SAFE MOWING PRACTICES
For your safety, keep all four wheels on the ground, and be careful to avoid losing your footing and your control of the mower. Keep a firm grip on the handlebar, and walk, never run, with the mower. Be very careful when mowing uneven or rough ground.
If stuck, do not kick or shove the mower with your foot. Use the handlebar to control the mower.
BWARNING
The blades are sharp and spin at high speed.
A spinning blade can cut you severely and can amputate fingers and toes.
•Wear protective footwear.
•Keep your hands and feet away from the mower deck while the engine is running.
•Stop the engine before performing any adjustment, inspection, or maintenance.
Slopes
Mow across slopes, not up and down. Avoid steep slopes (more
than 20°), and be careful when changing direction. Mowing on a slope when the grass is damp or wet could cause you to slip, fall, and lose control of the mower.
Obstacles
Use the side of the mower to cut 
close to large obstacles, such as fences or walls.
Release the Smart Drive control to disengage the drive when mowing around trees and other obstacles. Push the mower around obstacles for better directional control. Be careful when mowing over obstacles embedded in the lawn, such as sprinkler heads, paving, edging, raised tree roots, etc. Avoid anything that sticks up above the surface of the lawn.
If the blade hits something or if the mower starts to vibrate, stop the engine immediately, disconnect the spark plug cap, and check for damage (page 9). Striking objects may damage the blades, bend the crankshaft, and/or break the mower deck or other components. Vibration usually indicates serious trouble.
BWARNING
A worn, cracked, or damaged blade can break, and pieces of the damaged blade can become dangerous projectiles.
Thrown objects can cause serious injury.
Inspect the blades regularly, and do not operate the mower with a worn or damaged blade.
The DISTRIBUTOR’S LIMITED WARRANTY (page 19) does not cover parts damaged by collision.
Gravel and Loose Objects
Gravel, loose stones, and landscaping material can be picked up by the mower and thrown many feet with enough force to cause serious personal injury and/or property damage. The best way to prevent potential injury from thrown objects is to release the blade control lever to stop the blades before reaching areas with gravel, loose stones, or landscaping material.
8
SERVICING YOUR LAWN MOWER
Proper maintenance is essential for safe, economical, and
BWARNING
Improper maintenance, or failure to correct a problem before operation, can cause a malfunction in which you can be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection and maintenance recommendations and schedules in this owner’s manual.
To help you properly care for your mower, the following pages include a maintenance schedule, routine inspection procedures, and simple maintenance procedures using basic hand tools. Other service tasks that are more difficult, or require special tools, are best handled by professionals and are normally performed by a Honda technician or other qualified mechanic.
The maintenance schedule applies to normal operating conditions. If you operate your mower under severe conditions, such as sustained
Remember that an authorized Honda servicing dealer knows your mower best and is fully equipped to maintain and repair it.
To ensure the best quality and reliability, use only new, Honda Genuine parts or their equivalents for repair and replacement.
Maintenance, replacement, or repair of the emission control devices and systems may be performed by any engine repair establishment or individual, using parts that are “certified” to EPA standards.
MAINTENANCE SAFETY
Some of the most important safety precautions follow. However, we cannot warn you of every conceivable hazard that can arise in performing maintenance. Only you can decide whether or not you
should perform a given task.
BWARNING
Failure to properly follow maintenance instructions and precautions can cause you to be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures and precautions in this owner’s manual.
Safety Precautions
•Make sure the engine is off before you begin any maintenance or repairs. This will eliminate several potential hazards:
–Carbon monoxide poisoning from engine exhaust.
Be sure there is adequate ventilation whenever you operate the engine.
–Burns from hot parts.
Let the engine and exhaust system cool before touching.
–Injury from moving parts.
Do not run the engine unless instructed to do so.