CHAPTER 6. PRE-OPERATIONAL INSPECTION

It is essential for avoiding accidents or breakdown during operation to keep the front mower in good condition. The following pre-operational checks should be performed without fail before starting daily operation.

WARNING:

・Before inspection, be sure to park the front mower on a level and hard ground. In order to maximize the performance of the parking brake, depress the brake pedal, and then apply the parking brake. Stop the engine, and lower the mower deck onto the ground, then wait for more than 10 seconds, and check that the mower blades and blower fan have completely stopped rotating.

・Machine weight balance is a very important factor for safe operation. When your machine is equipped with an implement such as a cabin, etc., never fail to ask your dealer about machine balance. Always follow their advice.

1. INSPECTION ITEMS

(1) Anything that was abnormal in the previous operations.

(2) While walking around the front mower.

・ Tire inflation

・ Exterior parts (broken or deformed covers or the like)

・ Oil leakage (engine oil, transmission oil, fuel, etc.)

・ Cleaning of air-intake

・ Engine oil level

・ Coolant level

・ Cooling fan belt

・ Fuel level

・ Fuel filter

・ Transmission oil level

・ Front and rear wheel tightening bolts and nuts

・ Cleaning of radiator and radiator screen

・ Electrical apparatus

・ Mower blades

・ Mower exterior parts like covers damage and deformation

・ Oil leakage from mower gear case

・ Cleaning of gauge wheels

・ Loosen, broken or lost pins and clips

・ Loosen blower fan

・ Broken blower intake tube

(3) While sitting on the operator's seat:

・ Inspection of brakes

・ Adjustment of seat

(4) After starting the engine:

・ Confirmation of the operation of safety switches

2. WAY OF INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

Refer to the section of "MAINTENANCE."

CHAPTER 7. OPERATION

1. BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE

CAUTION:

・Before starting the engine, be sure to carry out the pre-operation inspection in accordance with the periodical inspection table.

・Follow instructions given in " CHAPTER 1. FOR SAFE OPERATION. "

・Follow instructions given on the caution labels on the front mower, mower deck and collector.

2. STARTING THE ENGINE collector lift lever (3) and collector dump lever (4) forward. f. Depress the brake pedal (5) fully. g. Insert the starter key into the starter switch (6) and turn the key to the ON position. Make sure that the charge lamp and oil pressure lamp are both illuminated. h. Move the throttle lever (7) to an intermediate speed position between the high speed and low speed positions. i. Turn the starter switch to the GLOW position and hold it there for five to ten seconds.

WARNING: Never attempt to start the engine in an enclosed place with poor ventilation. Be sure to provide sufficient ventilation, as exhaust fumes can be lethal.

IMPORTANT: Before starting the engine, close the engine hood securely. Sit down on the operator's seat properly, and depress the brake pedal, otherwise the engine cannot be started.

(1) Parking brake lever

(5) Brake pedal

(6) Starter switch a. Close the engine hood securely. b. Sit on the operator's seat properly. c. Apply the parking brake (1) securely. d. Move the mower lift lever (2) forward to the DOWN position. e. Lift down and dump down the collector by moving

(2) Mower lift lever

(3) Collector lift lever

(4) Collector dump lever

(7) Throttle lever A: High speed B: Low speed j. Turn the starter key to the START position, and the starter is activated to crank the engine. k. As soon as the engine starts, release the starter key. The key will return automatically to the ON position. l. Release the brake pedal gradually. m. Make sure that the charge lamp and oil pressure lamp turn off. n. Continue the warming up of front mower at least for 5 minutes.

IMPORTANT: If the oil pressure remain illuminate, stop the engine immediately and check the engine lubrication system.

IMPORTANT: ・Never turn the starter key to the START position after the engine starts, otherwise the starter motor will be damaged.

・Insufficient idling time will cause poor lubrication of the engine due to high viscosity of engine oil, which will lead to a shorter life of the engine.

CAUTION:

During engine warming up, be sure to apply the parking brake to avoid the front mower travelling unexpectedly

NOTE: Warming up criteria and atmospheric temperatures:

Atmospheric temperatures Required warming up

Higher than 0 ℃ (32°F) 5 to 10 minutes

0 ℃ to -10℃ (32°F to 14°F) 10 to 20 minutes

-10℃ to -20℃ (14°F to -4°F) 20 to 30 minutes

Lower than -20℃ (-4°F) more than 30 minutes

CAUTION: Never start travelling with the parking brake applied, otherwise the brake performance will deteriorate soon or, even worse, the brake system could break down. In the worst case, the brake system may cause fire by heated brake drum if inflammable around the brake system is not properly removed.

3. TRAVELLING

CAUTION: a. Start the engine. (Refer to Chapter 7.2) b. Depress the brake pedal fully.

・Before having become sufficiently familiar with the operation of the front mower, be sure to operate it in a spacious, flat and unobstructed place with good visibility, and confirm the function of each control.

・Check the place to mow beforehand for bumps, ditches, mounds, steps, slopes, inclination, softness, water pools and etc. in order to avoid accidents such as turnover, fall, side-sliding of the front mower.

CAUTION: c. (When mowing): Move the throttle lever to the HIGH speed position to accelerate the engine. (When travelling): Move the throttle lever to the HIGH speed position. d. Shift the mower lift lever to UP position to lift up the mower deck from the ground. e. When front mower is attaching a collector, be sure to lower the container.

・Before having become sufficiently familiar with the operation of the front mower, operate it at the LOW speed position.

・When travelling on bumps, ditches, mounds, steps, inclination softness, waterhole, etc, select the throttle lever at the LOW speed position.

CAUTION: f. Make sure that the parking brake lever is released. g. Release the brake pedal gradually. h. The steering wheel is very light to turn, for the steering system is assisted hydraulically. Naturally the front mower turns to right when the steering wheel is turned clockwise and vice versa.

・Starting to travel at high speeds without lifting up the mower deck will cause the mower blades to hit stones or stocks, which may result in break-down of the front mower or serious accidents.

・When starting to travel, be sure to lower the container. Otherwise it may cause the front mower to turn over, which is very dangerous.

IMPORTANT: For your safety, before moving forward the front mower, check the conditions in front of and around the front mower.

CAUTION: i. Depress the HST forward travel pedal softly, and then the front mower starts travelling. When reversing the front mower, depress the HST reverse travel pedal softly, and then the front mower starts reversing slowly. Buzzer sounds when front mower is moving to backward.

・Never attempt to turn the steering wheel abruptly when travelling at high speed, which is very dangerous.

・Never attempt to make a sharp turn on a slope. Slow down sufficiently and turn the steering wheel slowly to prevent the mower from turning over or falling down.

CAUTION:

・Never attempt to depress the HST pedal suddenly, otherwise the front mower will dash, which is very dangerous.

・Before changing travelling directions, be sure that the front mower has stopped travelling completely.

・When reversing, make sure the safety conditions behind the front mower.

4. 4WD LEVER

By 4WD lever (1), 2WD/4WD automatic change-over and permanent 4WD is selectable.

From another point of view, when you try to turn the front mower on a slope, rear wheel driving power is lost and the front mower may slip down the slope, which is also very dangerous.

5. STOPPING

a. Release the HST pedal (1) or (2).

b. Shift the throttle lever to the LOW speed position to slow down the engine.

c. Depress the brake pedal (3) and apply the parking brake (4) securely.

(1) 4WD lever

4WD PERM: Shift(push) the lever to engage permanent 4WD mode.

4WD AUT: Shift(pull) the lever to engage AUTO 4WD mode.

In AUTO 4WD mode, 2WD and 4WD is selected automatically during operation on a level ground, so the lever operation is not required.

When operating on a slope, shift the changeover lever to the 4WD position without fail.

IMPORTANT: ・Be sure to shift the 4WD lever to the "AUTO" position when operating on level ground, as level ground operation with the 4WD selected leads to a larger turning radius and may cause turf damage.

・When shifting the 4WD lever, slow down the travelling speed below 1 km/ h and make the machine go straight.

CAUTION: When operating the front mower on a slope, be sure the 4WD lever is locked in the 4WD position from the reasons mentioned below:

In the AUTO position the mechanism shifts to 2WD automatically when the peripheral speed of the front wheels exceeds that of the rear wheels, which means loss of rear wheel driving power.

For example, when moving uphill if the front wheels slip, the mechanism stays in 4WD. But moving downhill if the front wheels slip and lose grip, and begin to slip down the slope, it shifts to 2WD, that is, braking effect of the HST unit is lost, which means loss of front mower control.

(1) HST forward travel pedal

(2) HST reverse travel pedal

(3) Brake pedal

(4) Parking brake lever d. Shift the mower lift lever, 6, to DOWN position to lower the mower deck onto the ground.

CAUTION: Park the front mower on flat, level ground and make sure that the parking brake is applied securely. In order to maximize the performance of the parking brake, depress the brake pedal, and then apply the parking brake.

CAUTION: When stopping the front mower, lower the mower deck onto the ground without fail to avoid unexpected accidents.

6. STOPPING THE ENGINE

a. Move the throttle lever,1, to the low speed position to reduce engine speeds.

b. Turn the starter switch to the OFF position to stop the engine.

IMPORTANT: ・Never attempt stopping the engine abruptly when it is running at high speeds, except for emergency case.

・ Be sure to let the engine idle for about 5 minutes after a longtime operation and then stop the engine. Abrupt engine stopping may lead to overheating.

c. Remove the starter key from the starter switch.

CAUTION: When you leave the front mower, be sure to stop the engine and remove the starter key to prevent the front mower from starting unexpectedly by children or unauthorized people.

7. DPF REGENERATION (SF237)

(1) DPF regeneration request lamp/switch

(2) DPF regeneration inhibit lamp/switch

Regeneration is the procedure of removing the soot deposits from the diesel particulate filter (DPF). The DPF regeneration procedure includes these modes:

- Normal mode:

(Soot load is less than 80%)

There are no restrictions on the machine operation. The DPF lamp (1) is not illuminated.

- Automatic regeneration mode:

(Soot load is 80% - 99%)

The regeneration procedure is started automatically and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

If the engine is turned off during the regeneration procedure, then the regeneration procedure continues when the engine starts again.

The DPF lamp (1) is not illuminated. During DPF regeneration, exhaust gas becomes hot and the Exhaust gas high temperature lamp illuminates.

- Manual regeneration mode (Stage 1):

(Soot load is 100% -119%)

When the DPF regeneration request lamp is blinking and the buzzer sounds, the amount of soot increased because automatic regeneration was not performed or was insufficient. The machine needs to be parked and the manual regeneration is required.

Stop the machine in a safe parking place and apply the parking brake to activate the brake switch, return the throttle to low idle, and push the manual regeneration request switch (1) for 3 seconds or more to start the manual regeneration.

The lamp (1) is still blinking however the buzzer sound will stop, the DPF Warm-up process started and the engine speed automatically increases to 2300rpm.

When the DPF warm-up is completed, the lamp (1) is light on and the "Exhaust gas high-temperature Lamp" turns on. The manual DPF regeneration starts.