As per the instruction manual it's OK to tip this mower on to it's left side for cleaning. Speaking from experience cleaning this machine is best done when the engine is cold and there's no fuel in the tank - and also make sure the oil filler cap is on tight!
The muck seems to bake itself on to the underside of the chassis of this model and I found a light spray of water (houseplant type sprayer ideal) left to soak for a while and repeated a couple of times worked really well for it's pre-winter clean. But watch the air filter doesn't become wet. Also a silicon polish spray on the underside makes it a lot easier to clean the next time.
Marion, May 2009
Its really best to drain off both the oil and the petrol, but you could try tipping the machine on the side away from the air filter, or tipping it back towards the handles.
