Operator's Manual

Operation
Note:Determinetheleftandrightsidesofthe
machinefromthenormaloperatingposition.
BeforeOperation
BeforeOperationSafety
GeneralSafety
•Neverallowchildrenoruntrainedpeopleto
operateorservicethemachine.Localregulations
mayrestricttheageoftheoperator.Theowner
isresponsiblefortrainingalloperatorsand
mechanics.
•Becomefamiliarwiththesafeoperationofthe
equipment,operatorcontrols,andsafetysigns.
•Knowhowtostopthemachineandshutoffthe
enginequickly.
•Checkthatoperator-presencecontrols,safety
switches,andshieldsareattachedandfunctioning
properly.Donotoperatethemachineunlessthey
arefunctioningproperly.
•Beforemowing,alwaysinspectthemachineto
ensurethattheblades,bladebolts,andcutting
assembliesareingoodworkingcondition.
Replacewornordamagedbladesandboltsinsets
topreservebalance.
•Inspecttheareawhereyouwillusethemachine
andremoveallobjectsthatthemachinecould
throw.
•Evaluatetheterraintodeterminetheappropriate
equipmentandanyattachmentsoraccessories
requiredtooperatethemachineproperlyand
safely.
FuelSafety
•Toavoidpersonalinjuryorpropertydamage,use
extremecareinhandlingfuel.Fuelvaporsare
ammableandexplosive.
•Extinguishallcigarettes,cigars,pipes,andother
sourcesofignition.
•Useonlyanapprovedfuelcontainer.
•Donotremovethefuelcaporaddfueltothefuel
tankwhiletheengineisrunningorwhilehot.
•Donotrefuelthemachineindoors.
•Donotstorethemachineorfuelcontainerwhere
thereisanopename,spark,orpilotlight,such
asonawaterheateroronotherappliances.
•Donotllcontainersinsideavehicleoronatruck
ortrailerbedwithaplasticliner.Alwaysplace
containersontheground,awayfromyourvehicle
beforelling.
•Removetheequipmentfromthetruckortrailer
andrefuelitwhileitisontheground.Ifthisisnot
possible,thenrefuelfromaportablecontainer
ratherthanafuel-dispensernozzle.
•Donotoperatethemachinewithouttheentire
exhaustsysteminplaceandinproperworking
condition.
•Keepthefuel-dispensernozzleincontactwith
therimofthefueltankorcontaineropeningat
alltimesuntilfuelingiscomplete.Donotusea
nozzlelock-opendevice.
•Ifyouspillfuelonyourclothing,changeyour
clothingimmediately.Wipeupanyfuelthatspills.
•Neveroverllthefueltank.Replacethefuelcap
andtightenitsecurely.
•Storefuelinanapprovedcontainerandkeepit
outofthereachofchildren.Neverbuymorethan
a30-daysupplyoffuel.
•Donotllthefueltankcompletelyfull.Addfuelto
thefueltankuntilthelevelis6to13mm(1/4to
1/2inch)belowthebottomofthellerneck.This
emptyspaceinthetankallowsfueltoexpand.
–Avoidprolongedbreathingofvapors.
–Keepyourfaceawayfromthenozzleandfuel
tankopening.
–Avoidcontactwithskin;washoffspillswith
soapandwater.
RecommendedFuel
•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
enginedamagewhichmaynotbecoveredunder
warranty.
•Donotusegasolinecontainingmethanol.
•Donotstorefueleitherinthefueltankorfuel
containersoverthewinterunlessyouuseafuel
stabilizer.
•Donotaddoiltogasoline.
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