Exmark Commercial 21 4500-686 Rev. B - Manual (Page 21)

Operation
DANGER
If the discharge door does not close
completely, the lawn mower could throw
objects. Thrown objects can result in
serious personal injury or death to the
operator or bystanders.
• Never open the door to the discharge
opening when the engine is running.
• If you cannot close the door because
the grass clippings clog the discharge
area, stop the engine and gently move
the discharge door handle back and
forth until you can close the door
completely. If you still cannot close the
door, remove the obstruction with a
stick, not your hand.
Operating Tips
• Review the Safety section and read this manual
carefully before operating the lawn mower.
• Set the engine speed to the fastest position for
the best cutting results.
• Maintain a sharp blade throughout the cutting
season. Periodically file down nicks on the blade.
Replace the blade when necessary with an original
Exmark replacement blade.
• Clean the air filter frequently. Mulching stirs up
more clippings and dust which clogs the air filter
and reduces engine performance.
Cutting Grass
• Grass grows at different rates at different times
of the year. In the summer heat, it is best to cut
grass at the 2 1/2 inch (64 mm), 3 inch (76 mm),
or 3 1/2 inch (90 mm) cutting height settings.
Cut only about a third of the grass blade at a time.
Do Not cut below the 2 1/2 inch (64 mm) setting
unless the grass is sparse or it is late fall when
grass growth begins to slow down.
• When cutting grass over 6 inches (15 cm) tall,
first mow at the highest cutting height setting and
walk slower; then mow again at a lower setting for
the best lawn appearance. If the grass is too long
and the grass clump on top of the lawn, the lawn
mower may plug and cause the engine to stall.
• Alternate the mowing direction. This helps
disperse the clippings over the lawn for even
fertilization.
• If the finished lawn appearance is unsatisfactory,
try one or more of the following:
– Sharpen the blade.
– Walk at a slower pace while mowing.
– Cut the grass more frequently.
– Overlap cutting swaths instead of cutting a
full swath with each pass.
– Set the desired cutting height on the front
wheels. Set the rear wheels one to two notches
higher. For example, set the front wheels at 2
1/2 inches (64 mm) and the rear wheels at 3
inches (76 mm).
Cutting Leaves
• After cutting the lawn, ensure that half of the
lawn shows through the cut leaf cover. You may
need to make more than one pass over the leaves.
• For light leaf coverage, set all the wheels at the
same cutting height setting.
• If there are more than 5 inches (12.7 cm) of leaves
on the lawn, set the front cutting height one or
two notches higher than the rear cutting height.
This makes it easier to feed the leaves under the
lawn mower deck.
• Slow down your mowing speed if the lawn mower
does not cut the leaves finely enough.
• If you mow over oak leaves, you can add lime to
the grass in the spring to reduce the acidity of the
oak leaves.
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