MTD Shift-On-The-Go 779 - Slope Operation and Towing Safety

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Safe
Operation
Practices
out mportantsafety
_nstruct!onswhich, !f
not followed,could
endanger the personal
safety and!or property
of yourself and othersl
Read and fol!owa!l
instruct ons in this man'
ual beforeattempting to
operate th_smachine:
oc iy
Fa!luret omP w!th
these instructionsmay
jeSUit inpersonal injury,
When you see this
symbol,
HEED ITS WARNING
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Responslbd_ty
Restnctthe use
of ths power roachne
to personswho read,
understand
Slopesarea majorfactorrelatedtolossof controland
tip-overaccidentswhichcanresultin severeinjuryor
death.All slopesrequireextracaution.Ifyou cannot
backupthe slopeor if youfeel uneasyonit, do notmow
it.
Foryour safety,usetheslopegaugeincludedas partof
thismanualto measureslopesbeforeoperatingthisunit
ona slopedor hillyarea.If the slopeis greaterthan 15
degreesas shownonthe slopegauge,do notoperate
thisunitonthatareaorseriousinjurycouldresult.
Do:
1. Mowupanddownslopes,notacross.Exercise
extremecautionwhenchangingdirectiononslopes.
2. Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,or other hidden
objects.Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.
Tallgrasscan hideobstacles.
3. Useslowspeed.Choosea lowenoughspeed
settingso thatyouwill not haveto stoporshiftwhile
ontheslope.Tiresmaylosetractiononslopeseven
thoughthe brakesarefunctioningproperly.Always
keepmachineingearwhengoingdownslopesto
takeadvantageof enginebrakingaction.
4. Followthe manufacturer'srecommendationsfor
wheelweightsorcounterweightsto improvestability.
5. Useextracarewithgrasscatchersor otherat-
tachments.Thesecanchangethe stabilityof the
machine.
6. Keepall movementon theslopesslowandgradual.
Donotmakesuddenchangesinspeedor direction.
Rapidengagementor brakingcouldcausethefront
ofthemachineto liftand rapidlyflipoverbackwards
whichcouldcauseseriousinjury.
7. Avoidstartingor stoppingon a slope.If tireslose
traction,disengagethe blade(s)andproceedslowly
straightdownthe slope.
Do Not:
1. Do notturn onslopesunlessnecessary;then,turn
slowlyandgraduallydownhill,if possible.
2. Do not mowneardrop-otis,ditchesor embankments.
Themowercouldsuddenlyturnoverif awheelisover
theedgeof acliff,ditch,or if anedgecavesin.
3. Do nottry to stabilizethemachinebyputtingyourfoot
ontheground.
4. Do not usea grasscatcheronsteepslopes.
5. Do not mowonwetgrass.Reducedtractioncould
causesliding.
6. Do notshift to neutralandcoastdownhill.Over-speed-
ingmaycausethe operatorto lose controlof the
machineresultingin seriousinjuryordeath.
7. Do nottow heavypullbehindattachments(e.g.loaded
dumpcart, lawnroller,etc.)on slopesgreaterthan
5 degrees.Whengoingdownhill,theextraweight
tendsto pushthetractorand maycauseyou to loose
control.(e.g.tractormayspeedup, brakingandsteer-
ingabilityarereduced,attachmentmayjack-knifeand
causetractorto overturn).
Towing:
1. Towonlywitha machinethathasa hitchdesignedfor
towing.Donotattachtowedequipmentexceptat the
hitchpoint.
2. Followthe manufacturersrecommendationforweight
limitsfor towedequipmentandtowingonslopes.
3. Neverallowchildrenor othersin oron towedequip-
ment.
4. Onslopes,theweightof thetowedequipmentmay
causelossoftractionandlossof control.
5. Travelslowlyandallowextradistanceto stop.
6. Do notshift to neutralandcoastdownhill.
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