Operator's Manual

Safety
Note: T he addition of attac hments made b y
other man ufacturers that do not meet American
National Standards Institute cer tification will cause
noncompliance of this mac hine .
Improper use or maintenance b y the operator or
o wner can result in injur y . T o reduce the potential
for injur y , comply with these safety instr uctions
and alw a ys pa y attention to the safety aler t symbol
, whic h means CA UTION , W ARNING , or
D ANGER-“personal safety instr uction." F ailure
to comply with the instr uction ma y result in
personal injur y or death.
Safe Operating Practices
T he follo wing instr uctions are from ANSI
standard B71.4-2004.
Training
• R ead the Operator’ s Man ual and other training
material. If the operator(s) or mec hanic(s) can
not read English it is the o wner’ s responsibility
to explain this material to them.
• Become familiar with the safe operation of the
equipment, operator controls , and safety signs .
• All operators and mec hanics should be trained.
T he o wner is responsible for training the users .
• Nev er let c hildren or untrained people operate
or ser vice the equipment. Local regulations
ma y restrict the ag e of the operator .
• T he o wner/user can prev ent and is responsible
for accidents or injuries occur ring to himself
or herself , other people or proper ty .
Preparation
• 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 .
• W ear appropriate clothing including hard hat,
safety glasses and hearing protection. Long
hair , loose clothing or jew elr y ma y g et tangled
in mo ving par ts .
• Inspect the area where the equipment is to be
used and remo v e all objects suc h as roc ks , to ys
and wire whic h can be thro wn b y the mac hine .
• Use extra care when handling g asoline and
other fuels . T hey are flammable and v apors
are explosi v e .
– Use only an appro v ed container
– Nev er remo v e g as cap or add fuel with
engine r unning . Allo w engine to cool
before refueling . Do not smok e .
– Nev er refuel or drain the mac hine indoors .
• Chec k that operator’ s presence controls ,
safety switc hes and shields are attac hed and
functioning properly . Do not operate unless
they are functioning properly .
Operation
• Nev er r un an engine in an enclosed area.
• Only operate in g ood light, k ee ping a w a y from
holes and hidden hazards .
• Be sure all dri v es are in neutral and parking
brak e is eng ag ed before star ting engine . Only
star t engine from the operator’ s position.
• Be sure of y our footing while using this
mac hine , especially when bac king up . W alk,
don ’ t r un. Nev er operate on w et g rass .
R educed footing could cause slipping .
• Slo w do wn and use extra care on hillsides . Be
sure to tra v el side to side on hillsides . T urf
conditions can affect the mac hine’ s stability .
Use caution while operating near drop-offs .
• Slo w do wn and use caution when making tur ns
and when c hanging directions on slopes .
• Nev er raise dec k with the blades r unning .
• Nev er operate with the PTO shield, or other
guards not securely in place . Be sure all
interloc ks are attac hed, adjusted properly , and
functioning properly .
• Nev er operate with the disc harg e deflector
raised, remo v ed or altered, unless using a g rass
catc her .
• Do not c hang e the engine g o v er nor setting or
o v erspeed the engine .
• Stop on lev el g round, diseng ag e dri v es , eng ag e
parking brak e (if pro vided), shut off engine
before lea ving the operator’ s position for any
reason including emptying the catc hers or
unclog ging the c hute .
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