Passengers; Speed; Turning; Braking - Toro 07360 Operator's Manual

Passengers

Whenever you have a passenger riding in the vehicle
make sure he or she is wearing the seat belt and holding
on securely. Drive slower and turn less sharply because
your passenger does not know what you are going to
do next and may not be prepared for turning, stopping,
accelerating, and bumps.
You and your passenger should remain seated at all
times, keeping arms and legs inside the vehicle. The
operator should keep both hands on steering wheel,
whenever possible and passenger should use hand
holds provided (Figure 31 & Figure 32).
Figure 31
1. Passenger hand hold
Figure 32
1. Hand hold & hip restraint
There should never be passengers in the dump box or
on any attachments. The vehicle is meant to have one
driver and only one passenger–no more.

Speed

Speed is one of the most important variables leading to
accidents. Driving too fast for the conditions can cause
you to lose control and have an accident. Speed can
also make a minor accident worse. Driving head–on
into a tree at slow speed can cause injury and damage,
but, driving into a tree at high speed can destroy the
vehicle and kill you and your passenger.
Never drive too fast for the conditions. If there is any
doubt about how fast to drive, slow down.
When using heavy attachments (more than 1000
pounds), such as sprayers, top dressers, or spreaders,
etc., operating speeds should be restricted by moving
3rd high lockout switch to slow position.

Turning

Turning is another important variable leading to
accidents. Turning too sharply for the conditions can
cause the vehicle to lose traction and skid, or even tip
over.
Wet, sandy and slippery surfaces make turning more
difficult and risky. The faster you are going, the worse
this situation becomes so, slow down before turning.
During a sharp turn at higher speeds, the inside rear
wheel may lift off of the ground. This is not a flaw in
the design, it happens with most four wheel vehicles
including passenger cars. If this happens, you are
turning too sharply for the speed at which you are
traveling. Slow down!

Braking

It is good practice to slow down before you get near
an obstacle. This gives you extra time to stop or turn
away. Hitting an obstacle can damage the vehicle and
its contents. More important, it can injure you and your
passenger. Gross vehicle weight has a major impact
on your ability to stop and/or turn. Heavier loads and
heavier attachments make a vehicle harder to stop or
turn. The heavier the load, the longer it takes to stop
The braking characteristics also change with no bed or
attachment on the vehicle. Fast stops may cause the
rear wheels to lock up before the front wheels lock
up, which may affect the control of the vehicle. It is
a good idea to decrease vehicle speed with no bed or
attachment.
Turf and pavement are much slipperier when they are
wet. It can take 2 to 4 times as long to stop on wet
surfaces as on dry surfaces.
If you drive through standing water deep enough to get
the brakes wet, they will not work well until they are
dry. After driving through water, you should test the
brakes to make sure they work properly. If they do not,
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