Poulan PR120N20S Owner Manual - Page 9

OPERATION MOWING TIPS CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher blade attachments on your mower. Such attachments are hazardous, will damage your mower and could void your warranty. • Under certain conditions, such as when mowing very tall grass, raise the mower height on the first cut to reduce pushing effort, to avoid overheating the engine, and to avoid leaving clumps of grass clippings. Make the second cut to the desired height. • For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the width of cut. • For side discharge lawn mowers, cut in a counterclockwise direction, starting at the outside of the area to be cut, in order to spread grass clippings more evenly and to put less load on the engine. To keep clippings off of walkways, flower beds, etc., make the first cuts in a clockwise direction. • When using a rear discharge lawn mower in moist, heavy grass, clumps of cut grass may not enter the grass catcher. Reduce ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run the lawn mower over the area a second time. • If a trail of grass clipping is left on the right side of a rear discharge lawn mower, mow in a clockwise direction with a small overlap to collect the clippings on the next pass. • Pores in cloth grass catchers can become filled with dirt and dust with use and the catcher will collect less grass. To prevent this, regularly hose catcher off with water and let dry before use. FOR MULCHING MOWERS ONLY MULCHING MOWING TIPS IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep mower housing free of built-up grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the Maintenance section of this manual. • The special mulching blade will recut the grass clippings many times and reduce them in size so that as they fall onto the lawn they will disperse into the grass and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this will provide the best recutting action of the blades. • Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grass tends to form clumps and interferes with the mulching action. The best time to mow your lawn is the early afternoon. At this time the grass has dried, yet the newly cut area will not be exposed to direct sunlight. • For best results, adjust the lawn mower cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass blades. If the lawn is overgrown it will be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of mulched grass. For extremely heavy grass, reduce your width of cut by overlapping previously cut path and mow slowly. MAX 1/3 • Certain types of grass and grass conditions may require that an area be mulched a second time to completely hide the clippings. When doing a second cut, mow across (perpendicular) to the first cut path. • Change your cutting pattern from week to week. Mow north to south one week then change to east to west the next week. This will help prevent matting and graining of the lawn. 16 ASSEMBLY "FABRIC TOP" GRASS CATCHERS TO ASSEMBLE AND ATTACH GRASS CATCHER • Put grass catcher frame into grass bag with rigid part of bag on the bottom. • Slip vinyl bindings over frame. NOTE: If vinyl bindings are too stiff, hold them in warm water for a few minutes. If bag gets wet, let it dry before using. • Lift the rear door on the mower housing. • For HINGE BRACKET mounted catcher, place the grass catcher frame onto the formed tabs on the rear door hinge bracket. • For HANDLE BRACKET mounted catcher, place frame side hooks into slots in handle brackets. • For DOOR PIVOT PIN mounted catcher, place the grass catcher frame hooks onto the door pivot pins. • For DOOR SLOT mounted catcher, place the grass catcher frame hooks into the slots of the rear door. NOTE: The grass catcher is secured to the lawn mower housing when the rear door is lowered onto the grass catcher frame. Frame handle HINGE BRACKET MOUNTED Rear door Hinge bracket Grass catcher frame Formed tabs HANDLE BRACKET MOUNTED Handle bracket hooks Rear Grass door catcher handle Catcher frame side hook DOOR PIVOT PIN MOUNTED Pivot pins Rear Grass door catcher handle Vinyl bindings Frame opening CAUTION: Under normal usage, the catcher material is subject to deteriora- Catcher frame hook tion and wear and should, therefore, be checked frequently for replacement. Any replacement catcher should be checked to ensure compliance with original manufacturer's specifications. DOOR SLOT MOUNTED Rear door slots Grass catcher handle CAUTION: Do not run lawn mower without the discharge deflector (rear door), approved grass catcher, clipping deflector or mulcher plate in place. Never attempt to operate mower with the dis- charge deflector (rear door) removed or propped open. 9 Catcher frame hook