Briggs & Stratton 500 Series Maintenance Manual page 23

Engine Model: Briggs & Stratton
Follow these simple steps for the best mulching results, and remember
that to obtain the perfect cutting height you need to work down from the
maximum height setting in steps until you reach your ideal height.
1. Remember the one third rule – never remove more than one third of the
length of the blade of grass whenever you mow. This is good advice no
matter what type of mower you use!
2. Cut a little:
•
•
•
3. Cut often:
•
Leave grass about half an inch longer than you would normally if you were
discharging or collecting the clippings.
Keep your mower blades sharp. Mulching tends to dull blades faster than other
methods of mowing. Sharpen them more often, if necessary.
Water the lawn after mulching, not before. Dry clippings disperse more easily than
moist ones. Watering after the lawn has been mulched helps clippings settle better
and speeds up decomposition.
B PROBLEMS WITH THE BLADE OR BLADE MOUNTING
Before checking the
blade, REMOVE the H.T.
lead (1 in the diagram).
and ONLY TIP THE
MOWER BACKWARDS.
Page 23 of 32 B&S Classic, 450 and 500 Series Selfhelp
Classic,
450 and 500 Series
Set the mowing height to about 1½ to 2 inches for most lawns, this will
develop deeper root growth and crowd out weeds
The one third rule also implies that you should mow your grass before it
is 3" high because a mulching cutter deck will have no problem chopping
one inch of clippings into tiny particles and concealing them in the
remaining standing grass
Leaving grass to reach 5-6" high would make it impossible for any
mower to hide 3-4" of chopped clippings in just 2" of lawn.
Remove only one third of the grass length at each mowing. Try to mow
weekly, especially in spring – cutting too much at once stresses the
grass. Every two weeks will probably be often enough in the summer
Guide 2011, Issue 1.0