Toro 20199, 20200 owner manual Operating Tips, General Mowing Tips, Cutting Grass, Cutting Leaves

Operating Tips

General Mowing Tips

•Clear the area of loose sticks, branches, stones, wire, twine, and other debris that the blades could hit.

•Avoid striking solid objects with the blades. Never deliberately mow over any object.

•If the machine strikes an object or starts to vibrate, immediately stop the engine, disconnect the wire from the spark plug, and examine the machine for damage.

•For best performance, install new Toro replacement blades for your model before the cutting season begins.

•Replace the blades when necessary with Toro replacement blades.

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 (page 9).

•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 machine may plug and cause the engine to stall.

•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 blades or have them sharpened.

–Walk at a slower pace while mowing.

–Raise the cutting height on your machine.

–Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a full swath with each pass.

–Set the cutting height on the front wheels a notch lower than the rear wheels.

–Cut the grass more frequently.

•Cut only dry grass or leaves. Wet grass and leaves tend to clump on the yard and can cause the machine to plug or the engine to stall.

WARNING

Mowing wet grass or leaves can lead to serious injury if you slip and contact the blade. Mow only in dry conditions.

Cutting Leaves

•After cutting a leaf-covered lawn, ensure that at least half of the lawn shows through the cut leaves. You may need to mow the leaves again.

•If there are more than 5 inches (13 cm) of leaves on the lawn, set the front cutting height 1 or 2 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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