MTD YM25 - Manual (Page 11)

11
Holding the Trimmer
WARNING: 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. See Figure 12. Check for the following:
• The operator is wearing eye protection and proper
clothing
• With a slightly-bent right arm, the operator’s right 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 over
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 while
operating the trimmer at high speed. See Figure 13.
NOTE: Always keep the trimming line fully extended.
Line release becomes more difficult when the
cutting line gets 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 knob on the ground while
the unit is running.
CAUTION: Do not remove or alter the line
cutting blade assembly. Excessive line
length may make the unit overheat.
Some line breakage will occur from:
• Entanglement with foreign matter
• Normal line fatigue
• An attempt to cut thick, stalky weeds
• Forcing the line into objects such as walls or fence posts
Tips for Best Trimming Results
• For best trimming results, operate unit at full throttle.
• 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) tall 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-
to-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 refers to the removal of vegetation
around trees, posts, fences and more.
Rotate the whole unit so that the cutting attachment is at
a 30° angle to the ground. See Figure 14.
SECTION 6: OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14