Craftsman 247,204110 Operator's Manual page 4

Use extra care when loading or unloading the machine into atrailer or truck.
This machine should not b e driven up or down ramp(s), because the machine
could tip over, causing serious personal injury. The m achine must be pushed
manually on ramp(s) toload o r unload properly.
Muffler and e ngine become hot and c an c ause aburn. Do n ot touch.
Check overhead clearances carefully before driving under low hanging tree
branches, wires, door openings etc., where the operator may be struck or
pulled from the machine, which could result inserious injury.
Disengage all a ttachment clutches, set the parking brake tothe
' on' position
andmovethe RHandLHdrivecontrol l eversto the neutralpositionbefore
attemptingto startthe engine.
Your m achineisdesigned to cutnormalresidential g rassofa heightnomore
than10".Donot attemptto mow throughunusually tall,dry grass(e.g.,
pasture) o r pilesof dry leaves. D rygrass or leaves maycontacttheengine
exhaust a nd/orbuild upon the mowerdeckpresenting apotentialfire
hazard.
Useonlyaccessories andattachments approved forthis machine bythe
machine manufacturer. Read, u nderstand andfollowall instructions
provided with the approved accessory or attachment.Foralist ofapproved
accessories andattachments, c all1-800-659-5917.
Dataindicates thatoperators, a ge60yearsandabove, a reinvolvedina
largepercentage of ridingmower-related injuries.These operators should
evaluate theirabilityto operatethe ridingmowersafelyenough to protect
themselves a ndothersfrom serious injury.
If situations occurwhicharenotcovered in thismanual, u secareandgood
judgment.
SLOPE OPERATION
Slopes a reamajorfactorrelatedto lossof control a ndtip-overaccidents whichcan
resultinsevere injuryor death.All slopes require extracaution.Ifyoucannotback
upthe slopeor if youfeeluneasy on it, do not mowit.
Foryoursafety, u sethe slopegaugeincluded aspart ofthis manual t o measure
slopes before operatingthis machine on aslopedor hilly area.If the slopeisgreater
than15degrees asshownonthe slopegauge, d o not operate this machine on that
areaor serious injury couldresult.
Do;
Mowacross s lopes,not upanddown.Exercise e xtreme cautionwhen
changing directiononslopes.
Watch for holes, r uts,bumps,rocks, o r otherhiddenobjects. U neven terrain
couldoverturnthe machine. T allgrass canhideobstacles.
Useslowspeed. C hoose a lowenough speed sothatyouwill not haveto
stopwhileon the slope.Avoidstartingor stoppingonaslope.Ifthe tiresare
unableto maintaintraction,disengage the blades andproceed slowlyand
carefully straightdownthe slope.
Followthe manufacturer's r ecommendations for wheelweightsor
counterweights t o improvestability.
Useextracarewith grass catchers o r otherattachments. T hese canchange
the stabilityof the machine.
Keep all movement o n the slopes slowandgradual.Donot makesudden
changes inspeed or direction.Rapid acceleration o r deceleration couldcause
the front of the machine to lift andrapidlyroll overbackwards, whichcould
cause serious injury.
Do Not:
Donot turn on slopes unless necessary; then turnslowlyuphillanduseextra
carewhileturning.
Donot mow neardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments. Themowercould
suddenly turn overira wheelisoverthe edgeofacliff, ditch,or if anedge
caves in.
Donot try to stabilize the machine byputting yourfoot onthe ground.
Donot usea grass catcher o n steepslopes.
Donot mowon wetgrass.Reduced t ractioncouldcause sliding.
Donot tow heavypull behindattachments (e.g.loadeddumpcart,lawn
roller,etc.)onslopes greaterthan5 degrees. Whengoingdown hill, the
extraweighttendsto pushthe ridingmowerandmaycause youto loose
control(e.g.ridingmowermayspeed up, brakingandsteeringabilityare
reduced, attachment m ayjack-knifeandcause ridingmowerto overturn).
CHILDREN
Tragic accidents canoccurif the operator is notalertto the presence o fchildren.
Children areoftenattractedto the machine andthe mowingactivity.They do not
understand the dangers. Neverassume thatchildrenwill remainwhereyoulastsaw
them.
Keep childrenout of the mowingareaandin watchfulcareof aresponsible
adultotherthanthe operator.
Bealertandturn machine off if achildentersthe area.
Toavoidback-over a ccidents, a lwayslookbehindanddownforsmall
children.
Never c arrychildren,evenwith the blade(s) s hutoff. Theymayfall offand be
seriously injuredor interferewith safemachine operation.
Use extremecarewhenapproaching blindcorners, d oorways, s hrubs, t rees
or otherobjectsthat mayblockyourvisionofa childwho mayrunintothe
pathof the machine.
Keep childrenawayfrom hot or runningengines. Theycansufferburnsfrom
a hot muffler.
Remove k eywhenmachine is unattended to prevent u nauthorized
operation.
Neverallowchildrenunder14yearsofageto operatethismachine. C hildren 14and
overshouldreadandunderstand the instructions andsafeoperationpractices in
thismanual a ndonthe machine andshouldbetrainedandsupervised byan adult.
TOWING
Towonlywith a machine thathasa hitchdesigned for towing.Donotattach
towedequipment e xcept a t the hitchpoint.
Follow the manufacturers r ecommendation f orweightlimitsfortowed
equipmentandtowing onslopes.
Never a llowchildrenor othersinor ontowedequipment.
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