Manual

• Slowdownbeforeturning.Operatethe machinesmoothly.Avoid
erraticoperationandexcessivespeed.
Disengageblade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandwaituntil
the blade(s)cometo a completestopbeforeremovinggrass
catcher,emptyinggrass,uncloggingchute,removinganygrassor
debris,or makinganyadjustments.
Neverleavea runningmachineunattended.Alwaysturnoff
blade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandremovekeybefore
dismounting.
Useextracare whenloadingorunloadingthe machineintoa
trailerortruck.Thismachineshouldnotbedrivenupor down
ramp(s),becausethe machinecouldtip over,causingserious
personalinjury.Themachinemustbe pushedmanuallyon
ramp(s)to loador unloadproperly.
Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Do not
touch.
Checkoverheadclearancescarefullybeforedrivingunderlow
hangingtree branches,wires,dooropeningsetc.,wherethe
operatormaybestruckor pulledfromthe machine,whichcould
resultinseriousinjury.
Disengageallattachmentclutchesanddepressthe brakepedal
completelybeforeattemptingto start engine.
Yourmachineisdesignedto cutnormalresidentialgrassof a
heightnomorethan 10".Do not attemptto mowthroughunusually
tall,dry grass(e.g.,pasture)orpiles of dry leaves.Drygrassor
leavesmaycontactthe engineexhaustand/orbuilduponthe
mowerdeckpresentinga potentialfire hazard.
Useonlyaccessoriesandattachmentsapprovedfor this machine
by the machinemanufacturer.Read,understandandfollowall
instructionsprovidedwiththe approvedaccessoryor attachment.
Fora list of approvedaccessoriesandattachments,call 1-800-
659-5917.
Dataindicatesthatoperators,age60yearsandabove,are
involvedin a largepercentageof ridingmower-relatedinjuries.
Theseoperatorsshouldevaluatetheirabilityto operatetheriding
mowersafelyenoughto protectthemselvesandothersfrom
seriousinjury.
If situationsoccurwhicharenot coveredinthismanual,usecare
andgoodjudgment.Contact1-800-659-5917for informationand
assistance.
SLOPE OPERATION
Slopesarea majorfactorrelatedto lossof controlandtip-over
accidentswhichcan resultinsevereinjuryor death.Allslopesrequire
extracaution.Ifyoucannotbackupthe slopeor if youfeel uneasyon
it, do not mowit.
Foryoursafety,usethe SlopeGuideincludedas partof this manual
to measureslopesbeforeoperatingthis machineona slopedor hilly
area. Ifthe slopeis greaterthan15degreesas shownonthe Slope
Guide,do notoperatethis machineonthatareaor seriousinjurycould
result.
Do:
o
Mowupanddown slopes,notacross.Exerciseextremecaution
whenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orother hiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscan hide
obstacles.
Useslowspeed.Choosea lowenoughspeedsettingsothat
you will nothaveto stopor shiftwhileon the slope.Tiresmay
lose tractionon slopeseventhoughthe brakesarefunctioning
properly.Alwayskeepmachinein gearwhen goingdownslopes
to takeadvantageof enginebrakingaction.
• Followthe manufacturer'srecommendationsfor wheelweights
or counterweightstoimprovestability.Forrecommendations,call
1-800-659-5917.
• Useextracarewithgrasscatchersor otherattachments.These
can changethe stabilityof the machine.
Keepallmovementonthe slopesslowandgradual.Donot make
suddenchangesinspeedor direction.Rapidengagementor
brakingcouldcausethe frontof the machineto lift andrapidlyflip
overbackwardswhichcouldcauseseriousinjury.
• Avoidstartingorstoppingona slope.Iftireslosetraction,disen-
gagethe blade(s)andproceedslowlystraightdownthe slope.
DoNot:
• Donot turnon slopesunlessnecessary;then,turnslowlyand
graduallydownhill,ifpossible.
• Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments.The mower
could suddenlyturnover if a wheelis overthe edgeof a cliff,
ditch,or if an edgecavesin.
• Donot try to stabilizethe machineby puttingyourfooton the
ground.
• Donot usea grasscatcheron steepslopes.
• Donot mowon wetgrass.Reducedtractioncouldcausesliding.
• Donot attemptto coastdownhill.Over-speedingmaycausethe
operatorto lose controlofthe machineresultingin seriousinjury
or death.
• Donot towheavypull behindattachments(e.g.loadeddumpcart,
lawn roller,etc.)on slopesgreaterthan5 degrees.Whengoing
down hill,the extraweighttendsto pushthe tractorandmay
causeyou to loosecontrol(e.g.tractormayspeedup, brakingand
steeringabilityarereduced,attachmentmayjack-knifeandcause
tractorto overturn).
4