Section 1: Safety
•Exercise extreme caution when on or crossing gravel drives, walks or roads. Stay alert for hidden hazards or traffic. Do not carry passengers.
•After striking a foreign object, stop the engine, let all moving parts come to a complete stop, disconnect the spark plug wire and prevent it from touching the spark plug, then carefully inspect the ma- chine for damage. Repair the damage before restarting and operating the machine.
•Exercise caution to avoid slipping or falling.
•If the machine should start to vibrate abnormally, stop the engine. Disconnect the spark plug wire and prevent it from touching the plug. Check immediately for the cause. Vibration is generally a warning of trouble. Fix the problem before using the equipment again.
•Stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug wire and prevent it from touching the spark plug whenever you leave the equip- ment, before unclogging the tines, or when making any repairs, adjustments or inspections.
•Take all possible precautions when leaving the machine unattended. Always stop the engine. Disconnect the spark plug wire and prevent it from touching the plug.
•Before cleaning, repairing, or in- specting, stop the engine and make cer- tain all moving parts have stopped. Dis- connect the spark plug wire and prevent it from touching the spark plug to avoid ac- cidental starting.
•Never operate equipment without proper guards, plates, or other protective safety devices in place.
•Do not run the engine in an enclosed
area. The exhaust fumes from the engine contain extremely dangerous carbon monoxide gas. This gas is colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly poisonous.
•Keep children and pets away.
•Be aware that the equipment may unex- pectedly bounce upward or jump forward if the tines should strike extremely hard packed soil, frozen ground, or buried ob- stacles such as large stones, roots or stumps. If you are in doubt about the tilling conditions, always use the fol- lowing operating precautions to assist you in maintaining control of the equipment:
a. Stand behind the equipment, using both hands on the handlebars. Relax your arms, but use a secure hand grip.
b. Start tilling at shallow depths, working gradually deeper with each pass.
c. Clear the tilling area of all large stones, roots, and other debris.
d. In an emergency, stop the tines by re- leasing the Throttle/Tines Lever on the handlebar. To stop the engine, move the engine On/Off switch to OFF.
•Do not overload the machine’s capacity by attempting to till too deeply at too fast a rate.
•Never operate the equipment on slip- pery surfaces. Look behind and use care when backing up.
•Do not operate the equipment on a slope that is too steep for safety. When on slopes, slow down and make sure you have good footing.
•Never allow bystanders near the unit.
•Only use attachments and accessories that are
•Never operate the equipment without good visibility or good light.
•Never operate the unit if you are tired, or under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication.
•Do not tamper with the engine gov- ernor settings on the machine; the gov- ernor controls the maximum safe oper- ating speed and protects the engine and all other moving parts from damage caused by engine overspeed. Authorized service shall be sought if a problem exists.
•Do not touch engine parts which may be hot from operation. Allow parts to cool before inspecting, cleaning or repairing.
•Remember: you can stop the tines by releasing the Throttle/Tines Lever. Move the engine On/Off switch to OFF to shut the engine off.
•Never transport this machine when the engine is running.
•Terminals and
•Use extreme caution when reversing or pulling the machine toward you.
•Start the engine carefully according to instructions and with feet well away from the tines.
MAINTENANCE/STORAGE
•Keep the tiller, attachments and acces- sories in safe working condition.
•Check all nuts, bolts, and screws at fre- quent intervals for proper tightness to be sure equipment is in safe working condition.
•Never store equipment with fuel in fuel tank inside a building where fumes may reach an open flame or spark (hot water and space heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers, stoves, electric motors, etc.).
•Allow the engine to cool before storing the equipment.
•Keep the engine free of grass, leaves, or grease to reduce the chance of a fire hazard.
•Store gasoline in a cool,
•Never perform maintenance when
engine is running or spark plug wire is connected unless instructed to do so.
•If fuel tank must be drained, do so outdoors.
•Follow manufacturer’s recommenda- tions for safe loading, unloading, trans- port and storage of machine.
4