How to Mulch With a Toro Lawn Mower
Taking care of a lawn requires regular watering, fertilization and mowing. Part of lawn maintenance, as an alternative to using prepared fertilizers, is the process of using a mower to mulch the cut grass. This allows the grass to fall back to the ground, providing organic material that returns nutrients to the soil for the lawn to reuse. As with any lawn mower, a Toro mower can be used to mulch grass while cutting a lawn as long as it is retrofitted with a mulching blade and a chute cover if the mower is of the bagging variety.
Remove the bag from the Toro mower and use an appropriate screwdriver or wrench to remove the bolts and screws holding the bagging attachment system into place. This is most common on Toro mowers that have the bagging system on the side of the machine. If the mower has a rear-mount bag with a metal cover that falls down over the rear opening when the bag is removed, no chute cover will need to be used.
- Taking care of a lawn requires regular watering, fertilization and mowing.
- As with any lawn mower, a Toro mower can be used to mulch grass while cutting a lawn as long as it is retrofitted with a mulching blade and a chute cover if the mower is of the bagging variety.
Turn the mower onto its side, and use an appropriate wrench to remove the blade-mounting bolt, then pull the blade from its mounted location. Install a newly sharpened mulching blade, and bolt it down with the same bolt that was removed. Tighten the bolt firmly into place, then return the mower to an upright position.
Start the mower and mow the lawn, but do so at a slightly slower walking speed than normal, as the mulching blade will grind the grass to a finer consistency and will pull the engine down too hard if attempting to walk at a faster speed.
Tip
Clean accumulated grass from the underside of the mower deck after each mowing to ensure the most efficient mowing operation at each consecutive job.
Kits including both blade and chute cover are available for most Toro mowers from Toro company. Be sure to order a kit designed specifically for your model of Toro mower. Some kits provide a chute "plug" that can be inserted into the bagging chute exit itself rather than removing the entire chute to install an actual plate. If one of these is available, save yourself some wrench time and use such a plug instead.
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Tips
- Clean accumulated grass from the underside of the mower deck after each mowing to ensure the most efficient mowing operation at each consecutive job.
- Kits including both blade and chute cover are available for most Toro mowers from Toro company. Be sure to order a kit designed specifically for your model of Toro mower. Some kits provide a chute "plug" that can be inserted into the bagging chute exit itself rather than removing the entire chute to install an actual plate. If one of these is available, save yourself some wrench time and use such a plug instead.
Writer Bio
Kurt Schanaman has had several editorials printed by the Star-Herald Newspaper publication in Western Nebraska. He attended Western Nebraska Community College.
