Rules For Safe Operation; Training; Operation; Maintenance And Storage - Craftsman 247.384260 Owner's Manual

IMPOFITA
.. ES FORSAFEOPERATION
,A _. ANDIOR PROPERTY OFYOURSELF ANDOTHERS. READANDFOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS 1NTHISMANUAL BEFO ,_m L
_IJL.TO OPERATE Y OUR LAWN MOWERFAILURE TOCOMPLY WITHTHESE INSTRUCTIONS MAYRESULT IN PERSONAL INJURYWHENJBIm_
_YOU SEETHISSYMBOL-- _ HEED ITS WARNING.
DANGER:
Your lawn mower was built to be operated accordingto the rules for safe operationin this manual. As
with any type of power equipment, carelessness or error on Ihe pad of the operatorcan result in serious
injury. If you violate any of these rules, you may cause serious Injury to yourself or others°
TRAINING
1. Read thisowner's guide carefullyin itsentirety b eforeattempting
toassemble or operate thismachine Becompletely familiar w ith
thecontrols a ndtheproper u seof thismachine beforeoperating
it. Keep this manual i n a safeplaceforfutureandregular r eference
andfor ordering replacement parts
2 Yourrotarymower isa precision p iece ofpower equipment, n ot
a plaything, T herefore, exercise extreme caution atalltimesYour
unit has beendesigned to performone job:to mow grass Do
not useit for any otherpurpose
3. Never allow children u nder14years oIdto operate a power m ower
Children 14 yearsold andovershouldonlyoperate mowerunder
close parental super'¢ision O nlypersons w ellacquainted w iththese
rulesof safe operationshouldbe allowedto useyour mower.
4 Keeptheareaof operation clearof all persons,particularly small
children and pets. Stopenginewhenthey are in the vicinityof
your mowerto help preventblade contactor thrown objectin-
jury Although theareaofoperation shouldbecompletely cleared
offoreignobjects, a nobjectmayhavebeen overlooked andcouId
be accidentIy thrown by the mowerin anydirectionandcause
seriouspersonal i njuryto the operator o r anyothersaJtowed i n
the area
PREPARATION
1. Thoroughly inspectthe areawherethe equipment i sto be used..
Remove alt stones,sticks wire, bonesandotherforeignobjects
whichcouldbe pickedupandthrownby themowertn anydirec-
tionandcause sedous personal injurytotheoperator o r anyothers
allowed in thearea.Planyourmowingpatternto avoiddischarge
of materialtoward roads,sidewalks,bystanders and the like,
2 Always wearsafety glasses or eyeshields during operation or while
performing an adjustment o r repair, t o protecteyesfrom foreign
objectsthat may be thrown from the machine in anydirection.
3. Wearsturdy,rough-soled w orkshoesandclose-fitting slacksand
shirts Shirtsand pantsthat coverthe armsand legsand steel-
toedshoesarerecommended= Donot wearloosefittingclothes
or jewelry Theycanbe caughtin movingparts Neveroperate
a unit in barefeet, sandals,or sneakers
4 Before working with gasoline, extinguish allcigarettes, cigars, p ipes
andothersourcesof ignition Checkthefuellevelbeforestarting
the engine Gasoline i s an extremely f lammablefuel Do not fill
the gasolinetank indoors,while the engineis running,or until
enginehas beenallowedto cool for at leasttwo minutesafter
running.Replace gasolinecapsecurelyand wipeoff anyspilled
gasolinebeforestartingthe engineas it may causea fire or
explosion
5 Disengage theself_propelled mechanism or driveclutchon units
so equipped beforestartingthe engine
6. Theblade control handle is asafetydeviceNever attempt t o bypass
itsoperation.Doing so makesthesafetydevice inoperative and
may resultinpersonal i njury throughcontact w ith the rotating
blade.Theblade control handle mustoperate easilyin bothdirec-
tions and automatically return to the disengaged p ostitionwhen
released.
7. Never attempt t o makea wheel o r cutting heightadjustment while
the engine is running.
Foryoursafety,use theslopegauge included aspartofthismanual
to measure slopesbeloreoperating this unit on a slopedor hilly
area iftheslopeisgreaterthan15 `=asshown ontheslopegauge,
donotoperate this uniton thatareaor serious injurycould result.
PERATION
Do not change theenginegovernorsettingsor overspend the
engine.Excessive engine speedsare dangerous
2 Donotputhands or feet nearor underrotatingparts.Keep clear
of the discharge opening at aHtimesas the rotating bladecan
cause injury
3. Stopthe bladewhen crossingg_avel d rives,walksor roads
4 After strikinga foreignobject,stop theengine,removethewire
from thesparkplug, andthoroughly inspectthe mowerfor any
damageRepairthe damagebeforerestartingand operating the
mower,
5 if theequipment shouldstarttovibrate abnormalJy, stoptheengine
andcheckimmediately forthecause. V ibration is generally a warn-
ingof trouble.
6 Shuttheengineoff andwait untiltheblade comesto a complete
stopbefore removing thegrasscatcheror unclogging thechute.
Thecutting bladecontinuesto rotatefor a few seconds after the
engine is shut off. Neverplaceanypart of the body in theblade
areauntil you are surethe bladehasstoppedrotating,
7 Beforecleaning, repairing or inspecting, makecertain theblade
andall moving partshavestopped. Disconnect thespark ptugwire,
andkeepthewireawayfromthesparkplug to prevent a ccidental
starting.
8 Do not run the engine indoors
9 Never cutgrassby pulling mowertowardyou Mowacrossthe
faceof slopes, n everup-and-down. Exercise e xtreme caution w hen
changing direction on slopes. Donotmowexcesalvely steep slopes
Always besureof yourfooting.A slip andtale cancauseserious
personal injury.
10 Never o perate mower withoutproper guards, p lates orother safety
protective devicesin pFace
11 Mufflerand enginebecomehot and can cause a burn Do not
touch,
MAINTENANCE ANDSTORAGE
1 Checkthe blade andengine mounting bolts at frequent intervals
for propertightness AJso visuallyinspect bladefor damage (e.g
bent, cracked). Replace with bladewhich meetsoriginalequip-
mentspecifications
2 Keep all nuts, bolts,and screwstightto be surethe equipment
is in safeworking condition.
3 Never storethemowerwithgasoline in thetankor gascontainers
inside o f a building wherefumesmayreach anopen flameor spark
(e.g, gashotwaterheater).AHow theengine to coolbefore stor-
ingin any enclosure,
4. To reduce f ire hazard, keepthe engine freeof grass,leavesand
excessive o il.
.................... 81Ne_eTbpe-t_tethbmowetinwetgrass: A lwaysbe sureofyour ............................................ 5; Check thegrass catcher b agfrequently forwearor deterioration: ................
looting. A slip and fai! cancause seriouspersonal injury. Keep Replace a wornor damaged bagimmediately. F orsafetyprotec-
a firmholdonthehandle andwork,never r un Mowonly in daylight lion, replace only with new bag meetingoriginal equipment
or in good artificiallight specifications_
2