Side Discharging Or Mulching The Grass; Installing The Discharge Cover; Operating Tips - Toro 71257 Operator's Manual

Side Discharging or Mulching
the Grass
Without the grass deflector, discharge cover,
or complete grass catcher assembly mounted
in place, you and others are exposed to blade
contact and thrown debris. Contact with a
rotating mower blade and thrown debris will
cause injury or death.
• Never remove the grass deflector from
the mower because the grass deflector
routes material down toward the turf. If the
grass deflector is ever damaged, replace it
immediately.
• Never put your hands or feet under the
mower.
• Never try to clear discharge area or mower
blades unless you disengage the blade
(PTO) and rotate the ignition key to Off.
Also, remove the key and disconnect the
wire from the spark plug.
The mower has a hinged grass deflector that disperses
clippings to the side and down toward the turf.
To mulch the grass clippings, you must install the
discharge cover into the opening in the side of the
mower; refer to Installing the Discharge Cover.

Installing the Discharge Cover

To convert from a side discharge to a mulching mower,
install the discharge cover into the opening at the side
of the mower.
1. Stop the engine and wait for all moving parts to
stop.
2. Remove the ignition key.
3. Lift the grass deflector and place the discharge
cover over the opening onto the lower lip of the
mower and slide it into the front hinge (Figure 17).
1. Grass deflector
2. Discharge cover
3. Lower lip
4. Slide the hinge pin through the hinge (Figure 17).
5. Secure the discharge cover to the mower with the
wing nut (Figure 17).
6. To convert back to a side discharge mower, remove
the discharge cover and lower the grass deflector
over the discharge opening.

Operating Tips

• For the best performance, operate the engine at
the maximum speed. The mower requires air to
thoroughly cut grass clippings, so do not set the
height-of-cut too low or completely surround the
mower in uncut grass. Always leave one side of the
mower free from uncut grass to allow the air to be
drawn into the mower.
• Cut the grass slightly longer than normal to ensure
that the cutting height of the mower does not scalp
any uneven ground. When cutting grass longer than
6 inch (15 cm) tall, cut the lawn twice to ensure an
acceptable appearance.
• It is best to cut only about 1/3 of the grass blade.
Do not cut more than that unless the grass is sparse
or it is late fall when grass grows more slowly.
• Alternate the mowing direction to keep the grass
standing straight. This also helps disperse clippings
and enhances decomposition and fertilization.
• Grass grows at different rates at different times of
the season. To maintain the same cutting height,
which is a good practice, mow more often in early
spring. As the grass growth rate slows in mid
summer, mow less frequently.
17
Figure 17
4. Hinge pin
5. Wing nut