• Slowdownbeforeturning.Operatethemachinesmoothly.Avoid
erraticoperationandexcessivespeed.
Disengageblade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandwaituntil
theblade(s)cometo a completestopbeforeremovinggrass
catcher,emptyinggrass,uncloggingchute,removinganygrassor
debris,or makinganyadjustments.
Neverleavea runningmachineunattended.Alwaysturnoff
blade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandremovekeybefore
dismounting.
Useextracare whenloadingorunloadingthe machineintoa
trailerortruck.Thismachineshouldnot bedrivenupor down
ramp(s),becausethemachinecouldtipover,causingserious
personalinjury.Themachinemustbe pushedmanuallyon
ramp(s)to loador unloadproperly.
Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Donot
touch.
Checkoverheadclearancescarefullybeforedrivingunderlow
hangingtreebranches,wires,dooropeningsetc.,wherethe
operatormaybestruckor pulledfromthe machine,whichcould
resultinseriousinjury.
Disengageallattachmentclutchesanddepressthe brakepedal
completelybeforeattemptingtostart engine.
Yourmachineisdesignedto cutnormalresidentialgrassof a
heightnomorethan 10".Do not attemptto mowthroughunusually
tall,dry grass(e.g.,pasture)orpilesof dry leaves.Drygrassor
leavesmaycontacttheengineexhaustand/orbuilduponthe
mowerdeckpresentinga potentialfirehazard.
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.
Theseoperatorsshouldevaluatetheirabilitytooperatethe riding
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,usethe SlopeGuideincludedaspartof this manual
to measureslopesbeforeoperatingthis machineona slopedor hilly
area.Iftheslopeis greaterthan15degreesasshownonthe Slope
Guide,do notoperatethis machineonthatareaor seriousinjurycould
result.
Do:
o
Mowupanddownslopes,not across.Exerciseextremecaution
whenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watchforholes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orotherhiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscanhide
obstacles.
Useslowspeed.Choosea lowenoughspeedsettingso that
youwill nothaveto stopor shiftwhileon the slope.Tiresmay
losetractionon slopeseventhoughthe brakesarefunctioning
properly.Alwayskeepmachinein gearwhen goingdownslopes
totakeadvantageofenginebrakingaction.
• Followthemanufacturer'srecommendationsfor wheelweights
or counterweightsto improvestability.Forrecommendations,call
1-800-659-5917.
• Useextracarewithgrasscatchersor otherattachments.These
canchangethestabilityof the machine.
Keepallmovementontheslopesslowandgradual.Donot make
suddenchangesinspeedor direction.Rapidengagementor
brakingcouldcausethefrontofthemachineto lift andrapidlyflip
overbackwardswhichcouldcauseseriousinjury.
• Avoidstartingorstoppingona slope.Iftireslosetraction,disen-
gagethe blade(s)andproceedslowlystraightdownthe slope.
DoNot:
• Donotturnon slopesunlessnecessary;then,turnslowlyand
graduallydownhill,ifpossible.
• Donotmowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments.Themower
couldsuddenlyturnoverif a wheelis overthe edgeof a cliff,
ditch,or ifan edgecavesin.
• Donottry to stabilizethe machineby puttingyourfooton the
ground.
• Donotusea grasscatcheron steepslopes.
• Donotmowon wetgrass.Reducedtractioncouldcausesliding.
• Donotattemptto coastdownhill.Over-speedingmaycausethe
operatortolose controlof themachineresultingin seriousinjury
or death.
• Donottowheavypull behindattachments(e.g.loadeddumpcart,
lawnroller,etc.)on slopesgreaterthan5 degrees.Whengoing
downhill,the extraweighttendstopushthe tractorandmay
causeyouto loosecontrol.(e.g.tractormayspeedup,braking
and steeringabilityare reduced,attachmentmayjack-knifeand
causetractortooverturn).
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