•Keepbystandersandchildrenoutoftheoperating
area.Ifco-workersmustbepresent,usecaution
andensurethatthegrassbasketisinstalledon
themachine.
•Operatethemachineonlyingoodvisibilitytoavoid
holesorhiddenhazards.
•Donotoperatethemachinewhenthereistherisk
oflightning.
•Usecarewhenmowingonwetgrass.Poorfooting
couldcauseaslip-and-fallaccident.
•Keepyourhandsandfeetawayfromthecutting
unit.
•Lookbehindanddownbeforebackinguptobe
sureofaclearpath.
•Usecarewhenapproachingblindcorners,shrubs,
trees,orotherobjectsthatmayobscureyour
vision.
•Stopthecuttingunitwheneveryouarenotmowing.
•Disengagethedrivetothecuttingunitandshutoff
themachinebeforeadjustingtheheightofcut.
•Neverrunanengineinanareawhereexhaust
gassesareenclosed.
•Neverleavearunningmachineunattended.
•Beforeyouleavetheoperator’sposition,dothe
following:
–Parkthemachineonalevelsurface.
–Disengagethecuttingunit(s).
–Engagetheparkingbrake.
–Shutoffthemachineandremovethekey(if
equipped).
–Waitforallmovementtostop.
•Shutoffthemachinebeforeemptyingthebasket.
•Donottouchtheengine,mufer,orexhaustpipe
whiletheengineisrunningorsoonafterithas
shutoffbecausetheseareascouldbehotenough
tocauseburns.
•Shutoffthemachineanddisengagethedriveto
thecuttingunitinthefollowingsituations:
–Beforefueling
–Beforeclearingblockages
–Beforeremovingthegrassbasket
–Beforechecking,cleaning,ormaintainingthe
cuttingunit
–Afterstrikingaforeignobjectorifanabnormal
vibrationoccurs.Inspectthecuttingunitfor
damageandmakerepairsbeforestartingand
operatingthemachine
–Beforeleavingtheoperatingposition
•Useonlyaccessoriesandattachmentsapproved
byTheToro®Company.
SlopeSafety
•Slopesareamajorfactorrelatedtolossofcontrol
androlloveraccidents,whichcanresultinsevere
injuryordeath.Youareresponsibleforsafeslope
operation.Operatingthemachineonanyslope
requiresextracaution.Beforeusingthemachine
onaslope,dothefollowing:
–Reviewandunderstandtheslopeinstructions
inthemanualandonthemachine.
–Evaluatethesiteconditionsofthedayto
determineiftheslopeissafeformachine
operation.Usecommonsenseandgood
judgmentwhenperformingthisevaluation.
Changesintheterrain,suchasmoisture,can
quicklyaffecttheoperationofthemachineon
aslope.
•Operateacrossslopes,neverupanddown.Avoid
operationonexcessivelysteeporwetslopes.
Poorfootingcouldcauseaslip-and-fallaccident.
•Identifyhazardsatthebaseoftheslope.Do
notoperatethemachineneardrop-offs,ditches,
embankments,water,orotherhazards.The
machinecouldsuddenlyrolloverifawheelgoes
overtheedgeortheedgecollapses.Keepasafe
distancebetweenthemachineandanyhazard.
Useahandheldtooltooperateintheseareas.
•Avoidstarting,stopping,orturningthemachineon
slopes.Avoidmakingsuddenchangesinspeedor
direction;turnslowlyandgradually.
•Donotoperateamachineunderanyconditions
wheretraction,steering,orstabilityisinquestion.
Beawarethatoperatingthemachineonwetgrass,
acrossslopes,ordownhillmaycausethemachine
tolosetraction.Lossoftractiontothedrivemay
resultinslidingandalossofbrakingandsteering.
Themachinecanslideevenifyoustopthedrive.
•Removeormarkobstaclessuchasditches,holes,
ruts,bumps,rocks,orotherhiddenhazards.Tall
grasscanhideobstacles.Uneventerraincould
overturnthemachine.
•Ifyoulosecontrolofthemachine,stepawayfrom
thedirectionoftravelofthemachine.
•Alwayskeepthemachineingearwhengoing
downslopes.Donotcoastdownhill(applicable
onlytogear-driveunits).
StartingtheEngine
Note:Forillustrationsanddescriptionsofthecontrols
referencedinthissection,refertoControls(page10).
Note:Ensurethatthespark-plugwireisinstalledon
thesparkplug.
1.Ensurethatthetraction-driveleverisinthe
NEUTRALposition.
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