Operation
Note:Determinetheleftandrightsidesofthe
machinefromthenormaloperatingposition.
BeforeOperation
BeforeOperationSafety
GeneralSafety
•Havethepropertyorworkareamarkedforburied
linesandotherobjects,anddonotdiginmarked
areas;notethelocationofunmarkedobjectsand
structures,suchasundergroundstoragetanks,
wells,andsepticsystems.
•Inspecttheareawhereyouwillusetheequipment.
–Evaluatetheterraintodeterminewhat
accessoriesandattachmentsyouneedto
properlyandsafelyperformthejob.
–Removealldebris.
–Ensurethattheareaisclearofbystanders
beforeoperatingthemachine.
–Stopthemachineifanyoneentersthearea.
•Becomefamiliarwiththesafeoperationofthe
equipment,operatorcontrols,andsafetydecals.
–Theownerisresponsiblefortrainingall
operatorsandmechanics.
–Neverallowchildrenoruntrainedpeople
tooperateorservicethemachine.Local
regulationsmayrestricttheageorrequire
certiedtrainingoftheoperator.
–Knowhowtostopthemachineandshutoffthe
enginequickly.
–Checkthattheoperator'spresencecontrols,
safetyswitches,andshieldsareattached
andfunctioningproperly.Donotoperatethe
machineunlesstheyarefunctioningproperly.
–Locatethepinch-pointareasmarkedonthe
machineandattachments;keepyourhands
andfeetawayfromtheseareas.
–Stopthemachine,shutofftheengine,and
removethekeybeforeleavingtheoperating
position.
FuelSafety
•Useextremecareinhandlingfuel.Itisammable
anditsvaporsareexplosive.
•Extinguishallcigarettes,cigars,pipes,andother
sourcesofignition.
•Useonlyanapprovedfuelcontainer.
•Donotremovethefuelcaporllthefueltank
whiletheengineisrunningorhot.
•Donotaddordrainfuelinanenclosedspace.
•Donotstorethemachineorfuelcontainerwhere
thereisanopename,spark,orpilotlight,such
asonawaterheaterorotherappliance.
•Ifyouspillfuel,donotattempttostarttheengine;
avoidcreatinganysourceofignitionuntilthefuel
vaporshavedissipated.
•Donotllcontainersinsideavehicleoronatruck
ortrailerbedwithaplasticliner.Alwaysplace
containersontheground,awayfromyourvehicle
beforelling.
•Removetheequipmentfromthetruckortrailer
andrefuelitwhileitisontheground.Ifthisisnot
possible,thenrefuelfromaportablecontainer
ratherthanafuel-dispensernozzle.
•Keepthefuel-dispensernozzleincontactwith
therimofthefueltankorcontaineropeningat
alltimesuntilfuelingiscomplete.Donotusea
nozzlelock-opendevice.
AddingFuel
RecommendedFuel
•Forbestresults,useonlyclean,fresh(lessthan
30daysold),unleadedgasolinewithanoctane
ratingof87orhigher((R+M)/2ratingmethod).
•Ethanol:Gasolinewithupto10%ethanol
(gasohol)or15%MTBE(methyltertiarybutyl
ether)byvolumeisacceptable.Ethanoland
MTBEarenotthesame.Gasolinewith15%
ethanol(E15)byvolumeisnotapprovedforuse.
Neverusegasolinethatcontainsmorethan
10%ethanolbyvolume,suchasE15(contains
15%ethanol),E20(contains20%ethanol),orE85
(containsupto85%ethanol).Usingunapproved
gasolinemaycauseperformanceproblemsand/or
enginedamagewhichmaynotbecoveredunder
warranty.
•Donotusegasolinecontainingmethanol.
•Donotstorefueleitherinthefueltankorfuel
containersoverthewinterunlessyouuseafuel
stabilizer.
•Donotaddoiltogasoline.
UsingStabilizer/Conditioner
Usefuelstabilizer/conditionerinthemachinetokeep
thefuelfreshlongerwhenusedasdirectedbythe
fuel-stabilizermanufacturer.
Important:Donotusefueladditivescontaining
methanolorethanol.
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