Toro 20995, 20996 Operator's Manual

FormNo.3381-303RevA

53cmRecycler

ModelNo.20995—SerialNo.314000001andUp

ModelNo.20996—SerialNo.314000001andUp

®

LawnMower

Operator'sManual

Introduction

Thisrotary-blade,walk-behindlawnmowerisintended
tobeusedbyresidentialhomeowners.Itisdesigned
primarilyforcuttinggrassonwell-maintainedlawns
onresidentialproperties.Itisnotdesignedforcutting
brushorforagriculturaluses.

Readthisinformationcarefullytolearnhowtooperateand
maintainyourmachineproperlyandtoavoidinjuryand
equipmentdamage.Youareresponsibleforoperatingthe
machineproperlyandsafely.

YoumaycontactTorodirectlyatwww .Toro.comforproduct
andaccessoryinformation,helpndingadealer,ortoregister
yourproduct.

Wheneveryouneedservice,genuineToroparts,oradditional
information,contactanAuthorizedServiceDealerorToro
CustomerServiceandhavethemodelandserialnumbersof
yourmachineready.Figure1identiesthelocationofthe
modelandserialnumbersontheproduct.

Figure2

1.Safetyalertsymbol

Thismanualuses2wordstohighlightinformation.
Importantcallsattentiontospecialmechanicalinformation
andNoteemphasizesgeneralinformationworthyofspecial
attention.

ThisproductcomplieswithallrelevantEuropeandirectives.
Fordetails,seetheseparateproduct-specicDeclarationof
Conformity(DOC)sheet.

Formodelswithstatedenginehorsepower,thegross
horsepoweroftheenginewaslaboratoryratedbytheengine
manufacturerinaccordancewithSAEJ1940.Ascongured
tomeetsafety,emission,andoperatingrequirements,the
actualenginehorsepoweronthisclassoflawnmowerwill
besignicantlylower.

Donottamperwiththeenginecontrolsoralterthegovernor
speed;doingsomaycreateanunsafeconditionresultingin
personalinjury.

Figure1

1.Modelandserialnumberlocation

Writetheproductmodelandserialnumbersinthefollowing
space:

ModelNo.

SerialNo.

Thismanualidentiespotentialhazardsandhassafety
messagesidentiedbythesafetyalertsymbol(Figure2),
whichsignalsahazardthatmaycauseseriousinjuryordeath
ifyoudonotfollowtherecommendedprecautions.

©2013—TheToro®Company
8111LyndaleAvenueSouth
Bloomington,MN55420

Registeratwww.T oro.com.

Contents

Introduction..................................................................1

GeneralLawnMowerSafety.....................................2

SoundPressure......................................................3

SoundPower..........................................................3

Hand/ArmVibration..............................................3

SafetyandInstructionalDecals.................................4

Setup............................................................................5

1UnfoldingtheHandle............................................5

2InstallingtheRecoil-starterRopeintheRope

Guide.................................................................6

3FillingtheEnginewithOil......................................6

4InstalltheMulchPlugortheGrassBag....................7

ProductOverview..........................................................8

Specications.........................................................9

Operation.....................................................................9

FillingtheFuelTank................................................9

CheckingtheEngineOilLevel.................................10

AdjustingtheCuttingHeight....................................10

AdjustingtheUpperHandleHeight..........................11

StartingtheEngine.................................................11

UsingtheSelf-propelDrive......................................12

OriginalInstructions(EN)

PrintedintheUSA

AllRightsReserved

*3381-303*A

UsingtheSelf-propelDrive......................................12

StoppingtheEngine...............................................13

MulchingtheClippings...........................................13

BaggingtheClippings.............................................13

Side-dischargingtheClippings..................................14

OperatingTips......................................................15

Maintenance.................................................................17

RecommendedMaintenanceSchedule(s)......................17

PreparingforMaintenance.......................................17

ReplacingtheAirFilter............................................17

ChangingtheEngineOil.........................................18

LubricatingtheWheelGears....................................19

LubricatingtheUpperHandle..................................19

AdjustingtheSelf-propelDriveCable........................19

AdjustingtheSelf-propelDriveCable........................20

ReplacingtheBlade................................................20

CleaningtheUndersideoftheMachine

Housing............................................................21

Storage........................................................................22

PreparingtheMachineforStorage............................22

FoldingtheHandle.................................................22

FoldingtheHandle.................................................22

RemovingtheMachinefromStorage.........................23

TestingtheMachineSafetySystem............................23

•Neverallowchildrenorpeopleunfamiliarwiththese

instructionstousethemower.Localregulationscan
restricttheageoftheoperator.

•Keepinmindthattheoperatororuserisresponsiblefor

accidentsorhazardsoccurringtootherpeopleortheir
property.

•Understandexplanationsforallpictogramsusedonthe

mowerorintheinstructions.

Gasoline

WARNING-Gasolineishighlyammable.Takethe
followingprecautions.

•Storefuelincontainersspecicallydesignedforthis

purpose.

•Refueloutdoorsonlyanddonotsmokewhilerefueling.

•Addfuelbeforestartingtheengine.Neverremovethe

capofthefueltankoraddgasolinewhiletheengineis
runningorwhentheengineishot.

•Ifgasolineisspilled,donotattempttostarttheengine

butmovethemowerawayfromtheareaofspillageand
avoidcreatinganysourceofignitionuntilgasolinevapors
havedissipated.

•Replaceallfueltankandcontainercapssecurely.

Safety

Improperlyusingormaintainingthismowercanresult
ininjury.T oreducethepotentialforinjury,complywith
thesesafetyinstructions.

Torodesignedandtestedthismachineforreasonablysafe
service;however,failuretocomplywiththefollowing
instructionsmayresultinpersonalinjury.

Toensuremaximumsafety,bestperformance,and
togainknowledgeoftheproduct,itisessentialthat
youandanyotheroperatorofthemowerreadand
understandthecontentsofthismanualbeforethe
engineiseverstarted.Payparticularattentiontothe
safetyalertsymbol(
Warning,orDanger—“personalsafetyinstruction.”
Readandunderstandtheinstructionbecauseithasto
dowithsafety.Failuretocomplywiththeinstruction
mayresultinpersonalinjury.

GeneralLawnMowerSafety

ThefollowinginstructionshavebeenadaptedfromEN836.

Thiscuttingmachineiscapableofamputatinghandsandfeet
andofthrowingobjects.Failuretoobservethefollowing
safetyinstructionscouldresultinseriousinjuryordeath.

Training

•Readtheinstructionscarefully .Befamiliarwiththe

controlsandtheproperuseoftheequipment.

Figure2),whichmeansCaution,

Preparation

•Whilemowing,alwayswearsubstantialfootwearandlong

trousers.Donotoperatetheequipmentwhenbarefoot
orwearingopensandals.

•Thoroughlyinspecttheareawheretheequipmentisto

beusedandremoveallstones,sticks,wires,bonesand
otherforeignobjects.

•Beforeusing,alwaysvisuallyinspecttoseethatguards,

andsafetydevices,suchasdeectorsand/orgrass
catchers,areinplaceandworkingcorrectly.

•Beforeusing,alwaysvisuallyinspecttoseethattheblades,

bladeboltsandcutterassemblyarenotwornordamaged.
Replacewornordamagedbladesandboltsinsetsto
preservebalance.

Starting

•Donottiltthemowerwhenstartingtheengineunlessthe

mowerhastobetiltedforstarting.Inthiscase,donot
tiltitmorethanabsolutelynecessaryandliftonlythepart
whichisawayfromtheoperator.

•Starttheenginecarefullyaccordingtoinstructionsand

withfeetwellawayfromtheblade(s)andnotinfrontof
thedischargechute.

Operation

•Nevermowwhilepeople,especiallychildren,orpetsare

nearby.

•Mowonlyindaylightoringoodarticiallight.

•Stayalertforholesintheterrainandotherhiddenhazards.

2

•Donotputhandsorfeetnearorunderrotatingparts.

Keepclearofthedischargeopeningatalltimes.

•Neverpickuporcarryalawnmowerwhiletheengineis

running.

•Neverstoretheequipmentwithgasolineinthetankand

insideabuildingwherefumescanreachanopename
orspark.

•Allowtheenginetocoolbeforestoringinanyenclosure.

•Useextremecautionwhenreversingorpullinga

pedestriancontrolledlawnmowertowardsyou.

•Walk,neverrun.

•Slopes:

–Donotmowexcessivelysteepslopes.

–Exerciseextremecautionwhenonslopes.

–Mowacrossthefaceofslopes,neverupanddown,

andexerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirection
onslopes.

–Alwaysbesureofyourfootingonslopes.

•Reducespeedonslopesandinsharpturnstoprevent

overturningorlossofcontrol.

•Stopthebladeifthelawnmowerhastobetiltedfor

transportationwhencrossingsurfacesotherthangrass
andwhentransportingthelawnmowertoandfromthe
areatobemowed.

•Donotoperatetheengineinaconnedspacewhere

dangerouscarbonmonoxidefumescancollect.

•Stoptheengine

•Toreducetherehazard,keeptheengine,silencer,

batterycompartmentandgasolinestorageareafreeof
grass,leaves,orexcessivegrease.

•Checkgrasscatchercomponentsandthedischargeguard

frequentlyandreplacewithmanufacturer'srecommended
parts,whennecessary.

•Replacewornordamagedpartsforsafety.

•Replacefaultysilencers.

•Ifthefueltankhastobedrained,dothisoutdoors.

•Donotchangetheenginegovernorsettingsoroverspeed

theengine.Operatinganengineatexcessivespeedcan
increasethehazardofpersonalinjury.

•Becarefulduringadjustmentofthelawnmowerto

prevententrapmentofthengersbetweenmovingblades
andxedpartsofthelawnmower.

•Toensurethebestperformanceandsafety,

purchaseonlygenuineT ororeplacementpartsand
accessories.Donotuse
theymaycauseasafetyhazard.

will t

partsandaccessories;

–wheneveryouleavethelawnmower.

–beforerefueling.

–beforeremovingthegrasscatcher.

–beforemakingheightadjustmentunlessadjustment

canbemadefromtheoperator'sposition.

•Stoptheengineanddisconnectthespark-plugwire.

–beforeclearingblockagesoruncloggingchute.

–beforechecking,cleaningorworkingonthelawn

mower.

–afterstrikingaforeignobject,inspectthelawnmower

fordamageandmakerepairsbeforerestartingand
operatingthelawnmower.

–iflawnmowerstartstovibrateabnormally(check

immediately).

•Lightningcancausesevereinjuryordeath.Ifyousee

lightningorhearthunderinthearea,donotoperatethe
machine;seekshelter.

•Watchoutfortrafcwhencrossingornearroadways.

MaintenanceandStorage

SoundPressure

Thisunithasasoundpressurelevelattheoperator’searof89
dBA,whichincludesanUncertaintyValue(K)of1dBA.

Thesoundpressurelevelwasdeterminedaccordingtothe
proceduresoutlinedinEN836.

SoundPower

Thisunithasaguaranteedsoundpowerlevelof98dBA,
whichincludesanUncertaintyValue(K)of1dBA.

Thesoundpowerlevelwasdeterminedaccordingtothe
proceduresoutlinedinISO11094.

Hand/ArmVibration

Measuredvibrationlevelforrighthand=5.1m/s

Measuredvibrationlevelforlefthand=4.8m/s

UncertaintyValue(K)=2.0m/s2

Measuredvaluesweredeterminedaccordingtotheprocedures
outlinedinEN836.

•Keepallnuts,bolts,andscrewstighttobesurethe

equipmentisinsafeworkingcondition.

•Donotusepressure-cleaningequipmentonmachine.

3

SafetyandInstructionalDecals

Important:Safetyandinstructiondecalsarelocatednearareasofpotentialdanger.Replacedamageddecals.

Manufacturer'sMark

1.Indicatesthebladeisidentiedasapartfromtheoriginal
machinemanufacturer.

1.Heightofcut

1.Heightofcut

1.EngineswitchOff

2.EngineswitchOn

108-7450

1.Thrownobjecthazard—keepbystandersasafedistance
fromthemachine.

2.Cutting/dismembermentofhandorfoot—stayawayfrom
movingparts.

112-8760

108-7451

114-7982

1.Warning—readtheOperator'sManual.

2.Thrownobjecthazard—keepbystandersasafedistance
fromthemachine.

3.Cutting/dismembermenthazardofhandorfoot,mower
blade—disconnectthesparkplugwireandreadthe
instructionsbeforeservicingorperformingmaintenance.

4.Cutting/dismembermenthazardofhandorfoot,mower
blade—stayawayfrommovingparts.

110-9457

3.Unlocked

4.Locked

5.Cutting/dismembermenthazardofhandorfoot,mower
blade—donotoperateupanddownslopes;operatesideto
sideonslopes;stoptheenginebeforeleavingtheoperating
position;andlookbehindyouwhenbackingup.

4

121–2370

G020407

1.Handleinraisedposition3.Footpedallocation

2.Handleinloweredposition

Setup

Important:Removeanddiscardtheprotectiveplastic

sheetthatcoverstheengine.

1

UnfoldingtheHandle

NoPartsRequired

Procedure

1.UnfoldthehandleasillustratedinFigure3andFigure

4.

Model20995shown

Figure3

5

Figure4

Model20995shown

2.Tightenallhandleknobs.

3.Movetheupperhandletothedesiredpositionand
tightentheupperhandleknobrmly(model20996
only)(Figure5).

Figure6

1.Recoil-starterrope2.Ropeguide

3

FillingtheEnginewithOil

NoPartsRequired

Procedure

Important:Thismachinedoesnotcomewithoilinthe

engine.Beforestartingtheengine,lltheenginewith
oil.

Important:Changetheengineoilaftertherst5
operatinghours;changeityearlythereafter.Referto
ChangingtheEngineOil(page18).

1.Movethemachinetoalevelsurface.

Figure5

2

InstallingtheRecoil-starter RopeintheRopeGuide

NoPartsRequired

Procedure

Important:Youmustinstalltherecoil-starterropein

theropeguide.

Holdtheblade-controlbartotheupperhandleandpullthe
recoil-starterropethroughtheropeguideonthehandle
(

Figure6).

2.Removethedipstick(Figure7)andpourabout3/4of
thecrankcasecapacityofoilintotheoil-lltube.

Note:Max.ll:0.59l(20oz.),type:SAE30detergent
oilwithanAPIserviceclassicationofSF,SG,SH,
SJ,SL,orhigher.

6

Figure7

3.Wipeoffthedipstickendwithacleancloth.

4.Insertthedipstickintotheoil-lltube,andscrewit
inuntilitstops.

5.Removethedipstickandreadtheoillevelonthe
dipstick;refertoFigure7.

Themachinehasasafetyswitch,locatedatthebottomofthe
channelatthetop,rightrearofthemachine,thatprevents
themachinefromoperatingwithoutamulchplugoragrass
bag.Thispreventsthemachinefromthrowingdebrisatthe
operatorthroughtherearchute.

Fortheswitchtodetectthepresenceofthemulchplug,the

topofthemulchpluglevermustliefullyinthebottom
ofthechannel(Figure8).

Figure8

1.Topofmulchplugleverinchannelbottom

•Iftheoillevelistoolow ,addasmallamountof

oilslowlytotheoil-lltube,andthenrepeatsteps
3through5untiltheoilleveliscorrectasshown
inFigure7.

•Iftheoillevelistoohigh,draintheexcessoiluntil

youobtainthecorrectoillevelonthedipstick.To
draintheexcessoil,referto
Oil(page18)

Important:Iftheoillevelinthecrankcaseistoo
lowortoohighandyouruntheengine,youmay
damagetheengine.

6.Installthedipsticksecurelybyhand.

.

ChangingtheEngine

4

InstalltheMulchPlugorthe GrassBag

NoPartsRequired

1.Insertthemulchplugintothemachineifitisn'talready
installed(Figure9).

Figure9

2.Squeezethebuttonontheleverwithyourthumb,and
fullyinsertthemulchplugintotheopening(Figure10).

Procedure

Important:Youmustcorrectlyinstallthemulchplug

(formulchingorside-discharging)orthegrassbag(for
bagging);otherwise,theenginewillnotstart.

7

Figure10

3.Releasethebuttonontheleverandensurethatthetop
oftheleverisliesfullyintheswitchchannel(Figure

11).Ifthetopoftheleverisnotintheswitch

channel,yourmachinewillnotstart.

ProductOverview

Figure11

Note:Iftheleverdoesnotlatchproperly,disconnect

thewirefromthesparkplugandcheckforandremove
anydebrisbuildupinthetunnel.

Figure12

Model20995

1.Sparkplug

2.Cutting-heightlever(4)

3.Airlter7.Self-propel-drivebar

4.Fuel-tankcap

5.Recoil-starthandle

6.Blade-controlbar

8.Oilll/Dipstick

8

G020408

Figure13

Model20996

1.Cutting-heightlever(4)

2.Airlter

3.Fuel-tankcap8.Upper-handleknob

4.Oilll/Dipstick9.Sparkplug

5.Footpedal

6.Recoil-starthandle

7.Blade-controlbar

Operation

FillingtheFuelTank

RecommendedFuel:

•Forbestresults,useonlyclean,fresh(lessthan30days

old),unleadedgasolinewithanoctaneratingof87or
higher((R+M)/2ratingmethod).

•Ethanol:Gasolinewithupto10%ethanol(gasohol)

or15%MTBE(methyltertiarybutylether)byvolume
isacceptable.EthanolandMTBEarenotthesame.
Gasolinewith15%ethanol(E15)byvolumeisnot
approvedforuse.Neverusegasolinethatcontains
morethan10%ethanolbyvolume,suchasE15
(contains15%ethanol),E20(contains20%ethanol),or
E85(containsupto85%ethanol).Usingunapproved
gasolinemaycauseperformanceproblemsand/orengine
damagewhichmaynotbecoveredunderwarranty.

•Donotusegasolinecontainingmethanol.

•Donotstorefueleitherinthefueltankorfuelcontainers

overthewinterunlessafuelstabilizerisused.

•Donotaddoiltogasoline.

Figure14

1.Grassbag3.Mulchplug(installed)

2.Side-dischargechute

Specications

ModelWeightLengthWidthHeight

2099535kg

(77lb)

2099637kg

(82lb)

145cm

(57in)

157cm

(62in)

Important:Toreducestartingproblems,addfuel
stabilizertothefuelallseason,mixingitwithgasoline
lessthan30daysold;runthemachinedrybeforestoring
itformorethan30days.

Donotusefueladditivesotherthanafuel
stabilizer/conditioner.Donotusefuelstabilizers
withanalcoholbasesuchasethanol,methanol,or
isopropanol.

DANGER

Gasolineisextremelyammableandexplosive.A
reorexplosionfromgasolinecanburnyouand
others.

•Topreventastaticchargefromignitingthe
gasoline,placethecontainerand/ormachine
directlyonthegroundbeforelling,notina
vehicleoronanobject.

•Fillthetankoutdoorswhentheengineiscold.

56cm

(22in)

56cm

(22in)

99cm

(39in)

112cm

(44in)

Wipeupspills.

•Donothandlegasolinewhensmokingoraround
anopenameorsparks.

•Storegasolineinanapprovedfuelcontainer,out
ofthereachofchildren.

1.Cleanaroundthefuel-tankcap,andremovethecap
fromthetank(Figure15).

9