Operation
GB–16
POTENTIAL HAZARD
•
Wet grass or leaves can cause you to slip
and contact blade.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN
•
Blade contact can seriously injure you.
HOW TO AVOID THE HAZARD
•
Mow only in dry conditions.
•
Set engine speed to fastest position. Maximum
horsepower provides best cutting results.
•
Clean clippings or leaves from underside of
mower deck after each mowing.
•
Keep engine in good running condition. Cutting
and recutting requires more horsepower.
•
Clean air filter more frequently. Cutting and
recutting stirs up more clippings and dust which
clogs the air filter and reduces engine
performance.
Cutting Grass
•
Grass grows at different rates at different times
of the year. In the heat of summer, it is generally
best to cut grass at the 2, 2.5 or 3 inch (51, 64,
74 mm) height-of-cut settings. Only about
!
/
3
of
the grass blade should be cut off. Cutting below
the 2 inch (51 mm) setting is not recommended
unless grass is sparse or it is late fall when grass
growth begins to slow down.
•
When cutting grass over six inches tall, you may
want to first 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 grass is too long and leaves clumps on top of
lawn, mower may plug and cause engine to stall.
•
Alternate mowing direction. This helps disperse
clippings over lawn for even fertilization.
If the finished cut lawn appearance is unsatisfactory,
try one or more of the following:
•
Sharpen the blade.
•
Walk 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 height-of-cut on front wheels one notch
lower than rear wheels. (example: set front
wheels at 2 inch (51 mm) setting and rear wheels
at 2.5 inch (64 mm) setting)
Cutting Leaves
•
When cutting is complete, always be sure that
50% of the lawn shows through the cut leaf
cover. This may require one or more passes over
the leaves.
•
For light leaf coverage, position all wheels at the
same height-of-cut setting.
•
Walk at a slower mowing speed if leaves are not
being cut up finely enough to be hidden down in
the grass.
•
If you cut up a lot of oak leaves, you might want
to add lime to your grass in the spring. Lime
reduces the acidity of oak leaves.
