Maintenance; Double Insulation; Polarized Plug; Extension Cords - Black & Decker MM850 Instruction Manual

Additional Safety
Instructions
1. Read this instruction manual
carefully. Be thoroughly familiar with
the controls and the proper use of
the equipment.
2. Never allow children to operate a
power mower.
3. Keep the area of operation clear of
all persons, particularly small
children, and pets.
4. Thoroughly inspect the area where
the equipment is to be used and
remove all stones, sticks, wires,
bones, and other foreign objects that
could be thrown by the blade.
5. Do not operate the equipment when
barefoot or wearing open sandals.
Always wear substantial footwear.
6. Never attempt to make a wheel
height adjustment while the motor is
running or while the mower is
plugged in.
7. Mow only in daylight or in good
artificial light.
8. Never operate the equipment in wet
grass. Always be sure of your
footing; keep a firm hold on the
handle and walk; never run. When
backing up use extreme caution.
Look where you are walking.
9. Do not put hands or feet near or
under rotating parts. Keep clear of
the discharge opening at all times.
10. Release switch lever to turn mower
off when crossing gravel drives,
walks, or roads.
11. If the mower stalls, be sure to
release switch lever to turn mower
off, wait for the blade to stop and
unplug the cord before attempting to
unclog the chute or remove anything
from under the deck.
12. After striking a foreign object, release
switch lever to turn mower off, wait
for the blade to stop and unplug the
mower, thoroughly inspect the mower
for any damage, and repair the
damage before restarting and
operating the mower.
13. If the equipment should start to
vibrate abnormally release switch
lever and unplug the mower and
check immediately for the cause.
Vibration is generally a warning of
trouble.
14. Release switch lever to turn mower
off, wait for the blade to stop and
unplug the mower whenever you
leave the equipment, before
unclogging the deck or chute, or
cleaning the mower housing, and
when making any repairs or
inspections.
15. When cleaning, repairing, or
inspecting, make certain the blade
and all moving parts have stopped.
16. Shut the motor off and wait until the
blade comes to a complete stop,
then disconnect the power cord
before removing the grass catcher or
unclogging the chute.
17. Mow across the face of slopes; never
up and down. Exercise extreme
caution when changing direction on
slopes. Do not mow excessively
steep slopes.
18. Never operate the mower without
proper guards, plates, or other safety
protective devices in place.

Maintenance

1. Be sure the switch lever is released
and the blade has stopped and the
cord unplugged before doing any
maintenance.
2. Check the blade at frequent intervals
for proper tightness.
3. Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight
to be sure the equipment is in safe
working condition.
4. If you are using a Grass Catcher,
check it frequently for wear or
deterioration. If excessively worn,
replace with new bag for safety
protection.

Double Insulation

Your Mower is DOUBLE INSULATED to
give you added safety. This means that it
is constructed throughout with TWO
separate "layers" of electrical insulation or
one DOUBLE thickness of insulation
between you and the tool's electrical
system.
Tools built with this insulation system are
not intended to be grounded. As a result,
your mower is equipped with a two-prong
plug which permits you to use extension
cords without concern for maintaining a
ground connection.
NOTE: DOUBLE INSULATION does not
take the place of normal safety
precautions when operating this mower.
The insulation system is for added
protection against injury resulting from a
possible electrical insulation failure within
the tool.
CAUTION: When servicing all tools, USE
ONLY IDENTICAL REPLACEMENT
PARTS. Repair or replace damaged
cords.

Polarized Plug

To reduce the risk of electric shock, this
equipment has a polarized plug (one
blade is wider than the other). This
equipment must be used with a suitable
polarized 2 wire or 3 wire extension
cord. Polarized connections will fit
together only one way. Make sure that
the receptacle end of the extension
cord has large and small blade slot
widths. If the plug does not fit fully into
the extension cord, reverse the plug. If
it still does not fit, obtain a suitable
extension cord. If the extension cord
does not fit fully into the outlet, contact
4
a qualified electrician to install the
proper outlet. Do not change the tool
plug or extension cord in any way.

Extension Cords

Double-insulated tools have 2 wire cords,
and can be used with 2 wire or 3 wire
extension cords. Only round jacketed
extension cords should be used, and we
recommend that they be listed by
Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.) or
Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
WARNING – TO PREVENT ELECTRIC
SHOCK USE ONLY WITH AN
EXTENSION CORD SUITABLE FOR
OUTDOOR USE, SUCH AS SW-A,
SJOW-A, SOW-A, STW-A, STOW-A,
SJW-A, SJTW-A OR SJTOW-A.
An extension cord must have adequate
wire size (AWG or American Wire Gauge)
for safety, and to prevent loss of power
and overheating. The smaller the gauge
number of the wire, the greater the
capacity of the cable, that is 16 gauge
has more capacity than 18 gauge. When
using more than one extension to make
up the total length, be sure each
individual extension contains at least the
minimum wire size.
To determine the minimum wire size
required, refer to the chart below:
(Refer to your mower's nameplate to find
the Ampere Rating)
NOTICE
Using any other length or rating
of cord will diminish the
performance and possibly the
life of the electric motor.