Operating Tips
General Mowing Tips
•
Clear the area of sticks, stones, wire, branches, and
other debris that the blade could hit.
•
Avoid striking solid objects with the blade. Never
deliberately mow over any object.
•
If the mower strikes an object or starts to vibrate,
immediately stop the engine, disconnect the wire
from the spark plug, and examine the mower for
damage.
•
For best performance, install a new blade before the
cutting season begins.
•
Replace the blade when necessary with a Toro
replacement blade.
Cutting Grass
•
Cut only about a third of the grass blade at a time.
Do not cut below the 2-inch (51 mm) setting unless
the grass is sparse or it is late fall when grass growth
begins to slow down. Refer to Adjusting the Cutting
Height.
•
When cutting grass over 6 inches (15 cm) tall, mow
at the highest cutting height setting and walk slower;
then mow again at a lower setting for the best lawn
appearance. If the grass is too long, the mower may
plug and cause the engine to stall.
•
Mow only dry grass or leaves. Wet grass and leaves
tend to clump on the yard and can cause the mower
to plug or the engine to stall.
Wet grass or leaves can cause serious injury if
you slip and contact the blade. Mow only in dry
conditions.
•
Alternate the mowing direction. This helps disperse
the clippings over the lawn for even fertilization.
•
If the finished lawn appearance is unsatisfactory, try
one or more of the following:
– Replace the blade or have it sharpened.
– Walk at a slower pace while mowing.
– Raise the cutting height on your mower.
– Cut the grass more frequently.
– Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a full
swath with each pass.
– Set the cutting height on the front wheels one
notch lower than the rear wheels. For example,
set the front wheels at 2-1/4 inches (60 mm) and
the rear wheels at 2-3/4 inches (70 mm).
Cutting Leaves
•
After cutting the lawn, ensure that half of the lawn
shows through the cut leaf cover. You may need to
make more than one pass over the leaves.
•
If there are more than 5 inches (13 cm) of leaves
on the lawn, set the front cutting height one or two
notches higher than the rear cutting height.
•
Slow down your mowing speed if the mower does
not cut the leaves finely enough.
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