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, Figure 19. Check for the following:

•The operator is wearing eye protection and proper clothing

•With a slightly-bent right arm, the operator’s hand is holding the shaft grip

•The operator’s left arm is straight, his hand holding the J-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

FIGURE 19

ADJUSTING TRIMMING LINE LENGTH

The Bump Head™ cutting head allows you to release trimming line without stopping the engine. To release more line, lightly tap the cutting head on the ground while operating the trimmer at high speed, Figure 20.

NOTE: Always keep the trimming line fully extended. Line release becomes more difficult as cutting line becomes shorter.

FIGURE 20

Each time the head is bumped, about 25.4 mm (1 inch) of trimming line releases. A blade in the cutting head guard 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.

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

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

•Keep the cutting head parallel to the ground.

•Do not force the cutting head. 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 200 mm (8 inches) by working from top to bottom in small increments to avoid premature line wear or engine drag.

•Cut from left to right whenever possible. Cutting to the 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:

•Following the previous trimming techniques

•What vegetation is being cut

•Where it’s being cut

FIGURE 21

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, etc.

Rotate the whole unit so that the cutting head is at a 30° angle to the ground, Figure 10.

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