• Ev aluate the ter rain to deter mine what
accessories and attac hments are needed to
properly and safely perfor m the job . Only use
accessories and attac hments appro v ed b y the
man ufacturer .
• Chec k that operators presence controls ,
safety switc hes , and shields are attac hed and
functioning properly . Do not operate unless
they are functioning properly .
Operation
• Do not operate the engine in a confined space
where dang erous carbon mono xide fumes can
collect.
• Mo w only in da ylight or in g ood ar tificial light.
• Before attempting to star t the engine ,
diseng ag e all blade attac hment clutc hes , shift
into neutral, and eng ag e the parking brak e .
Only star t the engine from the operators
position. Use seat belts , if pro vided.
• Do not use this mac hine on slopes g reater than
13°.
• R emember there is no suc h thing as a safe
slope . T ra v el on g rass slopes requires par ticular
care . T o guard ag ainst o v er tur ning:
– Do not stop or star t suddenly when g oing
up or do wnhill.
– Eng ag e the clutc h slo wly , alw a ys k ee p the
mac hine in g ear , especially when tra v elling
do wnhill.
– T he mac hine speed should be k e pt lo w on
slopes and during tight tur ns .
– Sta y aler t for humps and hollo ws and other
hidden hazards .
– Nev er mo w across the face of the slope ,
unless the mac hine is designed for that
pur pose .
• Sta y aler t for holes in the ter rain and other
hidden hazards .
• W atc h out for traffic when crossing or near
roadw a ys .
• Stop the blades from rotating before crossing
surfaces other than g rass .
• W hen using any attac hments , nev er direct
disc harg e of material to w ard b ystanders
nor allo w any one near the mac hine while in
operation.
• Nev er operate the mac hine with damag ed
guards , shields , or without safety protecti v e
devices in place . Be sure all interloc ks are
attac hed, adjusted properly , and functioning
properly .
• Do not c hang e the engine g o v er nor settings or
o v erspeed the engine . Operating the engine
at ex cessi v e speed ma y increase the hazard of
personal injur y .
• Before lea ving the operators position:
– Stop on lev el g round.
– Diseng ag e the po w er tak e-off and lo w er
the attac hments .
– Chang e into neutral and set the parking
brak e .
– Stop the engine and remo v e the k ey .
• Diseng ag e dri v e to attac hments , stop the
engine , and disconnect the spark plug wire(s)
or remo v e the ignition k ey:
– before clearing bloc kag es;
– before c hec king, cleaning, or w orking on
the mac hine;
– after striking a foreign object. Inspect
the mac hine for damag e and mak e re pairs
before restar ting and operating the
equipment. T or que all the spindle pulley
n uts to 130 to 150 ft-lb (176 to 203 N ⋅ m);
– if the mac hine star ts to vibrate abnor mally
(c hec k immediately).
• Diseng ag e dri v e to attac hments when
transpor ting or not is use .
• Stop the engine and diseng ag e dri v e to
attac hment:
– before refuelling;
– before making height adjustment unless
adjustment can be made from the operator’ s
position.
• R educe the throttle setting before stopping
engine and, if the engine is pro vided with a
fuel shut-off v alv e , tur n the fuel off at the
conclusion of mo wing .
• Nev er raise dec k with the blades r unning .
• K ee p hands and feet a w a y from the cutting
units .
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