Slope Operation; Children; Towing - Craftsman 247.203791 Operator's Manual

Check overhead clearances carefully before driving under low hanging tree
branches, wires, door openings
etc.,wherethe operatormaybe struckor
pulledfrom the machine, w hichcouldresultinserious injury.
Disengage a ll attachment c lutches anddepress t he brakepedalcompletely
before attemptingto startengine.
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 maycontact t he engine
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 all1-888-331-4569.
Dataindicates thatoperators, a ge60yearsandabove, a reinvolved in a
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 SlopeGuide included aspartof thismanual t o measure
slopes before operatingthis machine on aslopedor hilly area.If the slopeisgreater
than15degrees asshownonthe Slope Guide, d onot operatethismachine onthat
areaor serious injury couldresult.
Do;
Mowupanddownslopes, n ot across. E xercise 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 settingsothatyouwill not have
to stopor shiftwhileonthe slope.Tiresmaylose tractionon slopes even
thoughthe brakes arefunctioningproperly. A lwayskeepmachineingear
whengoingdownslopes to takeadvantage of enginebrakingaction.
Followthe manufacturer's r ecommendations for wheelweightsor
counterweights t o improvestability.
Useextracarewith grass catchers or otherattachments. T hese canchange
the stabilityof the machine.
Keep all movement o nthe slopes slowandgradual.Donot makesudden
changes i nspeed or direction.Rapid engagement or brakingcouldcause
the front ofthe machine to lift andrapidlyflip overbackwards w hichcould
cause serious injury.
Avoidstartingor stoppingona slope.Iftires losetraction, d isengage the
blade(s) a ndproceed slowlystraightdownthe slope.
Do Not:
Donot turn on slopes unless necessary; then,turn slowlyandgradually
downhill,if possible.
Donot mow neardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments. Themowercould
suddenly turn overifa wheelisoverthe edge of acliff, ditch,or if an edge
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 attemptto coastdownhill.Over-speeding maycause the operator to
lose controlofthe machine resultinginserious injuryor death.
Donot tow heavypull behindattachments (e.g.loadeddumpcart,lawn
roller,etc.)onslopes greaterthan5 degrees. Whengoingdown hill, the
extraweighttendsto pushthe tractorandmaycause youto loosecontrol
(e.g. t ractormayspeed up,brakingandsteeringabilityarereduced,
attachment m ayjack-knife andcause tractorto overturn).
CHILDREN
Tragic a ccidents canoccurif the operator isnotalertto the presence o fchildren.
Children areoftenattractedto the machine andthe mowingactivity.They do not
understand the dangers. Neverassume thatchildrenwill remainwhereyoulastsaw
them.
Keep childrenout of the mowingareaandinwatchfulcareof aresponsible
adultotherthanthe operator.
Bealertandturn machine off if achildentersthe area.
Before andwhilebacking, l ookbehindanddownforsmallchildren.
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
machine.
Toavoidback-over a ccidents, a lwaysdisengage t he cuttingblade(s) b efore
shiftinginto Reverse. Ifequipped, t he"Reverse Caution Mode"(blades
operatewhilemachine ridesinreverse)shouldnot be usedwhenchildrenor
othersarearound.
Keep c hildren a way fromhotorrunning engines. They can suffer b urns from
a hotmuffler.
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 orweightlimitsfor towed
equipmentandtowing onslopes.
Never a llowchildrenor othersinor ontowedequipment.
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