5
3. Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can caus e serious
personal injury. If you feel you are losing your bala nce, release
the blade control handle immediatel y, and the blade will stop
rotating within 3 seconds.
Do Not:
1. Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or e mbankments, you could
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 footing cou ld cause slipping.

Children

Tragic accidents can occur if the operator is no t alert to the presence
of children. Children are often attrac ted to the mower and the mowing
activity. They do not understand the dan gers. Never assume that
children will remain where you last saw them.
1. Keep children out of the mowing area and under t he watchful
care of a responsible adult other than th e operator.
2. Be alert and turn mower off if a child enter s the area.
3. Before and while moving backwards, loo k behind and down for
small children.
4. Use extreme care when approaching blin d corners, doorways,
shrubs, trees, or other objects that may ob scure your vision of a
child who may run into the mower.
5. Keep children away from hot or running engines. T hey can suffer
burns from a hot muffler.
6. Never allow children under 14 years old to operate a power
mower. Children 14 years old and over should read and under-
stand the operation instruction s and safety rules in this manua l
and should be trained and supervised by a parent.

Service

Safe Handling Of Gasoline:
1. To avoid personal injury or property damage u se extreme care
in handling gasoline. Gasoline is ext remely flammable and the
vapors are explosive. Serious personal in jury can occur when
gasoline is spilled on yourself or your cl othes which can ignite.
Wash your skin and change clothes immedi ately.
2. Use only an approved gasoline container.
3. Never fill containers inside a vehicle or o n a truck or trailer bed
with a plastic liner. Always place containers o n the ground away
from your vehicle before filling.
4. Remove gas-powered equipment from the tr uck or trailer and
refuel it on the ground. If this is not possi ble, then refuel such
equipment on a trailer with a portab le container, rather than from
a gasoline dispenser nozzle.
5. Keep the nozzle in contact with the rim of the f uel tank or
container opening at all times until fue ling is complete. Do not
use a nozzle lock-open device.
6 Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other sources of
ignition.
7. Never fuel machine indoors because flam mable vapors will
accumulate in the area.
8. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the engine i s hot or run-
ning. Allow engine to cool at least two min utes before refueling.
9. Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no more than ½ in ch below
bottom of filler neck to provide for fuel expa nsion.
10. Replace gasoline cap and t ighten securely.
11. If gasoline is spilled, wi pe it off the engine and equip ment. Move
unit to another area. Wait 5 minutes before star ting the engine.
12. Never store the machine or fuel con tainer near an open flame,
spark or pilot light as on a water heater, space heater, furnace,
clothes dryer or other gas applianc es.
13. To reduce fire hazard, keep mower free of gras s, leaves, or
other debris build-up. Clean up oil or fu el spillage and remove
any fuel soaked debris.
14. Allow a mower to cool at least 5 minute s before storing.

General Service:

1. Never run an engine indoors or in a poorly vent ilated area.
Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxi de, an odorless and
deadly gas.
2. Before cleaning, repairing, or inspec ting, make certain the
blade and all moving parts have stopped. D isconnect the spark
plug wire and ground against the engine to pr event unintended
starting.
3. Check the blade and engine mounting bo lts at frequent
intervals for proper tightness. Also, v isually inspect blade for
damage (e.g., bent, cracked, worn) Replac e blade with the
original equipment manufacture’s (O.E. M.) blade only, listed
in this manual. “Use of parts which do n ot meet the original
equipment specifications may lead t o improper performance
and compromise safety!”
4. Mower blades are sharp and can cut. Wrap the bl ade or wear
gloves, and use extra caution when serv icing them.
5. Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure t he equipment
is in safe working condition.
6. Never tamper with safety devices. Check t heir proper operation
regularly.
7. After striking a foreign object, sto p the engine, disconnect t he
spark plug wire and ground against the eng ine. Thoroughly
inspect the mower for any damage. Repair the da mage before
starting and operating the mower.
8. Never attempt to make a wheel or cutting heigh t adjustment
while the engine is running.
9. Grass catcher components, disch arge cover, and trail shield
are subject to wear and damage which coul d expose moving
parts or allow objects to be thrown. For safet y protection,
frequently check components and re place immediately with
original equipment manufacturer ’s (O.E.M.) parts only, listed
in this manual. “Use of parts which do n ot meet the original
equipment specifications may lead t o improper performance
and compromise safety!”
10. Do not change the engine gover nor setting or overspeed the
engine. The governor controls the maxi mum safe operating
speed of the engine.
11. Check fuel line, tank, cap, and fittings frequently f or cracks or
leaks. Replace if necessary.
12. Do not crank engine with spark plug removed.
13. Maintain or replace safety l abels, as necessary.
14. Observe proper dispos al laws and regulations. Impro per
disposal of fluids and materials can ha rm the environment.
Do not modify engine
To avoid serious injury or death, do not modify eng ine in any way.
Tampering with the governor setting can lead to a ru naway engine
and cause it to operate at unsafe speeds. Never tam per with
factory setting of engine governor.
Average Useful Life
According to the Consumer Products S afety Commission (CPSC )
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agenc y (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 inspected ann ually by an authorized
service dealer to ensure that all mech anical and safety systems
are working properly and not worn excessivel y. Failure to do so can
result in accidents, injuries or deat h.
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.