9
Operating
T
ips
General Tips
• Review
the safety instructions and read this manual
carefully before operating the mower
.
•
Clear the area of sticks, stones, wire, branches, and
other debris which could be picked up or hit by the
blade and become thrown objects.
•
Keep everyone, especially children and pets, away
from the area of operation.
• A
void striking trees, walls, curbs, or other solid
objects. Never deliberately mow over any object.
•
If an object is struck, or the mower starts to vibrate,
immediately stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug
wire, and examine the mower for damage.
•
Maintain a
sharp blade
throughout the cutting season.
Periodically file down nicks on blade.
•
Replace the blade when necessary with an original
T
oro replacement blade.
•
Only mow dry grass or leaves. W
et grass and leaves
tend to clump on the yard and may cause the mower to
plug or the engine to stall. They may also be slippery
to walk on and could cause you to slip and fall.
POTENTIAL HAZARD
• W
et grass or leaves can cause you to slip and
contact the blade.
WHA
T CAN HAPPEN
•
Blade contact can seriously injure you.
HOW T
O A
V
OID THE HAZARD
•
Mow only in dry conditions.
•
Clean clippings or leaves from the underside of the
mower deck after each mowing.
•
Keep the engine in good running condition.
•
Clean the air filter frequently
. Mulching stirs up more
clippings and dust which clogs the air filter and
reduces engine performance.
Cutting Grass
• In
the heat of Summer
, cut the grass at the 2, 2.5, or 3
inch height-of-cut settings. Only about
!/3
of the grass
blade should be cut off. Cut below the 2 inch setting
only if the grass is sparse or it is Autumn when the
grass grows slowly
.
•
When cutting grass over six inches tall, mow using the
highest height-of-cut setting and a slower walking
speed; then mow again at a lower setting for best lawn
appearance. If the grass is too long, the mower may
plug and cause the engine to stall.
•
Alternate the mowing direction. This helps disperse
clippings over the lawn for even fertilization.
If the finished lawn appearance is unsatisfactory
, try one
or more of the following:
•
Sharpen the blade.
• W
alk at a slower pace while mowing.
•
Raise the height-of-cut setting on your mower
.
•
Cut grass more frequently
.
•
Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a full swath
with each pass.
•
Set the height-of-cut on the front wheels one notch
lower than the rear wheels. (example: set the front
wheels at the 2 inch setting and the rear wheels at the
2.5 inch setting)
Cutting Leaves
• When
cutting is complete, ensure that 50% of the lawn
shows through the cut leaf cover
. This may require one
or more passes over the leaves.
•
Position all wheels at the same height-of-cut setting.
• W
alk at a slower mowing speed if the leaves are not
being cut up finely enough to be hidden in the grass.
•
If you cut up a lot of oak leaves, add lime to your grass
in the spring. Lime reduces the acidity of the leaves.
Changing
the Handle Height
The
handle has two height positions—high and low
(Fig. 14). Select a handle height position that is most
comfortable for you.
1026
1
2
3
Figure
14
1. Low
setting
2.
High setting
3.
Cable anchor –
self-propelled model
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