Craftsman 917.20380 Operator's Manual

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il. SLOPE OPERATIONSlopes are a major factor related to loss ofcontrol and tip-over accidents, which canresult in severe injury or death. Operationon all slopes requires extra caution. If youcannot back up the slope or if you feel uneasyon it, do not mow it.• Mow up and down slopes, not across.• Watch for holes, ruts, bumps, rocks, orother hidden objects. Uneven terraincould overturn the machine. Tall grasscan hide obstacles.• Choose a low ground speed so that youwill not have to stop or shift while on theslope.• Do not mow on wet grass. Tires may losetraction.Always keep the machine in gear whengoing down slopes. Do not shiftto neutraland coast downhill.• Avoid starting, stopping, or turning on aslope. Ifthetires Iosetraction, disengagethe blades and proceed slowly straightdown the slope.• Keep all movement on the slopes stowand gradual. Do not make suddenchanges in speed or direction, whichcould cause the machine to roll over.• Use extra care while operating machinewith grass catchers or other attachments;they can affect the stability of the ma-chine. Do no use on steep slopes.• Do not try to stabilize the machine byputting your foot on the ground.• Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches,or embankments. The machine couldsuddenly roll over if a wheel is over theedge or if the edge caves in.Ill. CHILDREN_I, WARNING: CHILDREN CAN BE INJUREDBY THIS EQUIPMENT The American Acade-my of Pediatrics recommends that childrenbe a minimum of 12 year of age before op-erating a pedestrian controlled lawn mowerand a minimum of 16 years of age beforeoperating a riding lawn mower.Tragic accidents can occur if the operatoris not alert to the presence of children.Children are often attracted to the machineand the mowing activity. Never assumethat children will remain where you lastsaw them.* Keep children out of the mowing areaand in the watchful care of a responsibleadult other than the operator.* Be alert and turn machine off if a childenters the area.* Before and while backing, look behindand down for small children.* Never carrychildren, even withthe bladesshutoff. They may fatl offand be seriouslyinjured or interfere with safe machineoperation. Children who have been givenrides in the past may suddenly appear inthe mowing area for another ride and berun over or backed over by the machine.* Never allow children to operate the ma-chine.* Use extra care when approaching blindcorners, shrubs, trees, or other objectsthat may block your view of a child.IV. TOWING* Tow only with a machine that has a hitchdesigned for towing. Do not attach towedequipment except at the hitch point.* Followthemanufacturer'srecommenda-tion for weight limits for towed equipmentand towing on slopes.. Never allow children or others in or ontowed equipment.* On slopes, theweight ofthe towed equip-ment may cause loss of traction and tossof control.* Travel slowly and allow extra distance tostop.V. SERVICESAFE HANDLING OF GASOLINETo avoid personal injury or property dam-age, use extreme care in handling gasoline.Gasoline is extremely flammable and thevapors are explosive.. Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes,and other sources of ignition.. Use only approved gasoline container.. Never remove gas cap or add fuel withthe engine running. Allow engine to coolbefore refueling.. Never fuel the machine indoors.. Neverstorethe machine orfuelcontainerwhere there is an open flame, spark, orpilot light such as on a water heater orother appliances.. Never fill containers inside a vehicle oron a truck or trailer bed with plastic liner.Always place containers on the groundaway from your vehicle when filling.4