Craftsman 917.204010 Operator's Manual page 5

• Remove g as-powered equipment from
thetruck ortrailer a ndrefuel it onthe
ground. Ifthis isnot p ossible, then refuel
such equipment with aportable container,
rather t hanfroma gasoline d ispenser
nozzle.
Keep thenozzle i ncontact with therim
ofthefuel t ankorcontainer opening a t
all t imes until fueling i scomplete. Donot
usea nozzle l ock-open device.
Iffuel i sspilled o nclothing, change cloth-
ingimmediately.
Never overfill fuel t ank. R eplace gas cap
and tighten s ecurely.
GENERALSERVICE
• Never operate machine inaclosed a rea.
Keep a ll n uts and bolts t ight tobesure the
equipment isinsafe working c ondition.
Never tamper with safety d evices. Check
theirproper operation regularly.
Keep machine free ofgrass, leaves, or
other d ebris build-up. Clean oilorfuel
spillage and remove any fuel-soaked de-
bris. Allow machine tocoot before storing.
If youstrike a foreign o bject, stop and
inspectthe machine. Repair, ifnecessary,
before r estarting.
Never make anyadjustments orrepairs
withtheengine r unning.
Check grass catcher components and the
discharge chute frequently andreplace
with manufacturer's recommended parts,
when necessary.
Mower blades are sharp. Wrapthe blade
orwear g loves, anduseextra caution
when servicing them.
• Checkbrakeoperationfrequentty. Adjust
andservice a srequired.
Maintain orreplace safety a nd instruction
labels, asnecessary.
Besure thearea isclear o fbystanders
before operating. Stop machine ifanyone
enters t hearea.
• Never carry passengers.
Donot m ow inreverse unless absolutely
necessary. Always took d own a nd behind
before a nd while backing.
Nevercarrychildren, evenwiththe
blades s hut o ff. They may falloffand
beseriously injured orinterfere with safe
machine operation. Children whohave
been g iven r ides i nthe past may suddenly
appear inthemowing area foranother
ride andberunover o rbacked o ver b y
themachine.
Keep children o utofthemowing a rea
and inthe watchful care ofaresponsible
adult o ther thantheoperator.
• Bealert a ndturnmachine offifa child
enters t hearea.
• Before a ndwhile backing, took behind
anddown forsmall children.
Mow upand down s lopes ( 15 °Max), not
across.
Choose alowground speed s othatyou
willnot h ave tostop orshift w hile onthe
slope.
Avoid starting, stopping, orturning o na
slope. Ifthetires tosetraction, disengage
theblades a ndproceed slowly straight
down t heslope.
• If machine stopswhilegoinguphill,
disengage blades, shift i ntoreverse and
back down slowly.
Donot t urn onslopes u nless n ecessary,
andthen,turn slowly andgradually
downhill, ifpossible.
• When I oadingor unloadingthis machine,
do notexceed themaximum recom-
mended operation angle of15 °.