Ryobi RY48140 Manuel D'utilisation page 20

mower in any direction and cause serious personal injury
to the operator and others.
 For a healthy lawn, always cut off one-third or less of the
total length of the grass.
 When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right so
that clippings will discharge away from shrubs, fences,
driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow back and
forth across the lawn, turning around in the edges of
already mowed grass.
NOTICE:
To prevent damage to your lawn, use a slow speed while
turning rather than spinning in a tight circle.
 When cutting heavy grass, reduce speed to allow for more
effective cutting and a proper discharge of the clippings.
 Do not cut wet grass. Mowing on wet surfaces can cause
loss of control, and wet grass will stick to the underside
of the deck and prevent proper bagging or mulching of
grass clippings.
 New or thick grass may require a narrower cut or a higher
cutting height.
 Keep the mower deck and side discharge chute clean.
Remove grass clippings, leaves, dirt, and any other ac-
cumulated debris before and after each use. Do not spray
with a garden hose to clean.
NOTE: Always stop mower, allow blades to completely
stop, and remove the start key before cleaning underneath
the mower.
SLOPE OPERATION
See Figure 14.
DANGER:
Slopes are a major factor related to tip-over and roll-over
accidents that result in death or severe injury. Operation
on slopes requires extra caution. If you feel uneasy on
a slope, do not mow it. For your safety, do not attempt
to mow steep slopes greater than 15 degrees. Do not
operate in reverse down a slope, unless the mower stops
while going uphill. In that situation, stop the blades, look
behind you, and back up slowly. Make a copy or cut out
the slope guide image later in this manual and use to
determine if your slope is too steep for safe operation.
 Mow up and down, not across the face of slopes.
 Do not mow on wet grass. Wet grass can cause the tires
to lose traction or slip on slopes, even though the brakes
are functioning properly.
 Watch for holes, ruts, rocks, hidden objects, or bumps
which can cause you to slip or trip. Tall grass can hide
obstacles. Remove all objects such as rocks, tree limbs,
etc., which could be tripped over or thrown by the blade.
OPERATION
 Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches, or embankments.
 Drive slowly and do not make sudden changes in speed
or direction.
 Avoid stopping on slope if at all possible. If stopping is
unavoidable, make sure to engage parking brake. When
restarting, use lowest possible speed. If turning is neces-
sary, exercise extreme caution when changing direction
and always turn downhill.
 Never attempt to stabilize the mower on a slope by plac-
ing your foot on the ground during operation.
 If using the optional bagger kit, use extreme caution and
operate the mower slowly when operating on slopes, as
the bagging kit can change the stability of the mower.
 Always use the drive levers and brake when traveling
down the slope. Do not attempt to let the mower coast
downhill in neutral.
 If at any point the tires lose traction while operating on
a slope, disengage the blades and proceed slowly and
carefully straight down the slope.
20 — English
Fig. 14
Fig. 15