[i_ IAIA Dlklllklt'__. The Engine Exhaust from this product contains chemicals known to the State
wvPInaleel_,;_, of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
IMPORTANT s,e OPERATIONPRACTICES
_) HIS SYMBOLPOINTSOUTIMPORTANTSAFETYINSTRUCTIONSWHICH, IF NOTFOLLOWED,COULDENDANGERTHEPERSONALA
SAFETYAND/ORPROPERTYOFYOURSELFAND OTHERS.READAND FOLLOWALLINSTRUCTIONSIN THIS MANUALBEFORE
ATTEMPTINGTO OPERATE"(OURLAWNMOWER.FAILURETOCOMPLYWITH THESEINSTRUCTIONSMAY RESULTiN PERSONAL
INJURY.WHENYOUSEETHIS SYMBOL-- _'E HEEDITSWARNING.
_lb Yourlawnmowerwasbuilttobe operatedaccordingtothe rulesforsafe operationinthis manual. Aswith I
anytype ofpowerequipment,carelessnessorerroronthe partofthe operatorcanresultin seriousin ury.
DANGER: Ths awn mower scapabe ef amputaf nghandsandfeet andthrowngobjects.Fa ure toobservethefo -
lowingsafetyinstructionscouldresultin serious injuryordeath.
_il. GENERALOPEP,__TION • Donot operatethe mowerwhileunderthe influenceofalcoholor
•Readthisownersguidecarefullyinitsentirstybeforeattempting drugs.
to assemblethis machine.Read,understand,and follow all •Disengagetheself-propelledmechanismor driveclutchon units
instructionsonthe machineandin the manual(s)beforeopera-
tion. Becompletelyfamiliarwith the controlsand the proper use
of this machine beforeoperating it. Keepthis manualin a safe
placefor future and regular referenceandfor ordering replace-
mentparts.
•Yourrctary mowerisaprecisionpieceof powerequipment,nct a
plaything.Therefore,exemiseextremecautionat alltimes. Your
unit hasbeendesignedto performonejob:to mow grass.Donot
useit for anyother purpose.
• Never allow childrenunder 14 years old to operate apower
mower. Children 14 years old and over should only operate
mower under closeparentalsupervision.Onlyresponsibleindi-
vidualswhoarefamiliarwith theserulesofsafeoperationshould
beallowedto useyourmower.
•Keepthe areaofoperation clearof all persons,particuladysmall
childrenand pets. Stop engine whenthey arein the vicinity of
yourmowerto helppreventbladecontactor thrown objectinjury.
Althoughthe areaof operationshouldbe completelyclearedof
foreign objects,an object mayhavebeenoverlookedandcould
beaccidentallythrown by the mower in any directionand cause
seriouspersonalinjuryto the operatoror anyothers allowedin
the area.
•Thoroughly inspectthe areawherethe equipmentis to be used.
Removeall stones,sticks, wire, bones,toys andotherforeign
objectswhichcould be pickedup and thrown by the mower in
anydirectionandcauseseriouspersonalinjuryto the operatoror
anyothersallowedin the area.Planyour mowingpatternto avoid
dischargeof materialtoward roads, sidewalks,bystandersand
the like.Tohelpavoidathrown ob ectsinjury,keepchildren,ani-
mals,bystandersand helpersat east75 feet from the mower
soequippedbeforestartingthe engine.
•The bladecontrolhandle is a safetydevice.Neverattemptto
bypassits operation.Doingso makesthe safetydeviceinopera-
tive and may result in personalinjury through contactwith the
rotating blade.The bladecontrol handlemust operateeasily in
bothdirections andautomaticaliyreturnto the disengagedposi-
tion whenreleased.
•Neveroperatethe mower in wet grass.Alwaysbe sure of your
fooling. A slip and fall cancauseserious personalinjury.Keepa
firm holdonthe handleandwalk,neverrun.Mowonlyindaylight
or in goodartificiallight.
:Stopthe bladewhencrossinggraveldrives,walksor roads.
If the equipment should start to vibrate abnormally,stopthe
engineand checkimmediatelyfor the cause.Vibrationis gener-
allyawarningof trouble.
•Shutthe engineoff andwaituntilthe bladecomesto a complete
stopbeforeremovingthe grass catcheror uncloggingthe chute.
Thecutting bladecontinuesto rotatefor afew secondsafterthe
engineis shut off.Neverplaceanypartof the body inthe blade
areauntil youare surethe bladehasstoppedrotating.
• Never operate mower without proper guards, grass catcher,
platesor othersafetyprotectivedevicesin place.
• Muffler and enginebecomehot and cancausea bum. 0o not
touch.
• Onlyuseaccessoriesapprovedfor this rnacbinebythe manufac-
turer.Read,understand,andfollow allinstructionsprovidedwith
the approvedaccessory.
• If situationsoccurwhichare notcoveredin this manual,usecare
andgoodjudgment.Contactyourdealerfor assistance,
whileit is in operation. _II. SLOPEOPERATION
• Alwayswearsafetyglasseswithside shieldsor safety goggles RI Foryoursafety,usethe slopegaugeincludedaspart ofthis manual
duringoperationorwhileperforminganadjustmentorrepair,to
protect eyesfrom foreign objectsthat may be thrown from the
machinein anydirection.
• Wear sturdy, rough-soledwork shoes and close-fittingslacks
and shirts.Shirts and pantsthat coverthe arms and legs and
steel-toed shoes are recommended.Do not wear loose fitting
clothesor jewelry. Theycanbe caught in moving parts. Never
operateaunit in barefeet, sandals,or sneakers.
• Do not put handsorfeet nearor underrotating parts.Keepclear
of dischargeopening atall times asthe rotatingbladecancause
injury.
•ManyLnjuriesoccur as a result of the mower beingpulled over
thefoot duringafall.Donot hangonto the mowerif you arefall-
ing;releasethe handleimmediately.
• Neverpull the mowertoward you whileyou arewalking.If you
mustbackthe mowerawayfrom a wallor obstructionfirst look
downand behind,andthenfollowthesesteps:
• Stepbackfrom the mowerto fufly extendyour arms.
• Besureyouarewellbalancedwithsurefooting.
•Pullthe mower backslowly,no morethanhalfwaytoward you.
• Repeatthesestepsasneeded.
to measureslopes beforeoperatingthis uniton asloped or hilly
area.If theslopeisgreaterthan15°, asshownonthe slopegauge,
donotoperatethisunitonthatareaorseriousinjurycouldresult.
O0:
• Mow acrossthe face of slopes; neverup and down. Exercise
extremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watch for holes, ruts, hiddenobjects, or bumps. Tallgrasscan
hideobstacles.
• Alwaysbesureot yourfocting. Aslip andfall cancauseserious
personalinjury.
DONOT:
• Doflot mow neardrop-ofts,ditchesor embankments.Theopera-
tor couldloosefooting or balance.
• Do not mow slopes greaterthan 15° as shownon the slope
gauge.
• Do notmow onwet grass.Reducedfooting couldcauseslipping.
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