5
Do Not:
1. Do not mow near drop-offs, di tches or embankments, you c ould
lose your footing or balance.
2. Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as shown on the slope gauge.
3. Do not mow on wet grass. Unstable fo oting could cause slippi ng.

Children

Tragic accidents can occur if the op erator is not alert to the pres ence
of children. Children are ofte n attracted to the mower and the m owing
activity. They do not understan d the dangers. Never assume t hat
children will remain where you la st saw them.
1. Keep children out of the mowing area a nd under the watchful care
of a responsible adult other th an the operator.
2. Be alert and turn mower off if a ch ild enters the area.
3. Before and while moving backwa rds, look behind and down for
small children.
4. Use extreme care when approac hing blind corners, door ways,
shrubs, trees, or other objec ts that may obscure your vision of a
child who may run into the mower.
5. Keep children away from hot or running e ngines. They can suffer
burns from a hot muffler.
6. Never allow children under 14 years old to o perate a power mower.
Children 14 years old and over should read an d understand the
operation instruction s and safety rules in this manu al and should
be trained and supervised by a parent.

Service

Safe Handling Of Gasoline:
1. To avoid personal injury or propert y damage use extreme care in
handling gasoline. Gasoli ne is extremely flammable a nd the vapors
are explosive. Serious persona l injury can occur when ga soline is
spilled on yourself or your clot hes which can ignite. Wash your sk in
and change clothes immedi ately.
2. Use only an approved gasoline co ntainer.
3. Never fill containers inside a veh icle or on a truck or trailer b ed with
a plastic liner. Always place contai ners on the ground away from
your vehicle before filling.
4. Remove gas-powered equipmen t from the truck or trailer and r efuel
it on the ground. If this is not pos sible, then refuel such equ ipment
on a trailer with a portable c ontainer, rather than from a gaso line
dispenser nozzle.
5. Keep the nozzle in contact with th e rim of the fuel tank or contai ner
opening at all times until fuel ing is complete. Do not use a nozzle
lock-open device.
6 Ex tinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other sources of ignition.
7. Never fuel machine indoors bec ause flammable vapors wil l
accumulate in the area.
8. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while t he engine is hot or
running. Allow engine to cool a t least two minutes before refu eling.
9. Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no m ore than ½ inch below
bottom of filler neck to provid e for fuel expansion.
10. Replace gas oline cap and tighten secur ely.
11. If gasoline is s pilled, wipe it off the en gine and equipment. Move
unit to another area. Wait 5 minutes be fore starting the engine.
12. Never store the mac hine or fuel container near an o pen flame,
spark or pilot light as on a water heater, spac e heater, furnace,
clothes dryer or other gas app liances.
13. To reduce fire hazard, ke ep mower free of grass, leaves, or oth er
debris build-up. Clean up oi l or fuel spillage and remove any fu el
soaked debris.
14. Allow a mower to coo l at least 5 minutes before storin g.

General Service:

1. Never run an engine indoors or in a po orly ventilated area. Engine
exhaust contains carbon mon oxide, an odorless and dead ly gas.
2. Before cleaning, repairing, o r inspecting, make cert ain the
blade and all moving parts have sto pped. Disconnect the s park
plug wire and ground against the e ngine to prevent unintended
starting.
3. Check the blade and engine mou nting bolts at frequent inter vals
for proper tightness. Also, vi sually inspect blade for d amage
(e.g., bent, cracked, worn) Repl ace blade with the origina l
equipment manufacture’s (O.E.M .) blade only, listed in this
manual. “Use of parts which d o not meet the original equi p-
ment specifications may lea d to improper performanc e and
compromise safety! ”
4. Mower blades are sharp and can cut . Wrap the blade or wear
gloves, and use extra caution wh en servicing them.
5. Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws ti ght to be sure the equipment is
in safe working condition.
6. Never tamper with safety device s. Check their proper oper ation
regularly.
7. After striking a foreign obje ct, stop the engine, disc onnect the
spark plug wire and ground again st the engine. Thoroughly
inspect the mower for any damage. Re pair the damage before
starting and operating th e mower.
8. Never attempt to make a wheel or cutti ng height adjustment whil e
the engine is running.
9. Grass catcher components , discharge cover, and trail shiel d
are subject to wear and damage whi ch could expose moving
parts or allow objects to be th rown. For safety protection,
frequently check compon ents and replace immediat ely with
original equipment manufa cturer’s (O.E.M.) parts on ly, listed
in this manual. “Use of parts w hich do not meet the origina l
equipment specificati ons may lead to improper perfo rmance and
compromise safety! ”
10. Do not change t he engine governor setting o r overspeed the
engine. The governor controls t he maximum safe operating
speed of the engine.
11. Check fuel line, tank, cap, and fittings fre quently for cracks or
leaks. Replace if necessar y.
12. Do not crank engine with spark plu g removed.
13. Maintain or rep lace safety labels, as nec essary.
14. Observe pro per disposal laws and regul ations. Improper dispo sal
of fluids and materials can harm t he environment.
Spark Arrestor
Warning: This machine is eq uipped with an
internal combustion eng ine and should not be
used on or near any unimproved fo rest-covered,
brushcovered or grass- covered land unless th e
engine’s exhaust system is equipp ed with a spark
arrester meeting appl icable local or provinc ial laws
(if any).
If a spark arrester is used, it shoul d be maintained in effect ive
working order by the operator.
A spark arrester for the muffler i s available through your nearest
engine authorized servic e dealer.
Do not modify engine
To avoid serious injury or death, do not mod ify engine in any way.
Tampering with the governor setting c an lead to a runaway engine
and cause it to operate at unsafe spee ds. Never tamper with factor y
setting of engine governor.
Average Useful Life
According to the Consumer Pro ducts Safety Commissi on (CPSC)
and the U.S. Environmental Protecti on Agency (EPA), this produ ct
has an Average Useful Life of seven (7) years, or 60 hours of
operation. At the end of the Average Useful Life, buy a new
machine or have the machine insp ected annually by an authorize d
service dealer to ensure tha t all mechanical and safet y systems are
working properly and not worn exce ssively. Failure to do so can result
in accidents, injuries or de ath.
2
Safe Operation Practices
WARNING
This symbol points out
important safety instructions
which, if not followed, could
endanger the personal
safety and/or property of
yourself and others. Read
and follow all instructions in
this manual before attempt-
ing to operate this machine.
Failure to comply with these
instructions may result in
personal injury. When you
see this symbol.
HEED ITS WARNING!
Notice regarding
Emissions
Engines which are
certified to comply with
California and federal EPA
emission regulations for
SORE (Small Off Road
Equipment) are certified
to operate on regular
unleaded gasoline, and
may include the following
emission control systems:
Engine Modification (EM)
and Three Way Catalyst
(TWC) if so equipped.