Slope Operation - Craftsman 247.204201 Operator's Manual

Your machine is designed tocut normal residential grass of a height no more
than 1 0". Do n ot attempt tomow t hrough unusually tall, dry g rass (e.g.,
pasture) or piles ofdry l eaves. Dry grass or leaves may contact the e ngine
exhaust and/or build up on the mower deck presenting apotential fire hazard.
Use only accessories and a ttachments approved for t his machine by the
machine manufacturer. Read, understand and f ollow a ll i nstructions
provided with the approved accessory or attachment. For alist o f a pproved
accessories and a ttachments, call 1-888-331-4569.
Data
indicates 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 slopegaugeincluded aspart oftNs manual t o measure
slopes before operatingthis machine on asJoped o r hilly area.If the slopeisgreater
than15degrees asshownonthe slopegauge, d o not operate thismachine on that
areaor serious injury couldresult.
Do_"
Mowacross slopes, n ot 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 stoppingona slope.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 or otherattachments. T hese canchange
the stabilityof the machine.
Keep all movement o nthe slopes slowandgradual.Donot makesudden
changes i nspeed or direction.Rapid acceleration o r deceleration couldcause
the front ofthe machine to lift andrapidlyrolloverbackwards, whichcould
cause serious injury.
Do Not:
Donot turn onslopes unless necessary; thenturn slowlyuphill anduseextra
carewhileturning.
Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments. Themowercould
suddenly turn overif awheelisoverthe edgeof acliff,ditch,or if anedge
caves in.
Donot try to stabilizethe machine byputtingyourfooton the ground.
Donot useagrasscatcher o n steepslopes.
Donot mowon wetgrass. R educed t ractioncouldcause sliding.
Donot tow heavypullbehindattachments(e.g.loaded dumpcart,lawn
roller,etc.)on slopes greaterthan5degrees. Whengoingdownhill, the
extraweighttendsto pushthe ridingmowerandmaycause youto loose
control(e.g.ridingmowermayspeed up,brakingandsteeringabilityare
reduced, attachmentmay jack-knifeandcauseridingmowerto 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 mowingareaandinwatchfulcareof 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 orweightlimitsfor towed
equipmentandtowing onslopes.
Never a llowchildrenor othersinor ontowedequipment.
On slopes, t he weightof the towedequipmentmaycause lossof tractionand
loss of control.
Travel s lowlyandallowextradistance to stop.
Donot shift to neutralandcoastdownhill.
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).
SERVICE
Safe Handling of Gasoline:
Toavoid personalinjuryor property damageuseextreme carein handling
gasoline.Gasolineisextremely flammable andthe vaporsare explosive.
Seriouspersonalinjurycan occurwhen gasolineis spilledon yourself or your
clotheswhichcan ignite. Washyourskinandchange clothes immediately.
Use onlyanapproved gasoline container.
Never f ill containers insideavehicle or onatruckor trailer bedwith a plastic
liner.Alwaysplacecontainers onthe groundawayfrom yourvehiclebefore
filling.
Whenpractical, r emove gas-powered equipment f rom the truckor
trailer andrefuelit onthe ground.Ifthisisnot possible, thenrefuelsuch
equipmentona trailerwith aportablecontainer, r atherthanfrom agasoline
dispenser n ozzle.
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