Mowing Procedure; Cutting Height Adjustment - Snapper 21404 Safety Instructions And Operator's Manual

MOWING PROCEDURE:
Prior to mowing, set engine speed to FAST and start the
biade in an area of short or no grass. This wiii aiiow the
biade to reach fuii speed and avoid siippage of the ciutch
which couid resuit in excessive wear.
For best performance, set ENGINE CONTROL to hightest
speed. FAST engine speed is recommended foraii mowing
and vaccuming operation. Low engine speed can resuit in
ciutch slippage and excessive clutch wear on BBC models.
Poor bagging, clogging and side dispersion is often caus¬
ed by too low engine speed. Push hand propelled models
at a speed that is comfortable but will allow even cutting
without stalling. On self propelled models, set ground
SPEED CONTROL lever in desired forward speed setting,
then grip the WHEEL DRIVE control and hold against han¬
dle to engage clutch for forward motion. The mower can be
hand pushed forward or in reverse for trimming with the
WHEEL DRIVE control released. The ground speed can be
changed to a new setting at any time when in motion. Use
low speed setting and clutch for down-hill braking.
MOWING/VACUUMING HINTS: The cutting deck should be
level under all conditions. As a general rule, never cut more
than 1/3 off the height of the grass. If for example, the
grass has grown to 4 inches tall, set the mower height lat¬
ches in the lowest position which establishes the cutting
height at approximately 3" (see cutting height chart)
thereby cutting about 7/8" off the grass and staying well
within the 1/3 off limit. If you want the grass shorter, wait a
few days then recut to the lower height. If cut too short, the
grass will expend more energy for development of new leaf
structures and less for
a,
healthy root system and will be
more subject to burning. On the other hand, if allowed to
grow too long, the lower portion will be shaded and, as a
result will discolor. In dry periods, allow the grass to grow
longer than you normally would. NOTE: Do not mow across
an area where dry type fertilizer has just been spread as
most of the fertilizer will be vacuumed up. Set engine
speed in FAST position for vacuuming operation I
Change your mowing pattern from time to time for a
smoother cut lawn. Finely chopped clippings add nutrients
to the soil to promote grass growth, however if the clipp¬
ings become too heavy, they mat to form thatch which
prevents proper breathing and holds moisture. If thatch is
particularly heavy, the Thatcherizer accessory described
on the back page will do an effective job of dislodging the
decaying matter. To prevent grass disease from thatch,
vacuuming and bagging is recommended for most cut¬
tings along with an occasional broadcasting of the clipp¬
ings into the lawn for nutritive value. Your Snapper can be
quickly converted back and forth from bagging to side
discharge with the accessories.
EMPTYING GRASS CATCHER
To install the KWIK-N-EZY grass catcher on the mower,
slide the connector down over the adapter flange then
lower the support frame hooks onto the middle handle.
When the catcher becomes full, stop engine and lift the
support hooks up over the handle then lift the connector
off and continue lifting while moving the catcher forward
until the bag clears the mower. To empty the bag, raise the
connector end up and release the handle of the door flap.
Shake the catcher back and forth to dump the clippings.
Use the following procedure to empty clippings in trash
bag. After removing catcher from mower, place connector
end on ground, open door flap, slip trash bag over the cat¬
cher, turn catcher over so that large opening is down in¬
side bag, lift catcher by connector and door handles and
shake until clippings are dumped in the thrash bag.
Lowest
Cutting
Height
Position (zj
©
Highest
Cutting
Height
FIG. 3 - CUTTING HEIGHT SETTINGS
CUTTING HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT
Always stop the engine and wait until the mower blade
comes to a complete halt before readjusting the cutting
height! To readjust, move the height adjusting latch on
each wheel outward and slide each, one notch at a time, to
the position desired. Positioning the latches in the highest
notch sets the mower at the lowest cutting height while
the lowest notches sets it in the highest cutting position.
Refer to figure 3 for the approximate cutting height afford¬
ed by each of the five latch positions. For best results, set
both latches on one side first, then go to the other side and
set these latches into corresponding notches. Before
resetting the rear latches into lower notches, lift the
weight of mower off the rear wheels first by pulling up on
the handle, then reset.
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