5
3. Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall c an cause serious
personal injury. If you feel you are losin g your balance, release
the blade control handle imme diately, and the blade will stop
rotating within 3 seconds.
Do Not:
1. Do not mow near drop-offs, di tches or embankments, you cou ld
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 foot ing could cause slipping.

Children

Tragic accidents can occur if the ope rator is not alert to the presenc e
of children. Children are often at tracted to the mower and the mowi ng
activity. They do not understand t he dangers. Never assume that
children will remain where you las t saw them.
1. Keep children out of the mowing area an d under the watchful
care of a responsible adult othe r than the operator.
2. Be alert and turn mower off if a chi ld enters the area.
3. Before and while moving backwar ds, look behind and down for
small children.
4. Use extreme care when approach ing blind corners, door ways,
shrubs, trees, or other object s that may obscure your vision of a
child who may run into the mower.
5. Keep children away from hot or running eng ines. They can suffer
burns from a hot muffler.
6. Never allow children under 14 years old to ope rate a power
mower. Children 14 years old and over should read and und er-
stand the operation instruc tions and safety rules in th is manual
and should be trained and supervi sed 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 an d the
vapors are explosive. Serious pers onal injury can occur whe n
gasoline is spilled on yoursel f or your clothes which can ign ite.
Wash your skin and change clothes i mmediately.
2. Use only an approved gasoline con tainer.
3. Never fill containers inside a vehi cle or on a truck or trailer bed
with a plastic liner. Always place cont ainers on the ground away
from your vehicle before filling.
4. Remove gas-powered equipment fr om the truck or trailer and
refuel it on the ground. If this is not p ossible, then refuel such
equipment on a trailer with a por table container, rather than fr om
a gasoline dispenser nozzle.
5. Keep the nozzle in contact with the r im of the fuel tank or
container opening at all times u ntil fueling 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 will
accumulate in the area.
8. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the e ngine is hot or run-
ning. Allow engine to cool at least t wo minutes before refueling.
9. Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no mor e than ½ inch below
bottom of filler neck to provide fo r fuel expansion.
10. Replace gasolin e cap and tighten securely.
11. If gasoline is spil led, wipe it off the engine an d equipment. Move
unit to another area. Wait 5 minutes befor e starting the engine.
12. Never store the machine or f uel container near an open flam e,
spark or pilot light as on a water heater, space h eater, furnace,
clothes dryer or other gas appl iances.
13. To reduce fire hazard, keep mower fr ee of grass, leaves, or
other debris build-up. Clea n up oil or fuel spillage and remove
any fuel soaked debris.
14. Allow a mower to cool at leas t 5 minutes before storing.

General Service:

1. Never run an engine indoors or in a poo rly ventilated area.
Engine exhaust contains carbo n monoxide, an odorless and
deadly gas.
2. Before cleaning, repairing, or i nspecting, make certai n the
blade and all moving parts have stop ped. Disconnect the spa rk
plug wire and ground against the en gine to prevent unintended
starting.
3. Check the blade and engine moun ting bolts at frequent
intervals for proper tightnes s. Also, visually inspect b lade for
damage (e.g., bent, cracked, worn) R eplace blade with the
original equipment manufac ture’s (O.E.M.) blade only, listed
in this manual. “Use of parts wh ich do not meet the original
equipment specificatio ns may lead to improper perform ance
and compromise safety! ”
4. Mower blades are sharp and can cut. Wra p the blade or wear
gloves, and use extra caution whe n servicing them.
5. Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tig ht to be sure the equipment
is in safe working condition.
6. Never tamper with safety devices . Check their proper operati on
regularly.
7. After striking a foreign objec t, stop the engine, discon nect the
spark plug wire and ground agains t the engine. Thoroughly
inspect the mower for any damage. Rep air the damage before
starting and operating the m ower.
8. Never attempt to make a wheel or cuttin g height adjustment
while the engine is running.
9. Grass catcher components, d ischarge cover, and trail shield
are subject to wear and damage whic h could expose moving
parts or allow objects to be thr own. For safety protection,
frequently check compone nts and replace immediatel y with
original equipment manufac turer’s (O.E.M.) parts only, liste d
in this manual. “Use of parts wh ich do not meet the original
equipment specificatio ns may lead to improper perform ance
and compromise safety! ”
10. Do not change the eng ine governor setting or overspee d the
engine. The governor controls th e maximum safe operating
speed of the engine.
11. Check fuel line, tank, cap, and fittings freq uently for cracks or
leaks. Replace if necessar y.
12. Do not crank engine with spark plug r emoved.
13. Maintain or replac e safety labels, as necessar y.
14. Observe proper di sposal laws and regulations . Improper
disposal of fluids and materia ls can harm the environment.
Do not modify engine
To avoid serious injury or death, do not modi fy engine in any way.
Tampering with the governor setting c an lead to a runaway engine
and cause it to operate at unsafe speed s. Never tamper with
factory setting of engine g overnor.
Average Useful Life
According to the Consumer Prod ucts Safety Commission ( CPSC)
and the U.S. Environmental Protectio n Agency (EPA), this product
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 inspe cted annually by an authorized
service dealer to ensure that a ll mechanical and safety sys tems
are working properly and not worn exce ssively. Failure to do so can
result in accidents, injurie s or death.
2
Safe Operation Practices
WARNING
This machine is equipped
with an internal combus-
tion engine and should
not be used on or near
any unimproved forest-
covered, brushcovered or
grass-covered land unless
the engine’s exhaust
system is equipped with a
spark arrester meeting ap-
plicable local or provincial
laws (if any).
If a spark arrester is used,
it should be maintained in
effective working order by
the operator.
A spark arrester for the muf-
fler is available through your
nearest engine authorized
service dealer.
Notice regarding Emis-
sions
Engines which are certified
to comply with California
and federal EPA emission
regulations for SORE (Small
Off Road Equipment) are
certified to operate on regu-
lar unleaded gasoline, and
may include the following
emission control systems:
Engine Modification (EM)
and Three Way Catalyst
(TWC) if so equipped.