•Donottrytostabilizethemachinebyputtingyourfoot
ontheground.
•Donotmowneardrop-offs,ditches,steepbanks,or
water.Wheelsdroppingoveredgescancauserollovers,
whichmayresultinseriousinjury,deathordrowning.
•Useawalkbehindmowerand/orahandtrimmernear
drop-offs,ditches,steepbanks,orwater.
Children
Tragicaccidentscanoccuriftheoperatorisnotalerttothe
presenceofchildren.Childrenareoftenattractedtothe
machineandthemowingactivity.Neverassumethatchildren
willremainwhereyoulastsawthem.
•Keepchildrenoutofthemowingareaandunderthe
watchfulcareofanotherresponsibleadult,notthe
operator.
•Bealertandturnthemachineoffifchildrenenterthe
area.
•Beforeandwhilebackingorchangingdirection,look
behind,down,andside-to-sideforsmallchildren.
•Nevercarrychildrenonthemachine,evenwiththe
bladesoff.Childrenmayfalloffandbeseriouslyinjured
orinterferewiththesafeoperationofthemachine.
•Childrenwhohavebeengivenridesinthepastmay
suddenlyappearinthemowingareaforanotherrideand
berunoverorbackedoverbythemower.
•Neverallowchildrentooperatethemachine.
•Useextracarewhenapproachingblindcorners,shrubs,
trees,theendofafence,orotherobjectsthatmay
obscurevision.
TowingSafety
•Donotattachtowedequipmentexceptatthehitchpoint.
•Followtheattachmentmanufacturer'srecommendation
forweightlimitsfortowedequipmentandtowingon
slopes.Towedweightmustnotexceedtheweightofthe
machine,operator,andballast.Usecounterweightsor
wheelweightsasdescribedintheattachment,orinthe
towingmachineOperator’sManual.
•Neverallowchildrenorothersinorontowedequipment.
•Onslopes,theweightofthetowedequipmentmaycause
lossoftraction,increasedriskofrollover,andlossof
control.Reducethetowedweightandslowdown.
•Thestoppingdistanceincreaseswiththeweightofthe
towedload.Travelslowlyandallowextradistancetostop.
•Makewideturnstokeeptheattachmentclearofthe
machine.
Service
SafeHandlingofGasoline
Toavoidpersonalinjuryorpropertydamage,useextracare
whenhandlinggasolineandotherfuels.Theyareammable
andthevaporsareexplosive.
•Extinguishallcigarettes,cigars,pipes,andothersources
ofignition.
•Useonlyanapprovedcontainer.
•Neverremovethefuelcaporaddfuelwhentheengineis
running.Allowtheenginetocoolbeforerefueling.
•Neverrefuelthemachineindoors.
•Neverstorethemachineorfuelcontainerinsidewhere
thereisanopename,suchasnearawaterheateror
furnace.
•Neverllcontainersinsideavehicleoronatruckor
trailerwithaplasticliner.Alwaysplacecontainersonthe
ground,awayfromyourvehiclebeforelling.
•Removefuel-poweredequipmentfromthetruckortrailer
andrefuelitontheground.Ifthisisnotpossible,then
refuelsuchequipmentwithaportablecontainerrather
thanfromagasoline-dispensernozzle.
•Keepthenozzleincontactwiththerimofthefueltank
orcontaineropeningatalltimesuntilthefuelingis
complete.Donotuseanozzlelock-opendevice.
•Ifyouspillfuelonclothing,changeyourclothing
immediately.
•Neveroverllthefueltank.Replacethefuelcapand
tightenitsecurely.
GeneralService
•Neveroperateamachineinsideaclosedarea.Engine
exhaustcontainscarbonmonoxide,whichisanodorless,
deadlypoisonthatcankillyou.
•Keepnutsandboltstight,especiallythebladeattachment
bolts.Keepequipmentingoodcondition.
•Neverinterferewiththeintendedfunctionofasafety
deviceortoreducetheprotectionprovidedbyasafety
device.Checktheirproperoperationregularly.
•Keepthemachinefreeofgrass,leaves,orotherdebris
buildup.Cleanupoilorfuelspillsandfuel-soakeddebris.
Allowthemachinetocoolbeforestoringit.
•Stopandinspecttheequipmentifyoustrikeanobject.
Repair,ifnecessary,beforestartingthemachine.
•Nevermakeanyadjustmentsorrepairswiththeengine
running.
•Grasscatchercomponentsaresubjecttowear,damage,
anddeterioration,whichcouldexposemovingpartsor
allowobjectstobethrown.Frequentlycheckcomponents
andreplacethemwiththemanufacturers'recommended
parts,whennecessary.
•Mowerbladesaresharpandcancut.Wraptheblade(s)or
wearthickly-paddedglovesanduseextracautionwhen
servicingthem.
5