Rules For Safe Operation - Yard-Man 131784G Owner's Manual

IMPORTANT
RULESFORSAFEOPERATION
'_THIS SYMBOL--&
DANGER:
THIS SYMBOL P OINTS O UT IMPORTANT SAFETY I NSTRUCTIONS WHICH, tFNOT FOLLOWED, COULD ENDANGER THE PERSONAL SAFETY
AND/OR PROPERTY O FYOURSELF ANDOTHERS. READ ANDFOLLOW ALLINSTRUCTIONS IN THISMANUAL BEFORE A TTEMPTING
TOOPERATE Y OUR UNIT.FAILURE T OCOMPLY WITHTHESE INSTRUCTIONS MAYRESULT I N PERSONAL INJURY. WHEN YOUSEE
HEEDITS WARNING.
Yourunitwas builtto be operated according to the rulesfor safeoperation in thismanual.Aswithany
typeof powerequipment, c arelessness or erroron the partof the operator c an resultin serious injury.
If youviolateany of theserules,you maycauseserious injuryto yourself o r others.
1. READ THISOWNER'S M ANUAL carefufly i n itsentirety beforeat-
tempting t o assemble o r operatethisunit.Keep this manual i n
a safeplace for future and regularreference a nd for ordering
replacement parts.
2. This unitisa precision pieceofpower e quipment, nota plaything.
Therefore e xercise extreme caution at all times.
3. Know the controls a nd howto stopthemachine quickly.
4. Donotallow children u nder 1 4years oldtooperate vehicle. Children
14 years and overshould onlyoperate unitunderclose parental
supervision. Donot allowanyone t ooperateit without proper i n-
struction. Onlypersonswellacquainted withtheserulesof safe
operation s hould be allowed to use yourmower.
5. Wear sturdy, r ough-soled work shoes andclose-fitting slacks a nd
shirts. D o notwearloose fitting clothes or jewelry. T heycanbe
caught in moving parts.Never operate a unitinbare feet,sandals,
or sneakers.
6. To preventinjury, d o notcarrypassengers or giverides.Keep
children, p etsandbystanders outof theareawhilemowing. Only
theoperatorshould rideon theunitand only ridein the seat.
7. Checkoverhead clearance c arefully before driving underpower
lines,guywires,bridges o r low hangingtreebranches, before
entering o r leavingbuildings, or in anyother situation where the
operator maybestruck orpulled from theunit, w hich could result
in serious injury.
8. Tomaintain c ontrol oftheunitandreduce t hepossibility ofupset
orcollision, operatethetractor s moothly. Avoid erratic operation
andexcessive s peed.
9. Thoroughly inspect t heareato be mowed. R emove all stones,
sticks, w ire,bonesandotherforeignobjects. K eep theareaof
operation clear ofall persons, p articularly small c hildren a nd pets.
Stop engine when theyareinthevicinity o fyourmower. Although
theareaof operation s hould becompletely cleared offoreignob-
jects, a small o bject m ayhavebeen overlooked andcould beac-
cidentty t hrown bythe mower in anydirection a ndcause injury
toyou ora bystander. Plan your mowing pattern t o avoid discharge
ofmaterial toward roads,sidewalks, bystanders, pets andthelike.
10. Always wearsafety olasses oreyeshieids during operation o r white
performing an adjustment or repair, t o protecteyes fromforeign
objects thatmay bethrown fromthe machine i n anydirection.
11. Stoptheblade(s) w hencrossing graveldrives, w alksor roads.
12. Disengage allattachment c lutches, thoroughly depress t hebrake
pedal,andshiftintoneutral b efore attempting t o startengine.
13. Before leavingtheoperator's p osition,disengage blade(s), place
shiftleverin neutral,engage parkingbrake,shutengine off and
remove key.
14. Donotput hands orfeet nearor under rotatingparts. K eep clear
ofthedischarge opening a t alltimesastherotating blade(s) c an
causeinjury.
15. Disengage powerto attachment(s) andstopengine before mak-
inganyrepairs or adjustments. Disconnect the spark plug wire
andkeep thewire away fromtheplugtoprevent accidental starting.
16. Beforeattempting t o unclog themower o r discharge chute, s top
theengine. Themowerblade(s) maycontinue t orotate for a few
seconds aftertheengine isshut off.Therefore, besure theblade(s)
havestopped c ompletely. Disconnect thespark plug wire andkeep
thewire awayfrom theplug to preventaccidental starting.
17. Disengage power t oattachment(s) when transporting ornotinuse.
!8. For your safety,usetheslope g auge included aspartofthismanual
to measure slopes beforeoperating this unit ona slopedor hilly
area.if theslopeisgreater t han15 oasshownontheslopegauge,
do notoperate this uniton thatareaor serious injurycould result.
19. Donot stopor startsuddenly whengoing uphillor downhill.Mow
up and downface of steepslopes;neveracrossthe face. Use
extreme caution ifit isnecessary t o drive thetractorupan incline
or backthetractordownan inclinebecause thefront of thetrac-
tor couldlift and rapidlyflip overbackwardwhichcould cause
seriousinjury.
20. Reduce speedon slopes andin sharpturnsto prevent tippingor
loss of control.Always keepthe tractorin low gearwhengoing
downsteephillsto takeadvantage of engine b raking a ction. C hoose
a low enough gear so thatyouwill nothaveto stop or shiftwhile
on the slope.
21. Stayalertfor holesin terrainandotherhidden hazards whichmay
causethe unit to tip over.
22. Use carewhenpulling loadsor usingheavyequipment.
A. Useonly approveddrawbarhitch points.
B. Limit loadsto those you cansafelycontrol.
C. Do not turn sharply.Usecare whenbacking.
D. Use counterweight(s) or wheelweightswhensuggestedin
owner's manual.
23. Watchout for traffic whencrossing o r near roadways.
24. Whenusing anyattachments, neverdirect d ischarge o f material
toward bystanders norallow anyone n ear vehicle w hile inoperation.
25. Handle gasoline w ithcare.It is highly flammable.
A. Extinguish cigarettes, cigars, p ipesandall othersources o f
ignition.
B. Useapproved g asoline c ontainer.
C. Neverremove capor addgasoline t oa running or hotengine
or fill fueltankindoors. Allow tocoolat least 2 minutes b efore
refilling. Wipeup spilled gasoline. Always useoriginaltype
vented cap.
D. Opendoors if engine is runin garage.Exhaust fumes are
dangerous. Do notrunengine indoors.
26. Never store themachine w ith fuelinthefueltankinside a building
where fumesmayreach an open flameorspark, such ashot water
andspace heaters, clothes dryers, a nd thelike.Allowtheengine
to coolbeforestoring in anyenclosure.
27. Toreduce f ire hazard, k eep engine andcutting deck freeofgrass,
leaves or excessive g rease or oil.
28. Keep the vehicle and attachments in goodoperating c ondition,
and keepsafetydevices in place. Useguards as instructed i n
operator's manual. Donotoperate t his unitunless t hechute deflec-
tor, guards, andsafety interlocksystemareinstalled andfunc-
tioning properly.
29. Keepall nuts,bolts, andscrews tightto besurethe equipment
is in safeworking condition.
30. Thevehicle a ndattachments should bestopped a ndinspected for
damage afterstriking a foreignobject. T he damage should be
repairedbefore restarting andoperating t heequipment.
31. Do notchange theengine governor s ettings or overspeed t he
engine.
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