OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

HOLDING THE TRIMMER

WARNING: Always wear eye, hearing, foot and body protection to reduce the risk of injury when operating this unit.

Before operating the unit, stand in the operating position (Fig. 25). Check for the following:

• The operator is wearing eye protection and proper clothing

•

With a slightly-bent right arm, the

 

 

operator’s right hand is holding the

 

 

shaft grip

 

•

The operator’s left arm is straight,

 

 

the left hand holding the assist

 

 

handle

 

•

The unit is at waist level

 

•

The cutting attachment is parallel

 

 

to the ground and easily contacts

 

 

the grass without the need to bend

 

 

over

Fig. 25

 

 

WARNING: Do not remove or alter the line cutting blade assembly. Excessive line length will make the clutch overheat. This may lead to serious personal injury or damage to the unit.

ADJUSTING TRIMMING LINE LENGTH

The Bump Head™

 

cutting attachment

 

allows you to release

 

trimming line without

 

stopping the engine. To

 

release more line, lightly

 

tap the cutting

 

attachment on the

 

ground (Fig. 26) while

 

operating the trimmer at

 

high speed.

Fig. 26

 

NOTE: Always keep the

trimming line fully extended. Line release becomes more difficult as the cutting line becomes shorter.

Each time the head is bumped, about 1 inch (25.4 mm) of trimming line is released. A blade in the cutting attachment shield will cut the line to the proper length if excess line is released.

For best results, tap the Bump Head™ on bare ground or hard soil. If line release is attempted in tall grass, the engine may stall. Always keep the trimming line fully extended. Line release becomes more difficult as the cutting line becomes shorter.

NOTE: Do not rest the Bump Head™ on the ground while the unit is running.

Some line breakage will occur from:

•Entanglement with foreign matter

•Normal line fatigue

•Attempting to cut thick, stalky weeds

•Forcing the line into objects such as walls or fence posts

TIPS FOR BEST TRIMMING RESULTS

•For best trimming results, operate unit at full throttle.

•Keep the cutting attachment parallel to the ground.

•Do not force the cutting attachment. Allow the tip of the line to do the cutting, especially along walls. Cutting with more than the tip will reduce cutting efficiency and may overload the engine.

•Cut grass over 8 inches (200 mm) by working from top to bottom in small increments to avoid premature line wear or engine drag.

•Cutting from left to right improves the unit's cutting efficiency. Clippings are thrown away from the operator.

•Slowly move the trimmer into and out of the cutting area at the desired height. Move either in a forward-backward or side-to-side motion. Cutting shorter lengths produces the best results.

•Trim only when grass and weeds are dry.

•The life of your cutting line is dependent upon proper adherence of explained trimming techniques, what vegetation is cut, and where vegetation is cut.

For example, the line will wear faster when trimming against a foundation wall as opposed to trimming around a tree.

DECORATIVE TRIMMING

Decorative trimming is accomplished by removing all vegetation around trees, posts, fences and more.

Rotate the whole unit so that the cutting attachment is at a 30° angle to the ground (Fig. 27).

Fig. 27

USING THE CUTTING BLADE

WARNING: Always wear eye, hearing, foot, body protection and the shoulder strap to reduce the risk of injury when operating this unit.

WARNING: Do not use the cutting blade for edging or as an edger. Severe personal injury to yourself or others can result.

Before operating the unit with the cutting blade, stand in the operating position (Fig. 28). Refer to Holding the Trimmer.

Cutting Blade Operating Tips

To establish a rhythmic cutting procedure:

•Plant feet firmly, comfortably apart.

•Bring the engine to full throttle before entering the material to be cut. At full throttle the blade has maximum cutting power and is less likely to bind, stall or cause blade thrust (which can result in serious personal injury to the operator or others).

•Cut while swinging the upper part of your body from left to right.

WARNING: Blade thrust may occur when the spinning blade contacts an object that it does not immediately cut. Blade thrust can be violent enough to cause the unit and/or operator to be propelled in any direction, and possibly lose control of the unit. Blade thrust can occur without warning if the blade snags, stalls or binds. This is more likely to occur in areas where it is difficult to see the material being cut.

•Always release the throttle trigger and allow the engine to return to idle speed when not cutting.

•When you are finished, always unsnap the unit from the harness before taking off the harness.

•Swing the unit in the opposite direction as the blade spins, which increases the cutting action.

WARNING: The blade continues to spin after the engine is turned off. The coasting blade can seriously cut you if accidentally touched.

•After the return swing, move forward to the next area to be cut plant your feet again.

•The cutting blade is designed with a second cutting edge. You can use it by removing the blade, turning it upside down, and reinstalling it.

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