Operator's Manual

DANGER
Incertainconditionsduringfueling,static
electricitycanbereleasedcausingaspark,
whichcanignitethefuelvapors.Areor
explosionfromfuelcanburnyouandothers
andcandamageproperty.
•Alwaysplacefuelcontainersontheground
awayfromyourvehiclebeforelling.
•Donotllfuelcontainersinsideavehicle
oronatruckortrailerbedbecauseinterior
carpetsorplastictruckbedlinersmay
insulatethecontainerandslowthelossof
anystaticcharge.
•Whenpractical,removegas-powered
equipmentfromthetruckortrailerand
refueltheequipmentwithitswheelsonthe
ground.
•Ifthisisnotpossible,thenrefuelsuch
equipmentonatruckortrailerfroma
portablecontainerratherthanfroma
fuel-dispensernozzle.
•Ifyoumustuseafuel-dispensernozzle,
keepthenozzleincontactwiththerimof
thefueltankorcontaineropeningatall
timesuntilfuelingiscomplete.
WARNING
Fuelisharmfulorfatalifswallowed.
Long-termexposuretovaporscancause
seriousinjuryandillness.
•Avoidprolongedbreathingofvapors.
•Keepyourfaceawayfromthenozzleand
fueltankorconditionerbottleopening.
•Avoidcontactwithskin;washoffspills
withsoapandwater.
UsingStabilizer/Conditioner
Useafuelstabilizer/conditionerinthemachineto
providethefollowingbenets:
•Keepsfuelfreshduringstorageof90daysorless.
Forlongerstorage,drainthefueltank.
•Cleanstheenginewhileitruns
•Eliminatesgum-likevarnishbuildupinthefuel
system,whichcauseshardstarting
Important:Donotusefueladditives
containingmethanolorethanol.
Addthecorrectamountoffuelstabilizer/conditioner
tothefuel.
Note:Afuelstabilizer/conditionerismost
effectivewhenmixedwithfreshfuel.T ominimize
thechanceofvarnishdepositsinthefuelsystem,
usefuelstabilizeratalltimes.
FillingtheFuelTank
1.Parkthemachineonalevelsurface,disengage
thePTO,movethemotion-controlleverstothe
NEUTRAL-LOCKposition,andengagetheparking
brake.
2.Shutofftheengine,removethekey,andwait
forallmovingpartstostopbeforeleavingthe
operatingposition.
3.Cleanaroundthefuel-tankcapandremovethe
cap.
4.Fillthefueltanktothebottomofthellerneck.
Note:Donotllthefueltankcompletelyfull.
Theemptyspaceinthetankallowsthegasoline
toexpand.
5.Installthefuel-tankcapsecurely.Wipeupany
spilledfuel.
CheckingtheEngine-Oil
Level
Beforeyoustarttheengineandusethemachine,
checktheoillevelintheenginecrankcase;referto
CheckingtheEngine-OilLevel(page34).
BreakinginaNewMachine
Newenginestaketimetodevelopfullpower.Mower
decksanddrivesystemshavehigherfrictionwhen
new,placingadditionalloadontheengine.Allow
40to50hoursofbreak-intimefornewmachinesto
developfullpowerandbestperformance.
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