Safety Instructions - Before Operating116. Do not wear loose fitting clothing that could getcaught in moving parts. Do not operate this ma-chine while wearing shorts; always wear ade-quate protective clothing, including longpants. Wearing safety glasses, safety shoes,and a helmet is advisable and required by somelocal ordinances and insurance regulations.7. Prolonged exposure to loud noise can causeimpairment or loss of hearing. Operator hear-ing protection is recommended; particularlyfor continuous operation of the GHS Model dueto blower noise level. Wear a suitable hearingprotective device, such as earmuffs or earplugs.8. Keep all protective shields and safety de-vices in place. If a protective shield, safetydevice, or decal is damaged, unusable, or miss-ing, repair or replace it before operating themachine.9. Be sure interlock switches are functioningcorrectly, so the engine cannot be started un-less the Forward Speed Control lever is in theNEUTRAL-PARK position, and the PTO clutchis in the DISENGAGED position. Also, the en-gine should stop if the operator lifts off the seatwith either the Forward Speed Control (FSC)out of the NEUTRAL-PARK position or the PTOclutch in the ENGAGED position.NOTE: There is a 1/2 second time delay func-tion on the seat switch to avoid engine powerinterruption when driving over bumps.10. Handle gasoline with care. Gasoline is highlyflammable and its vapors are explosive:a. Use an approved fuel container.b. Never add fuel to a running engine or hotengine (allow hot engine to cool several min-utes).c. Keep matches, cigarettes, cigars, pipes,open flames, or sparks away from the fueltank and fuel container.d. Always fill the fuel tank outdoors using care.Fill to about one inch from the top of the tank.Use a funnel or spout to prevent spilling.e. Replace the machine fuel cap and containercap securely and clean up any spilled fuelbefore starting the engine.11. Never attempt to make any adjustmentswhile the engine is running, except wherespecifically instructed to do so.12. The electrical system battery contains sulfuricacid. Avoid any contact with skin, eyes, andclothing. Keep the battery and acid out of reachof children.WARNINGThe engine exhaust from this productcontains chemicals known to the State ofCalifornia to cause cancer, birth defectsor other reproductive harm.