Murray 22406X9A Instruction Book page 9

SAFE MOWING GUIDE
While mowing, if youhit a foreign object,stop
the engine.Removethe sped< plugwve. Cere-
fully and thoreughlyinspect the mower for
damage. Make nassesanJrapalmbefore re-
starting.Ifthe unitstartsto"_brste abnormally,
stop the angina immediately andcheckforthe
cause. Vibration is generally a warning of
trouble.Keep ail nuts,belts, andscrews tight.
The blade is the most dangerouspad of the
mowerandalsothe most important p adin ob-
feJning s nice lawn appearance. Check the
blade end the blade mountinghnrdwere fTe-
quonity.Keep it tight. If the blade hitsa solid
object,check it thoroughly for deformationor
cracksand replaceif damaged.For sefety,re-
placethebladeeverytwoyears.A sharpblade
reducesthe workload onthe engineandcuts
grassmorecleanly,fora bettor lookingcutwith
lesswork.Thebladeisalways closetothe out-
sideof the mower housing.For besttrimming
on side discharge mowers, cut with the left
sideofthe housing towardthe areathat needs
tdmmlng.
A useful accessory f or yeur moweris a grass
cat.hen There are grasscatchersavailablefor
most models.Forbest performance and safe-
ty, be sure the grasscatcheris approvedfor
use with your mower. Assemble as directed
end follow operatingand as_ty instructions
with the catcherandin the Instruction Book.
Before mounting,checking er emptyingthe
grasscatcher,alwaysturnthe engine off.Re-
member to check the grass catcher before
eachuseforcracks,wear,or dstsdorstion. R e-
Puflaca any partthat isdamaged withthe man-
acturer'e recommended replacement part
beforeusingthe grasscatcheragain.
Proper cuttingtechnique is importantif you
wantyourtawntolookgood.Avoidthe tempta-
tion to cut grass too short. Cuttinggrasstoo
shortcan killthe plant,cause grassto turnyel-
low,or make the lawnlookbrownandthstchy.
Use the loweroutiinghaights In coo_ months
whenthe grassislush. Usethe highercuffi.n.p
heightsin extremelydrypedods.CutUng with
a dull blade or low engine speed braises,
shreds,and can uprootsomegrass making
the lawnlookdulland browna few daysafter
outting.Alwaysputthe throttle control i n FAST
F-g652g
_agltlon when mowing and bagging.When
glng, slowergroundspeedwill provldothe
best results.
Changethe mowingpatternslightly eachtime
you cut. If youalwayscut the same way., t he
grasswilldevelopa "set*andclippings willec-
cumulafe more heavily in soma areas more
than In otherscausinggrassto getthinner In
those areas. Do nat service yourmower over
thogmas. Spilledoilandgascankillthe grass.
In tall grassor very heavygrass,do nottryto
cutit all at once. Raisethe heightof cut onthe
flint cuttingandlowerit forthe nextcutting the
sameday erwithina fewdays.Anotherway is
to cut only part ofthe widthof the mower and
adjustyour groundspeed (notthe engine)to
move moreslowlysothe mowercan clear it-
ead as it movesforward.
When cutting with a walk behind mower, el.
ways push the unit. Do not pull it. Pushing the
unit keeps the operator behind the mower in
the "operator's zone" for better control. Push-
ing the unit also gives you a chance to see ex-
antly where and what you are mowing. There
will be times while you are mowing thatyou will
have to pull the mower backwards (such as
when the front of the mower has come up
against a wall or fence). If you must back up,
make sure your feet am in the clear. Stand wall
beckfromthemower, plant yoor feet firmly with
each step and beck up being carefulto look be-
hind you. Resume normal mowing as soon as
possible.
If your unit is sad-W.opellad, remember that
the ddvs mechanism ts not designed to do all
the work, but the unit can move without your
help. Always keep your hands on the handle
near the controls when the engine is running.
Rem_ too that the self -propailed meche-
nism can be dangerous. Keep hands and feet
awa.y fram bolts and chains. Alweystum offthe
ongme before attempting to remove anything
that becomes entangled in the self-gropelied
system.
Remember, your mower is a useful tool, but it
con be dangerous. Follow the instructions in
this Insl_uction Book. Use the mower propsdy
and caratulty and it willgive you many nours of
trouble free, accident ftse operstions.
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