• Slowdownbeforeturning.Operatethe machinesmoothly.Avoid
erraticoperationandexcessivespeed.
Disengageblade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandwaituntil
theblade(s)cometoa completestopbeforeremovinggrass
catcher,emptyinggrass,uncloggingchute,removinganygrassor
debris,or makinganyadjustments.
Neverleavea runningmachineunattended.Alwaysturnoff
blade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandremovekeybefore
dismounting.
Useextracarewhenloadingorunloadingthe machineintoa
trailerortruck.Thismachineshouldnotbedrivenupor down
ramp(s),becausethemachinecouldtip over,causingserious
personalinjury.Themachinemustbe pushedmanuallyon
ramp(s)to loador unloadproperly.
Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcancausea burn.Do not
touch.
Checkoverheadclearancescarefullybeforedrivingunderlow
hangingtreebranches,wires,dooropeningsetc.,wherethe
operatormaybestruckor pulledfromthe machine,whichcould
resultinseriousinjury.
Disengageallattachmentclutchesanddepressthe brakepedal
completelybeforeattemptingto startengine.
Yourmachineisdesignedto cutnormalresidentialgrassof a
heightnomorethan 10".Do notattemptto mowthroughunusually
tall,drygrass(e.g.,pasture)orpilesof dryleaves.Drygrassor
leavesmaycontacttheengineexhaustand/orbuilduponthe
mowerdeckpresentinga potentialfire hazard.
Useonlyaccessoriesandattachmentsapprovedfor this machine
bythe machinemanufacturer.Read,understandandfollowall
instructionsprovidedwiththe approvedaccessoryor attachment.
Fora list ofapprovedaccessoriesandattachments,call 1-800-
659-5917.
Dataindicatesthatoperators,age60yearsandabove,are
involvedin a largepercentageofridingmower-relatedinjuries.
Theseoperatorsshouldevaluatetheirabilityto operatetheriding
mowersafelyenoughto protectthemselvesandothersfrom
seriousinjury.
If situationsoccurwhicharenotcoveredinthismanual,usecare
andgoodjudgment.Contact1-800-659-5917forinformationand
assistance.
SLOPE OPERATION
Slopesarea majorfactorrelatedto lossof controlandtip-over
accidentswhichcanresultinsevereinjuryor death.Allslopesrequire
extracaution.Ifyoucannotbackupthe slopeor if youfeel uneasyon
it, do notmowit.
Foryoursafety,usetheSlopeGuideincludedaspartof this manual
to measureslopesbeforeoperatingthis machineona slopedor hilly
area.Ifthe slopeisgreaterthan15degreesasshownonthe Slope
Guide,do notoperatethis machineonthatareaor seriousinjurycould
result.
Do:
o
Mowupanddown slopes,notacross.Exerciseextremecaution
whenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orother hiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscan hide
obstacles.
Useslowspeed.Choosea lowenoughspeedsettingsothat
youwill nothavetostopor shiftwhileon the slope.Tiresmay
losetractionon slopeseventhoughthe brakesarefunctioning
properly.Alwayskeepmachinein gearwhengoingdownslopes
totakeadvantageof enginebrakingaction.
• Followthe manufacturer'srecommendationsforwheelweights
or counterweightstoimprovestability.Forrecommendations,call
1-800-659-5917.
• Useextracarewithgrasscatchersor otherattachments.These
canchangethestabilityof the machine.
Keepallmovementonthe slopesslowandgradual.Donot make
suddenchangesinspeedor direction.Rapidengagementor
brakingcouldcausethefrontof themachineto lift andrapidlyflip
overbackwardswhichcouldcauseseriousinjury.
• Avoidstartingorstoppingona slope.Iftireslosetraction,disen-
gagethe blade(s)andproceedslowlystraightdownthe slope.
DoNot:
• Donot turnon slopesunlessnecessary;then,turnslowlyand
graduallydownhill,ifpossible.
• Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments.Themower
couldsuddenlyturnover ifa wheelis overtheedgeof a cliff,
ditch,or ifan edgecavesin.
• Donot try to stabilizethe machinebyputtingyourfooton the
ground.
• Donot usea grasscatcheron steepslopes.
• Donot mowon wetgrass.Reducedtractioncouldcausesliding.
• Donot attempttocoastdownhill.Over-speedingmaycausethe
operatorto lose controlofthe machineresultingin seriousinjury
or death.
• Donot towheavypull behindattachments(e.g.loadeddumpcart,
lawnroller,etc.)on slopesgreaterthan5 degrees.Whengoing
downhill,the extraweighttendsto pushthe tractorandmay
causeyouto loosecontrol(e.g.tractormayspeedup, brakingand
steeringabilityarereduced,attachmentmayjack-knifeandcause
tractortooverturn).
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