MTD 110-300R000 - Manual (Page 5)

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IMPORTANT
RULES FOR SAFE OPERATION
THIS SYMBOL POINTS OUT IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WHICH, IF NOT FOLLOWED, COULD ENDANGER THE PERSONAL SAFETY
AND/OR PROPERTY OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS. READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL BEFORE AHEMPTING
TO OPERATE YOUR LAWN MOWER. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. WHEN
YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL-^
HEED ITS WARNING.
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DANGER
Your lawn mower was built to be operated according to the rules for safe operation in this manual. As
with any type of power equipment, carelessness or error on the part of the operator can result in serious
injury. If you violate any of these rules, you may cause serious injury to yourself or others.
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TRAINING
Read this owner’s guide carefully in its entirety before attempting
to assemble or operate this machine. Be completely familiar with
the controls and the proper use of this machine before operating
it. Keep this manual in a safe place for future and regular reference
and for ordering replacement parts.
2. Your rotary mower is a precision piece of power equipment, not
a plaything. Therefore, exercise extreme caution at all times.
3. Never allow children to operate a power mower. Only persons well
acquainted with these rules of safe operation should be allowed
to use your mower.
4. Keep the area of operation clear of all persons, particularly small
children and pets. Stop engine when they are in the vicinity of
your mower to help prevent blade contact or thrown object in­
jury. Although the area of operation should be completely cleared
of foreign objects, an object may have been overlooked and could
be accidently thrown by the mower in any direction and cause
serious personal injury to the operator or any others allowed in
the area.
PREPARATION
1. Thoroughly inspect the area where the equipment is to be used.
Remove ail stones, sticks, wire, bones and other foreign objects
which could be picked up and thrown by the mower in any direc­
tion and cause serious personal injury to the operator or any others
allowed in the area.
2. Always wear safety glasses or eye shields during operation or while
performing an adjustment or repair, to protect eyes from foreign
objects that may be thrown from the machine in any direction.
3. Wear sturdy, rough-soled work shoes and close-fitting slacks and
shirts to avoid entanglement in the moving parts. Never operate
a unit in bare feet, sandals, or sneakers.
4. Check the fuel before starting the engine. Gasoline is an extreme­
ly flammable fuel. Do not fill the gasoline tank indoors, while the
engine is running, or until engine has been allowed to cool for
two minutes after running. Replace gasoline cap securely and wipe
off any spilled gasoline before starting the engine as it may cause
a fire or explosion.
5. Disengage the self-propelled mechanism or drive clutch on units
so equipped before starting the engine.
6. The blade control handle is a safety device. Never attempt to bypass
its operation. Doing so makes the safety device inoperative and
may result in personal injury through contact with the rotating
biade. The blade control handle must operate easily in both
directions.
7. Never attempt to make a wheel or cutting height adjustment while
the engine is running.
8. Never operate the equipment in wet grass. Always be sure of your
footing. A slip and fall can cause serious personal injury. Keep
a firm hold on the handle and walk, never run. Mow only in daylight
or in good artificial light.
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9. For your safety, use the slope gauge included as part of this manual
to measure slopes before operating this unit on a sloped or hilly
area. If the slope is greater than 15° as shown on the slope gauge,
do not operate this unit on that area or serious injury could result.
OPERATION
Do not change the engine governor settings or overspeed the
engine. Excessive engine speeds are dangerous.
Do not put hands or feet near or under rotating parts. Keep ciear
of the discharge opening at all times as the rotating blade can
cause injury.
Stop the blade when crossing gravel drives, walks or roads.
After striking a foreign object, stop the engine, remove the wire
from the spark plug, and thoroughly inspect the mower for any
damage. Repair the damage before restarting and operating the
mower.
If the equipment should start to vibrate abnormally, stop the engine
and check immediately for the cause. Vibration is generally a warn­
ing of trouble.
Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to a complete
stop before removing the grass catcher or unclogging the chute.
The cutting blade continues to rotate for a few seconds after the
engine is shut off. Never place any part of the body in the blade
area until you are sure the blade has stopped rotating.
Before cleaning, repairing or inspecting, make certain the blade
and all moving parts have stopped. Disconnect tfie spark plug wire,
and keep the wire away from the spark plug to prevent accidental
starting.
Do not run the engine indoors.
Mow across the face of slopes, never up-and-down. Exercise ex­
treme caution when changing direction on slopes. Do not mow
excessively steep slopes. Always be sure of your footing. A slip
and fail can cause serious personal injury.
Never operate mower without proper guards, plates or other safety
protective devices in place.
Do not operate this mower with the chute door open, unless the
complete grass catcher or chute deflector is properly mounted
on the mower.
MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE
1. Check the blade and engine mounting bolts at frequent intervals
for proper tightness.
2. Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure the equipment
is in safe working condition.
3. Never store the equipment with gasoline in the tank inside of a
building where fumes may reach an open flame or spark. Allow
the engine to cooi before storing in any enclosure.
4. To reduce fire hazard, keep the engine free of grass, leaves, or
excessive grease.
5. Check the grass catcher bag frequently for wear or deterioration.
For safety protection, replace only with new bag meeting original
equipment specifications.
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