11
Operation (continued)
Fig. 5-7
Fig. 5-8
Fig. 5-9
Holding the Trimmer
Always wear eye, hearing, foot and body
protection to reduce the risk of injury when
operating this unit.
Before operating the unit, stand in the operating position
(Fig. 5-7). Check for the following:
• The operator is wearing eye protection and proper
clothing
• With a slightly-bent right arm, the operator’s hand is
holding the shaft grip
• The operator’s left arm is straight, the left hand
holding the D-handle
• The unit is at waist level
•
The cutting attachment is parallel to the ground and
easily contacts the grass without the need to bend ove
r
Adjusting Trimming Line Length
The Bump Head cutting attachment allows you to release
trimming line without stopping the engine. To release
more line, lightly tap the cutting attachment on the ground
(Fig. 5-8) while operating the trimmer at high speed.
NOTE: Always keep the trimming line fully
extended. Line release becomes more
difficult as cutting line becomes shorter.
Each time the head is bumped, about 1 inch (25.4 mm) of
trimming line releases. A blade in the cutting attachment
shield will cut the line to the proper length if any excess
line is released.
For best results, tap the bump knob on bare ground or
hard soil. If you attempt a line release in tall grass, the
engine may stall. Always keep the trimming line fully
extended. Line release becomes more difficult when the
cutting line gets shorter.
NOTE: Do not rest the Bump Head on the ground
while the unit is running.
Do not remove or alter the line cutting blade
assembly. Excessive line length will make the
clutch overheat. This may lead to serious personal
injury or damage to the unit.
Some line breakage will occur from:
• Entanglement with foreign matter
• Normal line fatigue
• Attempting to cut thick, stalky weeds
• Forcing the line into objects such as walls or fence
posts
Tips for Best Trimming Results
• Keep the cutting attachment parallel to the ground.
• Do not force the cutting attachment. Allow the tip of
the line to do the cutting, especially along walls.
Cutting with more than the tip will reduce cutting
efficiency and may overload the engine.
• Cut grass over 8 inches (200 mm) by working from
top to bottom in small increments to avoid premature
line wear or engine drag.
• Cut from right to left whenever possible. Cutting to
the left improves the unit's cutting efficiency.
Clippings are thrown away from the operator.
• Slowly move the trimmer into and out of the cutting
area at the desired height. Move either in a forward-
backward or side-to-side motion. Cutting shorter
lengths produces the best results.
• Trim only when grass and weeds are dry.
• The life of your cutting line is dependent upon:
• Following the trimming techniques
• What vegetation is being cut
• Where vegetation is cut
For example, the line will wear faster when trimming
against a foundation wall as opposed to trimming around
a tree.
Decorative Trimming
Decorative trimming is accomplished by removing all
vegetation around trees, posts, fences and more.
Rotate the whole unit so that the cutting attachment is at
a 30° angle to the ground (Fig. 5-9).