v e to stop while operating on a slope .
• Do not mo w slopes when g rass is w et. Slipper y
conditions reduce traction and could cause
sliding and loss of control.
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