Slope Operation, Children, Service, Do Not

•The bladecontrolhandleis a safetydevice.Neverattemptto bypassits operation.Doingso makesthe safetydeviceinopera- tiveandmayresultin personalinjurythroughcontactwiththe rotatingblade.The bladecontrolhandlemustoperateeasily

in bothdirectionsandautomaticallyreturnto the disengaged positionwhenreleased.

•Neveroperatethe mowerinwetgrass.Alwaysbe sureof your footing. A slip andfall cancauseseriouspersonalinjury.Ifyou feelyou arelosingyourfooting,releasethe bladecontrolhandle immediatelyandthe bladewill stop rotatingwithinthreeseconds.

•Mowonly in daylightor goodartificiallight.Walk,neverrun.

•Stopthe bladewhencrossinggraveldrives,walksor roads.

•Ifthe equipmentshouldstart to vibrateabnormally,stopthe engineandcheckimmediatelyfor the cause.Vibrationis gener- allya warningof trouble.

•Shutthe engineoff andwaituntilthe bladecomesto a complete stopbeforeremovingthe grasscatcheror uncloggingthe chute. Thecuttingbladecontinuesto rotatefor afewsecondsafterthe bladecontrolis released.Neverplaceany partof the body inthe bladeareauntilyou aresurethe bladehasstoppedrotating.

•Neveroperatemowerwithoutpropertrail shield,dischargecover, grasscatcher,bladecontrolhandleor othersafetyprotectivede- vicesin placeandworking.Neveroperatemowerwithdamaged safetydevices.Failureto do socan resultinpersonalinjury. Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Do not touch.

•Neverattemptto makea wheelorcuttingheightadjustmentwhile theengineis running.

•Onlyuse partsand accessoriesmadeforthis machineby the manufactureras listedin the Partspagesof thisOperator's Manual.Failureto doso can resultin personalinjury.

•Whenstartingengine,pullcordslowlyuntil resistanceis felt,then pullrapidly.Rapidretractionof startercord (kickback)willpull handandarm towardenginefasterthanyoucan let go. Broken bones,fractures,bruisesor sprainscould result.

•If situationsoccurwhicharenot coveredinthismanual,usecare

andgoodjudgement.Contact1-800-4MY-HOME®for information andassistance.

SLOPE OPERATION

Slopesare amajorfactor relatedto slipandfall accidents,whichcan resultinsevereinjury.Operationon slopesrequiresextracaution.If youfeel uneasyona slope,do not mowit. Foryour safety,usethe SlopeGuideincludedas partof thismanualto measureslopesbefore operatingthis machineon a slopedor hillyarea. Ifthe slopeis greater than 15degrees,donot mowit.

Do:

oMowacrossthefaced slopes;neverupanddown.Exercise extremecautionwhenchangingdirectiononslopes.

•Watchfor holes,ruts, rocks,hiddenobjects,or bumpswhichcan causeyou to slip ortrip. Tallgrasscan hideobstacles.

•Alwaysbesureof yourfooting.A slipandfall can causeserious personalinjury.Ifyou feelyou arelosingyourbalance,release the bladecontrolhandleimmediatelyandthe bladewillstop rotatingwithinthree (3) seconds.

Do Not:

•Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments,because you couldloseyourfootingorbalance.

•Donot mowslopesgreaterthan 15degreesas shownon the slopeguide.

•Donot mowon wetgrass.Unstablefootingcouldcauseslipping.

CHILDREN

Tragicaccidentscan occurif the operatoris not alertto the presence of children.Childrenareoftenattractedto themowerandthe mowing activity.Theydonot understandthe dangers.Neverassumethat childrenwill remainwhereyou lastsawthem.

Keepchildrenout of the mowingareaandunderwatchfulcareof

a responsibleadultotherthan theoperator.

•Bealertandturn moweroffif achild entersthe area.

•Beforeandwhilemovingbackwards,look behindanddown for smallchildren.

•Useextremecare whenapproachingblindcorners,doorways, shrubs,trees,orotherobjectsthatmayobscureyourvisionof a child whomayrunintothe mower.

•Keepchildrenawayfromhot or runningengines.Theycan suffer burnsfroma hot muffler.

•Neverallowchildrenunder14yearsof ageto operatethis machine.Children14andovershouldreadand understandthe instructionsandsafeoperationpracticesinthis manualandon the machineand betrainedandsupervisedby an adult.

SERVICE

Safe HandlingOf Gasoline:

•Toavoid personalinjuryor propertydamageuseextremecare in handlinggasoline.Gasolineis extremelyflammableandthe vaporsareexplosive.Seriouspersonalinjurycanoccurwhen gasolineis spilledon yourselfor yourclothes,whichcan ignite. Washyour skinandchangeclothesimmediately.

•Useonly anapprovedgasolinecontainer.

•Neverfill containersinsidea vehicleoron atruck ortrailer bed witha plasticliner.Alwaysplacecontainerson thegroundaway fromyourvehiclebeforefilling.

•Removegas-poweredequipmentfromthetruck ortrailerand refuelit on the ground.Ifthisis notpossible,then refuelsuch equipmenton atrailer witha portablecontainer,ratherthanfrom a gasolinedispensernozzle.

•Keepthe nozzleincontactwiththe rimof the fueltankor containeropeningat all timesuntilfuelingis complete.Donot use a nozzlelock-opendevice.