Toro 22176 Operator's Manual page 18

Operating a lawn mower with its engine
running at a speed greater than the
factory setting can cause the lawn mower
to throw a part of the blade or engine into
the operator's or bystander's area and
result in serious personal injury or death.
– Do not change the engine speed
setting.
– If you suspect the engine speed
is faster than normal, contact an
Authorized Service Dealer.
• 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 2 inch (51 mm), 2-1/2 inch (64
mm), or 3 inch (76 mm) cutting height settings.
Cut only about a third of the grass blade at a
time. Do not cut below the 2 inch (51 mm)
setting unless the grass is sparse or it is late fall
when grass growth begins to slow down.
• When cutting grass over 6 inches (15 cm) tall,
first mow at the highest cutting height setting
and walk slower; then mow again at a lower
setting for the 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 lawn appearance is unsatisfactory,
try one or more of the following:
• Sharpen the blade.
• Walk at a slower pace while mowing.
• Raise the cutting height on your lawn mower.
• Cut the grass more frequently.
• Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a full
swath with each pass.
• Set the cutting height on the front wheels one
notch lower than the rear wheels. For example,
set the front wheels at 2 inches (51 mm) and
the rear wheels at 2-1/2 inches (64 mm).
Cutting Leaves
• After cutting the lawn, ensure that half of the
lawn shows through the cut leaf cover. You
may need to make more than one pass over
the leaves.
• For light leaf coverage, set all the wheels at the
same cutting height setting.
• If there are more than 5 inches (12.7 cm) of
leaves on the lawn, set the front cutting height
1 or 2 notches higher than the rear cutting
height. 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 mow over oak leaves, you can add lime
to the grass in the spring to reduce the acidity
of the oak leaves.
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