Operation
Note:Determinetheleftandrightsidesofthe
machinefromthenormaloperatingposition.
BeforeOperation
BeforeOperationSafety
GeneralSafety
•Neverallowchildrenoruntrainedpeopleto
operateorservicethemachine.Localregulations
mayrestricttheageoftheoperator.Theowner
isresponsiblefortrainingalloperatorsand
mechanics.
•Becomefamiliarwiththesafeoperationofthe
equipment,operatorcontrols,andsafetysigns.
•Knowhowtostopthemachineandshutoffthe
enginequickly.
•Checkthatoperator-presencecontrols,safety
switches,andshieldsareattachedandfunctioning
properly.Donotoperatethemachineunlessthey
arefunctioningproperly.
•Beforemowing,alwaysinspectthemachineto
ensurethattheblades,bladebolts,andcutting
assembliesareingoodworkingcondition.
Replacewornordamagedbladesandboltsinsets
topreservebalance.
•Inspecttheareawhereyouwillusethemachine
andremoveallobjectsthatthemachinecould
throw.
•Evaluatetheterraintodeterminetheappropriate
equipmentandanyattachmentsoraccessories
requiredtooperatethemachineproperlyand
safely.
FuelSafety
•Toavoidpersonalinjuryorpropertydamage,use
extremecareinhandlingfuel.Fuelvaporsare
ammableandexplosive.
•Extinguishallcigarettes,cigars,pipes,andother
sourcesofignition.
•Useonlyanapprovedfuelcontainer.
•Donotremovethefuelcaporaddfueltothefuel
tankwhiletheengineisrunningorwhilehot.
•Donotrefuelthemachineindoors.
•Donotstorethemachineorfuelcontainerwhere
thereisanopename,spark,orpilotlight,such
asonawaterheateroronotherappliances.
•Donotllcontainersinsideavehicleoronatruck
ortrailerbedwithaplasticliner.Alwaysplace
containersontheground,awayfromyourvehicle
beforelling.
•Removetheequipmentfromthetruckortrailer
andrefuelitwhileitisontheground.Ifthisisnot
possible,thenrefuelfromaportablecontainer
ratherthanafuel-dispensernozzle.
•Donotoperatethemachinewithouttheentire
exhaustsysteminplaceandinproperworking
condition.
•Keepthefuel-dispensernozzleincontactwith
therimofthefueltankorcontaineropeningat
alltimesuntilfuelingiscomplete.Donotusea
nozzlelock-opendevice.
•Ifyouspillfuelonyourclothing,changeyour
clothingimmediately.Wipeupanyfuelthatspills.
•Neveroverllthefueltank.Replacethefuelcap
andtightenitsecurely.
•Storefuelinanapprovedcontainerandkeepit
outofthereachofchildren.Neverbuymorethan
a30-daysupplyoffuel.
•Donotllthefueltankcompletelyfull.Addfuelto
thefueltankuntilthelevelis6to13mm(1/4to
1/2inch)belowthebottomofthellerneck.This
emptyspaceinthetankallowsfueltoexpand.
–Avoidprolongedbreathingofvapors.
–Keepyourfaceawayfromthenozzleandfuel
tankopening.
–Avoidcontactwithskin;washoffspillswith
soapandwater.
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.
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