Operation
BeforeOperation
BeforeOperationSafety
GeneralSafety
•Neverallowchildrenoruntrainedpeopletooperate
themachine.Localregulationsmayrestrictthe
ageoftheoperator.Theownerisresponsiblefor
trainingalloperatorsandmechanics.
•Becomefamiliarwiththesafeoperationofthe
equipment,operatorcontrols,andsafetysigns.
•Knowhowtostopthemachineandshutoffthe
enginequickly.
•Checkthatoperator-presencecontrols,safety
switches,andguardsareattachedandfunctioning
properly.Donotoperatethemachineunlessthey
arefunctioningproperly.
•Beforemowing,alwaysinspectthemachineto
ensurethattheblades,bladebolts,andcutting
assembliesareingoodworkingcondition.
•Inspecttheareawhereyouwillusethemachine
andremoveallobjectsthatthemachinecould
throw.
•Evaluatetheterraintodeterminetheappropriate
equipmentandanyattachmentsoraccessories
requiredtooperatethemachineproperlyand
safely.
FuelSafety
•Fuelisextremelyammableandhighlyexplosive.
Areorexplosionfromfuelcanburnyouand
othersandcandamageproperty.
–Topreventastaticchargefromignitingthefuel,
placethecontainerand/ormachinedirectlyon
thegroundbeforelling,notinavehicleoron
anobject.
–Fillthefueltankoutdoors,inanopenarea,
whentheengineiscold.Wipeupanyfuelthat
spills.
–Donothandlefuelwhensmokingoraroundan
openameorsparks.
–Donotremovethefuelcaporaddfueltothe
tankwhiletheengineisrunningorhot.
–Ifyouspillfuel,donotattempttostartthe
engine.Avoidcreatingasourceofignitionuntil
thefuelvaporshavedissipated.
–Storefuelinanapprovedcontainerandkeep
itoutofthereachofchildren.
•Fuelisharmfulorfatalifswallowed.Long-term
exposuretovaporscancauseseriousinjuryand
illness.
–Avoidprolongedbreathingofvapors.
–Keepyourhandsandfaceawayfromthe
nozzleandthefuel-tankopening.
–Keepfuelawayfromyoureyesandskin.
•Donotstorethemachineorfuelcontainerwhere
thereisanopename,spark,orpilotlight,such
asonawaterheateroronotherappliances.
•Donotllcontainersinsideavehicleoronatruck
ortrailerbedwithaplasticliner.Alwaysplace
containersontheground,awayfromyourvehicle
beforelling.
•Removetheequipmentfromthetruckortrailer
andrefuelitwhileitisontheground.Ifthisisnot
possible,thenrefuelfromaportablecontainer
ratherthanafuel-dispensernozzle.
•Donotoperatethemachinewithouttheentire
exhaustsysteminplaceandinproperworking
condition.
•Keepthefuel-dispensernozzleincontactwith
therimofthefueltankorcontaineropeningat
alltimesuntilfuelingiscomplete.Donotusea
nozzlelock-opendevice.
•Ifyouspillfuelonyourclothing,changeyour
clothingimmediately.Wipeupanyfuelthatspills.
•Neveroverllthefueltank.Replacethefuelcap
andtightenitsecurely.
AddingFuel
•Forbestresults,useonlyclean,fresh(lessthan
30daysold),unleadedgasolinewithanoctane
ratingof87orhigher((R+M)/2ratingmethod).
•Ethanol:Gasolinewithupto10%ethanol
(gasohol)or15%MTBE(methyltertiarybutyl
ether)byvolumeisacceptable.Ethanoland
MTBEarenotthesame.Gasolinewith15%
ethanol(E15)byvolumeisnotapprovedforuse.
Neverusegasolinethatcontainsmorethan
10%ethanolbyvolume,suchasE15(contains
15%ethanol),E20(contains20%ethanol),orE85
(containsupto85%ethanol).Usingunapproved
gasolinemaycauseperformanceproblemsand/or
enginedamagethatmaynotbecoveredunder
warranty.
•Donotusegasolinecontainingmethanol.
•Donotstorefueleitherinthefueltankorfuel
containersoverthewinterunlessyouuseafuel
stabilizer.
•Donotaddoiltogasoline.
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