Ryobi 768r - Manual (Page 14)

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
14
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
(Fig. 17). Check for the following:
• The operator is wearing eye protection and proper
clothing.
• The right arm is slightly bent, and the hand is holding
the shaft grip.
• The left arm is straight, and the hand is holding the
handle.
• The unit is below waist level.
• The cutting attachment is parallel to the ground and
easily contacts the vegitation to be cut without the
operator having to bend over.
Fig. 17
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. 18) 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.
Fig. 18
Each time the head is bumped, about 1 in (25.4 mm.) of
trimming line is released. A blade in the cutting attach-
ment shield will cut the line to the proper length if excess
line is released. For best results, tap the Bump Head™
on bare ground or hard soil. If line release is attempted
in tall grass, the engine may stall. Always keep the
trimming line fully extended. Line release becomes more
difficult as the cutting line becomes shorter.
NOTE: Do not rest the Bump Head™ on the ground.
CAUTION: 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 effi-
ciency and may overload the engine.
• Cut grass over 8 in. (200 mm.) by working from top
to bottom in small increments to avoid premature
line wear or engine drag.
• Cut from left to right whenever possible. Cutting to
the right 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 previous trimming
techniques
• What vegitation is being cut
• Where it’s being cut
For example, the line will wear faster when trimming
against a foundation wall as opposed to trimming
around a tree.