•Beforebackinguporturningthemachine,look
downandallaroundforsmallchildren.
•Donotcarrychildrenonthemachine,evenwhen
thebladesarenotmoving.Childrencouldfall
offandbeseriouslyinjuredorpreventyoufrom
safelyoperatingthemachine.Childrenwhohave
beengivenridesinthepastcouldappearinthe
operatingareawithoutwarningandberunoveror
backedoverbythemachine.
RolloverProtectionSystem
(ROPS)Safety
•TheROPSisanintegralandeffectivesafety
device.DonotremoveoraltertheROPS.
•Thereisnorolloverprotectionwhentherollbar
isdown.
•Keeptherollbarinthefullyraisedandlocked
positionandalwayswearyourseatbeltwhenever
therollbarisup.
•Ensurethattheseatbeltcanbereleasedquickly
intheeventofanemergency.
•Lowertherollbaronlywhenabsolutelynecessary.
Donotweartheseatbeltwhentherollbarisdown.
•Raisetherollbarassoonasclearancepermits.
•Wheelsdroppingoveredges,ditches,steep
banks,orwatercancauserollovers,whichmay
resultinseriousinjuryordeath.
•Checkcarefullyforoverheadclearancesbefore
drivingunderanyobjectsanddonotcontactthem.
•Intheeventofarollover,takethemachinetoan
AuthorizedServiceDealerandhavetheROPS
inspected.
•ReplacedamagedROPScomponents.Donot
repairoralterthem.
•Useonlyaccessoriesandattachmentsinstalled
ontheROPSthatareapprovedbyT oro.
SlopeSafety
•Slopesareamajorfactorrelatedtolossofcontrol
androlloveraccidents,whichcanresultinsevere
injuryordeath.Theoperatorisresponsiblefor
safeslopeoperation.Operatingthemachineon
anysloperequiresextracaution.Beforeusingthe
machineonaslope,dothefollowing:
–Reviewandunderstandtheslopeinstructions
inthemanualandonthemachine.
–Useanangleindicatortodeterminethe
approximateslopeangleofthearea.
–Neveroperateonslopesgreaterthan15°.
–Evaluatethesiteconditionsofthedayto
determineiftheslopeissafeformachine
operation.Usecommonsenseandgood
judgmentwhenperformingthisevaluation.
Changesintheterrain,suchasmoisture,can
quicklyaffecttheoperationofthemachineon
aslope.
•Identifyhazardsatthebaseoftheslope.Do
notoperatethemachineneardrop-offs,ditches,
embankments,water,orotherhazards.The
machinecouldsuddenlyrolloverifawheelgoes
overtheedgeortheedgecollapses.Keepasafe
distance(twicethewidthofthemachine)between
themachineandanyhazard.Useawalk-behind
machineorahandtrimmertomowthegrassin
theseareas.
•Avoidstarting,stopping,orturningthemachineon
slopes.Avoidmakingsuddenchangesinspeedor
direction;turnslowlyandgradually.
•Donotoperateamachineunderanyconditions
wheretraction,steering,orstabilityisinquestion.
Beawarethatoperatingthemachineonwet
grass,acrossslopes,ordownhillmaycausethe
machinetolosetraction.Lossoftractiontothe
drivewheelsmayresultinslidingandalossof
brakingandsteering.Themachinecanslideeven
ifthedrivewheelsarestopped.
•Removeormarkobstaclessuchasditches,holes,
ruts,bumps,rocks,orotherhiddenhazards.Tall
grasscanhideobstacles.Uneventerraincould
overturnthemachine.
•Useextracarewhileoperatingwithaccessoriesor
attachments,suchasgrass-collectionsystems.
Thesecanchangethestabilityofthemachine
andcausealossofcontrol.Followdirectionsfor
counterweights.
•Ifpossible,keepthedeckloweredtotheground
whileoperatingonslopes.Raisingthedeckwhile
operatingonslopescancausethemachineto
becomeunstable.
22