Craftsman 247.37638 Owner's Manual page 2

[i_ IAIA Dlklllklt'__. The Engine Exhaust from this product contains chemicals known to the State
wvPInaleel_,;_, of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
IMPORTANT
s,e OPERATION P RACTICES
_) HIS SYMBOLPOINTSOUT IMPORTANT SAFETYINSTRUCTIONS W HICH, IF NOTFOLLOWED, COULDENDANGER THE PERSONALA
SAFETYAND/ORPROPERTY OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS. R EADAND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUALBEFORE
ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE "(OURLAWNMOWER.FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESEINSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT iN PERSONAL
INJURY. W HENYOUSEETHIS SYMBOL-- _'E HEEDITSWARNING.
_lb Yourlawn mowerwas built to be operatedaccording to the rules forsafe operationin this manual. Aswith I
anytype of powerequipment,carelessness or error on the part of the operatorcan result in seriousin ury.
DANGER:
Th s awn mower s capabe ef amputaf ng handsandfeet andthrowng objects.Fa ure to observethe fo -
lowingsafetyinstructions c ouldresultin serious injuryor death.
_il. GENERAL O PEP,__TION • Do not operate the mowerwhileunderthe influence of alcoholor
• Readthisownersguide carefully in itsentirsty beforeattempting drugs.
to assemblethis machine.Read, understand,and follow all • Disengage the self-propelled mechanismor driveclutchon units
instructions on the machineandin the manual(s) beforeopera-
tion. Be completelyfamiliar with the controls and the proper use
of this machine before operating it. Keepthis manualin a safe
place for future and regular referenceandfor ordering replace-
ment parts.
• Your rctary mower is a precision pieceof powerequipment,nct a
plaything.Therefore,exemise extreme caution at all times. Your
unit hasbeendesignedto perform onejob: to mow grass.Do not
use it for any other purpose.
• Never allow children under 14 years old to operate a power
mower. Children 14 years old and over should only operate
mower under close parental supervision. Only responsible indi-
viduals who are familiar with theserules of safe operationshould
beallowed to use your mower.
• Keepthe area of operation clearof all persons,particulady small
childrenand pets. Stop engine whenthey are in the vicinity of
your mower to helppreventblade contact o r thrown objectinjury.
Although the area of operation should be completely clearedof
foreign objects, an object may havebeen overlookedand could
be accidentallythrown by the mower in any directionand cause
serious personal injuryto the operator or anyothers allowedin
the area.
• Thoroughly inspectthe area wherethe equipmentis to be used.
Remove all stones, sticks, wire, bones, toys and other foreign
objects whichcould be picked up and thrown by the mower in
any directionandcauseseriouspersonalinjury to the operatoror
anyothersallowed in the area.Planyour mowingpatternto avoid
discharge of material toward roads, sidewalks, bystanders and
the like.Tohelpavoid athrown ob ectsinjury,keepchildren, a ni-
mals, bystandersand helpersat east75 feet from the mower
soequipped beforestartingthe engine.
• The blade controlhandle is a safetydevice. Neverattemptto
bypassits operation. Doing so makesthe safetydeviceinopera-
tive and may result in personal injury through contactwith the
rotating blade.The blade control handle must operate easily in
bothdirections andautomaticaliy returnto the disengaged posi-
tion whenreleased.
• Neveroperatethe mower in wet grass. Alwaysbe sure of your
fooling. A slip and fall cancauseserious personalinjury.Keepa
firm hold on the handleand walk,never run. Mow onlyin daylight
or in good artificial light.
: Stopthe blade whencrossing gravel drives, walks or roads.
If the equipment should start to vibrate abnormally, stop the
engine and check immediatelyfor the cause.Vibration is gener-
ally a warning of trouble.
• Shutthe engineoff andwaituntil the bladecomesto a complete
stopbeforeremovingthe grass catcheror uncloggingthe chute.
Thecutting blade continuesto rotatefor a few secondsafter the
engineis shut off. Neverplace any part of the body inthe blade
areauntil you are surethe bladehas stoppedrotating.
• Never operate mower without proper guards, grass catcher,
platesor othersafetyprotective devicesin place.
• Muffler and engine becomehot and can causea bum. 0o not
touch.
• Only useaccessoriesapprovedfor this rnacbinebythe manufac-
turer. Read,understand,andfollow all instructions providedwith
the approvedaccessory.
• If situations occurwhichare not coveredin this manual,usecare
andgoodjudgment. Contactyour dealerfor assistance,
whileit is in operation. _ II. SLOPE OPERATION
• Always wear safetyglasses with side shieldsor safety goggles RI Foryoursafety,usethe slope gaugeincluded as part of this manual
duringoperation or whileperforming anadjustment o r repair, t o
protect eyes from foreign objectsthat may be thrown from the
machinein any direction.
• Wear sturdy, rough-soledwork shoes and close-fitting slacks
and shirts.Shirts and pantsthat cover the arms and legs and
steel-toed shoes are recommended.Do not wear loose fitting
clothesor jewelry. They can be caught in moving parts. Never
operatea unit in barefeet, sandals,or sneakers.
• Do not put handsor feet near or underrotating parts. Keepclear
of discharge opening at all times as the rotating bladecancause
injury.
• Many Lnjuries o ccur as a result of the mower beingpulled over
the foot duringa fall. Do not hangon to the mower if you arefall-
ing; releasethe handleimmediately.
• Neverpull the mower toward you whileyou are walking.If you
must back the mower away from a wall or obstruction first look
downand behind,andthen follow thesesteps:
• Step backfrom the mowerto fufly extendyour arms.
• Besure you are well balanced withsure footing.
• Pullthe mower backslowly, no morethan half waytoward you.
• Repeatthesesteps as needed.
to measure slopes beforeoperatingthis unit on a sloped or hilly
area.If the slopeis greater than 15°, as shownonthe slopegauge,
do notoperate thisuniton thatareaor seriousinjurycouldresult.
O0:
• Mow across the face of slopes; neverup and down. Exercise
extremecautionwhen changingdirectionon slopes.
• Watch for holes, ruts, hidden objects, or bumps. Tall grass can
hide obstacles.
• Always besure ot your focting. A slip andfall can causeserious
personalinjury.
DONOT:
• Doflot mow neardrop-ofts, d itchesor embankments. T he opera-
tor couldloose footing or balance.
• Do not mow slopes greater than 15° as shown on the slope
gauge.
• Do not mow on wet grass. Reduced footing couldcause slipping.
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