Cleaning The Mower; Preparing The Mower For Storage; Folding The Handle - Toro 20899 Operator's Manual

Important: Position the curved ends of the
blade to point toward the mower housing.
6. Use a torque wrench to tighten the blade bolt to
60 ft-lb (82 N-m).
Important: A bolt torqued to 60 ft-lb (82 N-m)
is very tight. While holding the blade with a
block of wood, put your weight behind the
ratchet or wrench and tighten the bolt securely.
This bolt is very difficult to overtighten.

Cleaning the Mower

Service Interval: Before each use or daily
WARNING
The mower may dislodge material from under the
mower housing.
• Wear eye protection.
• Stay in the operating position (behind the
handle).
• Do not allow bystanders in the area.
1. With the engine running on a flat paved surface,
spray a stream of water in front of the right rear
wheel (Figure 48).
The water will splash into the path of the blade,
cleaning out the clippings.
Figure 47
2. When no more clippings come out, stop the water
and move the mower to a dry area.
3. Run the engine for a few minutes to dry the housing
to prevent it from rusting.
Storage
Store the mower in a cool, clean, dry place.
Preparing the Mower for
Storage
WARNING
Gasoline vapors can explode.
• Do not store gasoline more than 30 days.
• Do not store the mower in an enclosure near an
open flame.
• Allow the engine to cool before storing it.
1. On the last refueling of the year, add fuel stabilizer
to the fuel as directed by the engine manufacturer.
2. Run the mower until the engine stops from running
out of fuel.
3. Prime the engine and start it again.
4. Allow the engine to run until it stops. When you can
no longer start the engine, it is sufficiently dry.
5. Disconnect the wire from the spark plug and connect
the wire onto the retaining post.
6. Remove the spark plug, add 1 oz. (30 ml) of oil
through the spark plug hole, and pull the starter rope
slowly several times to distribute oil throughout the
cylinder to prevent cylinder corrosion during the
off-season.
7. Install the spark plug and tighten it with a torque
wrench to 15 ft-lb (20 N-m).
8. Tighten all nuts, bolts, and screws.

Folding the Handle

Upright Position
1. Step on the foot pedal and hold it down (Figure 49).
18
Figure 48