Exmark VERTEX X Series - Page 26

Operation
mac hine could suddenly roll o v er if a wheel g oes
o v er the edg e or the edg e collapses . K ee p a safe
distance betw een the mac hine and any hazard.
Use a hand held tool to operate in these areas .
• A v oid star ting, stopping or tur ning the mac hine
on slopes . A v oid making sudden c hang es in speed
or direction; tur n slo wly and g radually .
• Do Not operate a mac hine under any conditions
where traction, steering or stability is in question.
Be a w are that operating the mac hine on w et g rass ,
across slopes or do wnhill ma y cause the mac hine
to lose traction. Loss of traction to the dri v e
wheels ma y result in sliding and a loss of braking
and steering . T he mac hine can slide ev en if the
dri v e wheels are stopped.
• R emo v e or mark obstacles suc h as ditc hes , holes ,
r uts , bumps , roc ks or other hidden hazards . T all
g rass can hide obstacles . Unev en ter rain could
o v er tur n the mac hine .
• If y ou lose control of the mac hine , ste p a w a y from
the direction of tra v el of the mac hine .
• Alw a ys k ee p the mac hine in g ear when g oing
do wn slopes . Do Not coast do wnhill.
Starting the Engine
1. With the motion control lev ers in neutral position,
pull the parking brak e up and rearw ard to eng ag e
the parking brak e
2. Push do wn on the PTO switc h to the “diseng ag e”
position.
Note: T he S-Series will allo w the mac hine to
star t with the PTO switc h in the pulled out (up)
position, but will not eng ag e the blades . T he PTO
eng ag ement switc h m ust be reset to eng ag e the
PTO .
3. Place the throttle midw a y betw een the “SLO W”
and “F AST” positions .
4. On a cold engine , pull the c hok e knob upw ard
into the “ON” position (ex ce pt EFI models).
On a w ar m engine , lea v e the c hok e in the “OFF”
position (ex ce pt EFI models).
5. T ur n ignition switc h to the “ST AR T” position.
R elease the switc h as soon as the engine star ts .
Important: Do Not crank the engine
contin uousl y f or mor e than ten seconds at a
time. If the engine does not star t, allo w a 60
second cool-do wn period betw een star ting
attempts. F ailur e to f ollo w these guidelines
can bur n out the star ter motor .
6. If the c hok e is in the “ON” position, g radually
retur n c hok e to the “OFF” position as the engine
w ar ms up .
PT O Engagement
DANGER
T he r otating blades under the mo w er deck ar e
danger ous. Blade contact can cause serious
injur y or kill y ou.
Do Not put hands or feet under the mo w er or
mo w er deck when the blades ar e enga ged.
DANGER
An unco v er ed discharge opening will allo w
objects to be thr o wn in an operator’ s or
bystander’ s dir ection. Also, contact with the
blade could occur . T hr o wn objects or blade
contact can cause serious injur y or death.
Nev er operate the mo w er with the discharge
deector raised, r emo v ed, or alter ed unless ther e
is a g rass collection system or mulch kit in place
and w or king pr oper l y .
T he PTO switc h eng ag es the cutting blades . Be sure
all persons are clear of mo w er dec k and disc harg e
area before eng aging the PTO .
1. Set throttle to “MID W A Y” position.
2. R elease the parking brak e .
3. Motion control lev ers will sta y in the neutral
position.
4. Pull the PTO switc h outw ard to eng ag e the blades .
Note: F or X-Series , the engine RPM will
automatically reduce when the PTO switc h is
eng ag ed to extend the clutc h life .
5. Place the throttle in the “F AST” position to begin
mo wing .
Disengaging the PT O
1. Set the throttle midw a y betw een the “SLO W” and
“F AST” positions .
2. Push do wn on the PTO switc h to diseng ag e the
blades .
26