andensurethatthegrassbasketsareinstalledon
themachine.
•Operatethemachineonlyingoodvisibilitytoavoid
holesorhiddenhazards.
•Avoidmowingonwetgrass.Reducedtraction
couldcausethemachinetoslide.
•Keepyourhandsandfeetawayfromthecutting
units.
•Lookbehindanddownbeforebackinguptobe
sureofaclearpath.
•Usecarewhenapproachingblindcorners,shrubs,
trees,orotherobjectsthatmayobscureyour
vision.
•Stopthecuttingunitswheneveryouarenot
mowing.
•Slowdownandusecautionwhenmakingturns
andcrossingroadsandsidewalkswiththe
machine.Alwaysyieldtheright-of-way.
•Operatetheengineonlyinwell-ventilatedareas.
Exhaustgasescontaincarbonmonoxide,which
islethalifinhaled.
•Donotleavearunningmachineunattended.
•Beforeyouleavetheoperatingposition,dothe
following:
–Parkthemachineonalevelsurface.
–Lowerthecuttingunitstothegroundand
ensurethattheyaredisengaged.
–Engagetheparkingbrake.
–Shutofftheengineandremovethekey.
–Waitforallmovementtostop.
•Operatethemachineonlyingoodvisibilityand
appropriateweatherconditions.Donotoperate
themachinewhenthereistheriskoflightning.
RolloverProtectionSystem
(ROPS)Safety
•DonotremoveanyoftheROPScomponentsfrom
themachine.
•Ensurethattheseatbeltisattachedandthatyou
canreleaseitquicklyinanemergency.
•Alwayswearyourseatbelt.
•Checkcarefullyforoverheadobstructionsanddo
notcontactthem.
•KeeptheROPSinsafeoperatingconditionby
thoroughlyinspectingitperiodicallyfordamage
andkeepingallthemountingfastenerstight.
•ReplacealldamagedROPScomponents.Donot
repairoralterthem.
SlopeSafety
•Slopesareamajorfactorrelatedtolossofcontrol
androlloveraccidents,whichcanresultinsevere
injuryordeath.Youareresponsibleforsafeslope
operation.Operatingthemachineonanyslope
requiresextracaution.
•Evaluatethesiteconditionstodetermineifthe
slopeissafeformachineoperation,including
surveyingthesite.Alwaysusecommonsense
andgoodjudgmentwhenperformingthissurvey.
•Reviewtheslopeinstructions,listedbelow,for
operatingthemachineonslopes.Beforeyou
operatethemachine,reviewthesiteconditionsto
determinewhetheryoucanoperatethemachine
intheconditionsonthatdayandatthatsite.
Changesintheterraincanresultinachangein
slopeoperationforthemachine.
•Avoidstarting,stopping,orturningthemachineon
slopes.Avoidmakingsuddenchangesinspeedor
direction.Maketurnsslowlyandgradually.
•Donotoperateamachineunderanyconditions
wheretraction,steering,orstabilityisinquestion.
•Removeormarkobstructionssuchasditches,
holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orotherhiddenhazards.
Tallgrasscanhideobstructions.Uneventerrain
couldoverturnthemachine.
•Beawarethatoperatingthemachineonwet
grass,acrossslopes,ordownhillmaycausethe
machinetolosetraction.Lossoftractiontothe
drivewheelsmayresultinslidingandalossof
brakingandsteering.
•Useextremecautionwhenoperatingthemachine
neardrop-offs,ditches,embankments,water
hazards,orotherhazards.Themachinecould
suddenlyrolloverifawheelgoesovertheedge
ortheedgecavesin.Establishasafetyarea
betweenthemachineandanyhazard.
•Identifyhazardsatthebaseoftheslope.
Iftherearehazards,mowtheslopewitha
pedestrian-controlledmachine.
•Ifpossible,keepthecuttingunitsloweredtothe
groundwhileoperatingonslopes.Raisingthe
cuttingunitswhileoperatingonslopescancause
themachinetobecomeunstable.
•Useextremecautionwithgrass-collectionsystems
orotherattachments.Thesecanchangethe
stabilityofthemachineandcausealossofcontrol.
BreakingintheMachine
Refertotheenginemanualsuppliedwiththe
machineforoilchangeandmaintenanceprocedures
recommendedduringthebreak-inperiod.
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