Operating The Machine; Operating Tips - Toro 23508 Operator's Manual

Operating the Machine

DANGER
The rotating blades under the machine are
dangerous. Blade contact can cause serious
injury or death.
Do not put hands or feet under the machine.
DANGER
When the machine is in operation, contact
with rotating or moving parts will severely
injure hands and feet.
• Before adjusting, cleaning, inspecting,
troubleshooting, or repairing the machine,
shut off the engine and wait for all moving
parts to stop. Disconnect the wire from
the spark plug and keep it away from the
plug to prevent someone from accidentally
starting the engine.
• Stay behind the handle and away from
the seed mixer and cutting blades while
operating the machine.
• Keep face, hands, feet, and any other
part of your body or clothing away from
concealed, moving, or rotating parts.
1. If seeding, fill the seed hopper and set the
seeding rate gauge; refer to
Seeding-Rate Gauge (page
2. Adjust the cutting-blade depth to the desired
setting; refer to Adjusting the Cutting-Blade
Depth (page 13).
3. Start the engine.
4. Set the engine throttle to the F
5. Push down on the handle to raise the front
wheels slightly off the ground.
6. Squeeze the blade-control bail against the
handle to engage the blades. Slowly lower the
front wheels to the ground, allowing the blades
to gradually work into the grass and soil.
7. If seeding, push the seeder-control lever forward
to start the seed flow.
Note:
There is no need to turn the
seeder-control lever off and on for each turn.
The seed flow slows and/or stops when the
machine is stopped or slowed for turning. To
reduce seed loss, raise the front wheels as the
machine is turned.
Adjusting the
13).
position.
AST
17
Note:
The machine seeds at the same rate
going forward or rearward.
Note:
If there is excessive thatch, it may be
necessary to remove the thatch prior to seeding.
8. Engage the self-propel drive bail to begin
operating.

Operating Tips

Overseeding
•
Set the cutting blades to be 3 to 6 mm (1/8 to 1/4
inch) into the earth.
•
As seed flow varies greatly between different seed
types, fill the hopper with a minimal amount of
seed and run a trial portion of the yard to ensure
that you have the desired seed output.
•
For optimal coverage, reduce the seed flow to 1/2
the desired amount and seed the entire yard in
one direction, then complete a second coverage
perpendicular to the first.
Important:
Do not put down more seed than
recommended by the seed company. Overseeding
can cause the grass to be too thick and cause it to
be susceptible to fungus.
Dethatching
Set the cutting blades to be 3 to 6 mm (1/8 to 1/4
inch) past the thatch layer, into the earth. Operate the
machine over the yard with the seeder-control lever
turned off.
Power Raking/Renovating
To break new ground or till an existing lawn, set the
cutting blades to be 6 to 13 mm (1/4 to 1/2 inch) into
the earth. Go forward and backward over the area
to be leveled, or make multiple passes from different
directions.
The machine works best when the ground is hard and
dry and is most aggressive in breaking up the soil in
reverse. If the ground is soft and causes the engine to
bog down, raise the blades slightly and make a few
passes before lowering them to the full depth.