ground logic Pathfinder - CALIBRATION; 6.1 Spreader Flow Rate Calibration

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5. SLOPE OPERATIONAL SAFETY CONTINUED
5.3 OPERATING ON SLOPES CONTINUED
Operate up and down slopes, NOT across:
• Operation down slopes can be dangerous and cause sliding, loss of steering, control, and possible
rollover. Do NOT operate down a slope unless absolutely necessary. Drive very slowly in the lowest
gear and be careful. Never make a sharp turn or sudden start or stop, as this can cause loss of trac-
tion, sliding, loss of steering, control and possible rollover. Apply the rear brakes rst to slow your speed
while descending a slope.
• Operate up the slope and lean your body forward (towards the control panel), while keeping a rm grip
on the handle bar. This body position helps keep the front wheels on the ground.
•Operate down the slope and lean your body rearward with your arms out-stretched, while keeping a
rm grip on the handlebar. This body position adds more weight to the rear wheels and improves trac-
tion, downhill braking, and control.
• Always be very gentle operating the controls, travel at a slower speed than normal.
• Do NOT accelerate quickly or change speed or direction suddenly while operating, as this may cause
the machine’s front wheels to come off the ground (up slopes) and to reduce the tendency to cause the
machine to slip and slide (down slopes).
Operate across slopes (only if you cannot operate up and down the slope):
• It is recommended to operate across the face of slopes only when you cannot operate up or down
the slopes. This may be the preferred technique for operating on very gentle slopes and to avoid going
down a slope.
• Lean your body slightly rearward and towards the uphill side drive wheel, while keeping a rm grip on
the handle bar. This body position adds more weight to the uphill side drive wheel to maximize traction
and control.
• Do NOT accelerate quickly, as this may cause the machine’s front wheels to come off the ground.
• Exert strong force and keep a rm grip on the handle bars to maintain control and resist the machine
tendency to turn uphill
6. CALIBRATION
6.1 SPREADER FLOW RATE CALIBRATION
• The following instructions provide a method for adjusting the ow of fertilizer from the hopper so that
the correct amount of fertilizer is applied to a 1000 ft2 area. The machine is designed to apply fertilizer
evenly by overlapping each pass by 50 percent. The spread width for most products is approximately
14 feet. This means that the center of each pass should be approximately 7 feet from the center of the
previous pass. The effective material spread width is 7 feet and is the basis for calibration.
• Measure a distance of 143 feet on a at paved surface. Using a paved surface will allow the fertilizer
to be recollected and will prevent burning the turf if the application rate is largely different from what is
intended. Traveling 143 feet with the machine equates to covering approximately 1000 ft2 with fertilizer
(7 ft x 143 ft = 1001 ft2).