MTD 540 Series manual Slope Operation, Children, Service, Do not

•Mow only in daylight or good artificial light.

•Stop the blade when crossing gravel drives, walks or roads.

•If the equipment should start to vibrate abnormally, stop the engine and check immediately for the cause. Vibration is generally a warning of trouble.

•Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to a complete stop before removing the grass catcher or unclogging the chute. The cutting blade continues to rotate for a few seconds after the engine is shut off. Never place any part of the body in the blade area until you are sure the blade has stopped rotating.

•Never operate mower without proper guards, grass catcher, plates or other safety protective devices in place.

•Muffler and engine become hot and can cause a burn. Do not touch.

•Only use accessories approved for this machine by the manufacturer. Read, understand, and follow all instructions provided with the approved accessory.

•If situations occur which are not covered in this manual, use care and good judgment. Contact your dealer for assistance. Telephone 1-800-800-7310 for the name of your nearest dealer.

Slope Operation

•For your safety, use the slope gauge included as part of this manual to measure slopes before operating this unit on a sloped or hilly area. If the slope is greater than 15 degrees as shown on the slope gauge, do not operate this unit on that area or serious injury could result.

Do:

•Mow across the face of slopes; never up and down. Exercise extreme caution when changing direction on slopes.

•Watch for holes, ruts, hidden objects, or bumps. Tall grass can hide obstacles.

•Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can cause serious personal injury. If you feel you are losing your balance release the blade control handle immediately and the blade will stop in less than 3 seconds.

Do NOT:

•Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or embankments. The operator could lose footing or balance.

•Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as shown on the slope gauge.

•Do not mow on wet grass. Reduced footing could cause slipping.

Children

•Tragic accidents can occur if the operator is not alert to the presence of children. Children are often attracted to the mower and the mowing activity.

Never assume that children will remain where you last saw them.

•Keep children out of the mowing area and under the watchful care of a responsible adult other than the operator.

•Be alert and turn mower off if a child enters the area.

•Before and while moving backwards, look behind and down for small children or other objects.

•Never allow children under age 14 to operate the mower. Children 14 years of age and above should read and understand the operation instructions and safety rules in this manual.

•Use extreme care when approaching blind corners, shrubs, trees, or other objects that may obscure your vision of a child or hazard.

Service

•Use extreme care in handling gasoline and other fuels. They are extremely flammable and the vapors are explosive.

•Use only an approved gasoline container.

•Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the engine is running. Allow engine to cool at least two minutes before refueling.

•Replace gasoline cap securely and wipe off any spilled gasoline before starting the engine as it may cause a fire or explosion.

•Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other sources of ignition.

•Never refuel machine indoors because flammable vapors will accumulate in the area.

•Never store the machine or fuel container inside where there is an open flame or spark such as a gas water heater, space heater, or furnace.

•Never run an engine inside a closed area.

•To reduce fire hazard, keep mower free of grass, leaves, or other debris build-up. Clean up oil or fuel spillage. Allow mower to cool at least 5 minutes before storing.

•Before cleaning, repairing, or inspecting, make certain the blade and all moving parts have stopped. Disconnect the spark plug wire, and keep the wire away from the spark plug to prevent accidental starting.

•Check the blade and engine mounting bolts at frequent intervals for proper tightness. Also, visually inspect blade for damage (e.g., bent, cracked or worn). Replace with blade which meets original equipment specifications listed in this manual.

•Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure the equipment is in safe working condition.

•Never tamper with safety devices. Check their proper operation regularly.

•After striking a foreign object, stop the engine, remove the wire from the spark plug, and thoroughly inspect the mower for any damage. Repair the damage before starting and operating the mower.

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