Maintenance; Recommended Maintenance Schedule - Toro 20789 Operator's Manual

Keep the engine in good running condition.
Clean the air filter frequently. Mulching 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 summer heat, it is best to cut grass at the
C, D, or E height-of-cut settings. Cut only about 1/3 of
the grass blade at a time. Do not cut below the C
setting unless the grass is sparse or it is late fall when
grass growth begins to slow down.
When cutting grass over six inches tall, first mow
using the highest height-of-cut setting and walking
slower; then mow again at a lower setting for best
lawn appearance. If the grass is too long and the leaves
clump on top of the lawn, the lawn mower 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 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 lawn mower.

Maintenance

Recommended Maintenance Schedule

Service Item
Engine
Check the engine oil before each use.
Oil—Check
Drain and refill the engine crankcase with
fresh oil after the first five hours of
Engine
operation. Thereafter, change every 50
Oil—Change
hours (25 hours in dusty conditions or in
high temperatures) or yearly.
Housing Remove built-up grass clippings and dirt.
Check the blade and the engine mounting
Fasteners
fasteners. Tighten loose fasteners.
Replace the pre-cleaner every 25 hours
Air Filter—
or each mowing season. Replace it more
Pre-cleaner
frequently in dusty or dirty conditions.
Service Operation
15
Cut the grass more frequently.
Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a full swath
with each pass.
Mow across the marginal areas a second time.
Set the height-of-cut on the front wheels one notch
lower than the rear wheels. For example, set the front
wheels at the C setting and the rear wheels at the D
setting.
Cutting Leaves
After cutting the lawn, make sure that half of the lawn
shows through the cut leaf cover. You may need to
make one or more passes over the leaves.
For light leaf coverage, set all the wheels at the same
height-of-cut setting.
If there are more than 5 in. (12.7) cm of leaves on the
lawn, set the front wheels one or two notches higher
than the rear wheels. This makes it easier to feed the
leaves under the lawn mower deck.
Slow down your mowing speed if the lawn mower
does not cut the leaves finely enough.
If you cut up a lot of oak leaves, you can add lime to
your grass in the spring to reduce the acidity of the oak
leaves.
Each 5
Use Hours
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X
X
25 50 100
Hours Hours Hours
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