Ryobi RY401021 - Maximum Speed Selector; Mowing Tips; Slope Operation

MOWING TIPS
10 - English
OPERATION
■ Mow across the face of slopes, notup and down. Exercise
extreme caution when changing direction on slopes.
■ Watch for holes, ruts, rocks, hidden objects, or bumps
which can cause you to slip or trip. Tall grass can hide
obstacles. Remove all objects such as rocks, tree limbs,
etc., which could betripped overorthrown bythe blades.
While using the self-propelled feature, the maximum speed
of the mower can be set using the speed selector switch.
■ Slide the switch on the top of the handle to the left to
decrease your maximum speed, slide the switch to the
right to increase your maximum speed.
■ The self-propelled paddle allows you to control the drive
speed between Omph and the maximum speed selected.
NOTE: Fully charge battery before each use for optimal
runtime.
■ Make sure the lawn is clear of stones, tree nuts, sticks,
wires, and other objects that could damage the lawn mower
blades or motor. Do not mow over property stakes or other
metal posts. Such objects could damage the blades or
be accidentally thrown by the mower in any direction and
cause serious personal injury to the operator and others.
■ For a healthy lawn, always cut off one-third or less of the
total length of the grass.
■ When cutting heavy grass, reduce walking speed to allow
for more effective cutting and a proper discharge of the
clippings.
■ Do not cut wet grass. It will stick to the underside of the
deck and prevent proper bagging or mulching of grass
clippings.
■ New or thick grass may require a narrower cut or a higher
cutting height.
■ Clean the underside of the mower deck after each use
to remove grass clippings, leaves, dirt, and any other
accumulated debris.
NOTE: Always stop mower, allow blades to completely
stop, remove the start key and remove the battery packs
from the battery port before cleaning underneath the
mower.
SLOPE OPERATION
See Figure 14.
The self-propel paddle can be adjusted to three different
positions allowing for a more comfortable angle of use.
■ To adjust, slide the button back as shown.
■ Adjust the paddle up or down to find the most comfort 
able position.
■ Release the button and move the paddle up and down
slightly to make sure it is locked into position.
■ Once the paddle has been adjusted, the self-propelled
feature is engaged by pushing the self-propel paddle
downward.
■ To disengage the self-propelled feature, release the self-
propel paddle.
■ Press the paddle located on back of upper controls to
increase the speed.
■ Adjust the maximum speed selector and press the self-
propelled paddle located on the back ofthe upper controls
to increase the speed.
MAXIMUM SPEED SELECTOR
See Figure 12.
A WARNING:
Always adjust the speed selector before you engage the
blade. Adjusting the speed selector while mowing may
cause you to lose control and could result in serious injury
while the blade is operating.
A WARNING:
Slopes are a major factor related to slip and fall accidents
that can result in severe injury. Operation on slopes
requires extra caution. If you feel uneasy on a slope,
do not mow it. For your safety, do not attempt to mow
slopes greater than 15 degrees and mow across the face
of slopes, not up and down.
A WARNING:
When using the self-propelled feature, ensure that the
speed selector is set at a speed that you can comfort 
ably follow when walking behind the mower. You may
lose control of the mower if the speed selector is set at
a speed that is too fast for your walking pace. Release
the self-propel paddle and bail if you cannot keep up
with the mower and adjust the speed selector as needed.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in serious
personal injury.
A WARNING:
Do not mow on wet grass, which can cause you to slip
and fall and result in possible serious personal injury.