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Clean air filter more frequently. Cutting and recutting
stirs up more clippings and dust which clogs the air
filter and reduces engine performance.
Cutting Grass
Grass grows at different rates at different times of the
year. In the heat of the summer, it is generally best to
cut grass at the 1- / ", 2- / " or 2- / " height-of-cut
settings (Fig. 10). Only about / of the grass blade
should be cut off. Cutting below the 1- / " setting is
not recommended unless grass is sparse or it is late fall
when grass growth begins to slow down.
Figure 10
When cutting grass over six inches tall, you may want
to first mow using the highest height-of-cut setting and
a slower walking speed; then mow again at a lower
setting for best lawn appearance. If grass is too long
and leaves clumps on top of lawn, mower may plug
and cause engine to stall.
Alternate mowing direction. This helps disperse
clippings over lawn for even fertilization.
If the finished cut lawn appearance is unsatisfactory, try
one or more of the following:
Sharpen the blade.
Walk at a slower pace while mowing.
Raise the height-of-cut setting on your mower.
Cut grass more frequently.
Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a full swath
with each pass.
Mow across the marginal areas a second time.
Set height-of-cut on front wheels one notch lower than
rear wheels. (example: set front wheels at 1- / "
setting and rear wheels at 2- / " setting)
Cutting Leaves
When cutting is complete, always be sure that 50% of
the lawn shows through the cut leaf cover. This may
require one or more passes over the leaves.
For light leaf coverage, position all wheels at the same
height-of-cut setting.
If there are more than five inches of leaves on lawn,
set the front wheels one or two notches higher than the
rear wheels. This makes it easier to feed leaves under
mower deck.
Walk at a slower mowing speed if leaves are not being
cut up finely enough to be hidden down in the grass.
If you cut up a lot of oak leaves, you might want to
add lime to your grass in the spring. Lime reduces the
acidity of oak leaves.
Operation
976
Operating Tips
1. CHECK OIL LEVEL—Maintain oil level between
ADD and FULL marks as shown on dipstick (Fig. 8).
2. BEFORE EACH MOWING—Be sure blade brake,
self-propelled drive, and control bar function properly.
When control bar is released, blade and self-propelled
drive are designed to stop. If controls are not
functioning properly, do not use mower until controls
are repaired.
3. SHARP BLADE—Begin each cutting season with a
sharp blade. Periodically file down nicks.
Controls
Throttle control, blade/self-propelled control bar and
fingertip starter are on upper handle (Fig. 11). Ground
speed control is located at rear of belt cover (Fig. 12).
9
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