DR^® Trimmer Mower

If you have any questions or are unsure of your model, please contact one of our experienced Technical Support Specialists via phoneor email.

A guide to solving common problems with your DR^® Trimmer Mower.

Most problems are easy to fix. Consult the troubleshooting table below for common problems and their solutions.

• Check that the tine drive clutch is disengaged.
• Check the engine oil level, adjust as needed. If the level is too low, then engine may be seized.
• There may be an oil compression lock in the cylinder. Take out the spark plug; hold a rag over the spark plug hole and pull the recoil cord several times to blow out any oil in the cylinder. Wipe off the spark plug and reinstall it.
• Try to turn the engine pulley by hand, with the spark plug wire off. If it turns, the recoil may be broken or jammed.

• Check that the tine drive clutch is disengaged
  
• Make sure the spark plug wire is attached.
• Make sure the fuel shut-off is in the ON position.
• Check the oil and gas level. See your Owner's Manual.
• The gas must be fresh and clean. If the gas is old, change it. Use Ethanol Fuel Treatment if you keep gas longer than one month.
• Check the throttle and choke settings, adjustment and travel.
• Make sure the spark plug is clean. If the spark plug is dirty or cracked, change it. If it's oily, leave it out, hold a rag over the plug hole and pull the recoil cord several times to blow out any oil in the cylinder, then wipe off the plug and reinsert it.
• Make sure the wiring is all connected, and the connections are tight.
• Check the air filter. If it is dirty, replace it following the procedure in the Engine Owner's Manual.

• Review the "Electric Starting" section in your Owner's Manual.
• Check the in-line fuses in front of the battery. See your Owner's Manual.
• Check the wire connections, especially the ground connection. This is the large black wire leading from the battery and connected to the engine.
• Check the wire connections to the solenoid. Disconnect the black battery ground wire first to avoid sparks. Make sure that all of the connections are clean and tight. Reconnect the battery ground wire.
• Check the ground connection on the solenoid where it is bolted to the frame. Using a wrench or socket, tighten the bolts to ensure a good connection to the frame.
• The battery may not be charged. Check the voltage yourself or at a service station. If the voltage is low, charge the battery with a 12-volt, 1- to 2-amp trickle charger. If you don't run your machine for at least 45 minutes at a time, the battery may need to be periodically charged. See the Battery Care section in your Owner's Manual.

• Check the throttle lever travel and adjustment. Make sure throttle lever in the FAST position.
• Check the air filter. If it is dirty, replace it following the procedure in the Engine Owner's Manual.
• Make sure the spark plug is clean. If the spark plug is dirty or cracked, change it. If it's oily, leave it out, hold a rag over the plug hole and pull the recoil cord several times to blow out any oil in the cylinder, then wipe off the plug and reinsert it.
• The gas must be fresh and clean. If the gas is old, change it. Use Ethanol Fuel Treatment if you keep gas longer than one month.
• The engine may not have the right amount of clean oil. If the oil is dirty, change it following the procedure in your Owner's Manual.

• Check the oil level and adjust as needed.
• Check the air filter. If it is dirty, clean or replace it following the procedure in the Engine Owner's Manual.
• You may be using the wrong oil - too light for the temperature. Refer to your Engine Owner's Manual for detailed information.
• Clean the engine cooling fins and the carburetor housing if they're dirty.

• Check for proper alignment of the V-belt and verify belt guide positions. Check against the figure "Trimmer Head Belt - All Models" in your Owner's Manual.
• The belt may be worn or frayed; replace it. See your Owner's Manual for instructions on replacing the belt.
• If the trimmer head still will not spin, follow the procedure for "Adjusting the Belt Tension through the Trimmer Control Cable" in your Owner's Manual.

• Check for proper alignment of the V-belt and verify belt guide positions. Check against the figure "Trimmer Head Belt - All Models" in your Owner's Manual.
• If the trimmer head keeps spinning when you release the bail bar, see "Adjusting the Belt Tension through the Trimmer Control Cable" in your Owner's Manual.
• Check the brake for excessive wear and replace if necessary. See the "Brake Arm-All Models" in your Owner's Manual.

• The cords may be too dry. Store cords in a plastic bag with a damp sponge or cloth to make them less prone to breaking or soak them in a bucket of water for a few days.
• Try a lighter cord. The smallest diameter of cord capable of cutting the material at hand combined with the fastest engine speed usually provides the best grass trimming performance. When you need more power for thicker growth such as berry canes, brambles, thistles, or ragweed, you may want to use the 175-mil cord in combination with the highest engine speed.
• You may be trying to do too much too fast. Ease into the material you are cutting; let the cord tips do the work. Take small bites of tall or tough vegetation. Cut half a swath at a time, keeping the finished area to the discharge or right side of the trimmer. Go over tall material twice, the first time with the trimmer head tilted up and back; the second time with the Mow-Ball Support on the ground.
• Make sure that you are not hitting the cords against a stone or a chain-link fence. The cords won't last as long against obstacles as in the open. Work on controlling the cutting pattern. With practice, you'll learn to cut closer to obstacles without hitting them.

• You may be moving too fast into tough, woody growth. In doing so, the cords may wrap on stalks and pull out. Check the operating tips in the section above on breaking cords.
• Make sure that you are not trying to cut material too heavy, dry or woody for the cord. The design of your trimmer is to cut green material up to about the thickness of a pencil. For very heavy material, you may need the optional Beaver Blade attachment.
• For trimmer heads prior to August 2008: Be sure that you are not installing the smaller cord in the larger cord slots. See your Owner's Manual for cord installation.

• If you have adjusted the handlebar up or down, you may need to adjust the PTA lever. See the section "Adjusting the PTA" in your Owner's Manual.

• You may be pushing the trimmer head down into the ground. The DR Trimmer Mower works best with a light touch, with the Mow-Ball Support gliding just above the ground.
• You may be hitting the Mow-Ball Support against rocks, concrete driveways or other hard obstacles. Try approaching them slowly, and from different directions, to avoid unnecessary wear.

• The transmission clutch may be out of adjustment. Adjust the inline adjuster located in the clutch cable. See "Adjusting the Wheel Clutch" in your Owner's Manual.
• The drive chain may have broken or come off the sprockets. Remove the bottom shield to investigate. See your Owner's Manual for removal and drive chain replacement.
• The drive belt may have come off the pulleys, worn out or failed. Remove the bottom shield to investigate. See your Owner's Manual for removal and drive belt replacement.
• Check to see if the wheels rotate freely in each direction. They should freewheel in the forward direction and lock against the axle going backwards. If they freewheel backwards, the drive wheel clutches may have failed.

• The transmission clutch may be out of adjustment. Adjust the inline adjuster located in the clutch cable. See "Adjusting the Wheel Clutch" in your Owner's Manual.

Always try to cut tall grass or weeds on the left

Always check your work area before trimming and remove any debris that might tangle or damage the machine.

If you do run into debris and the trimmer becomes tangled, turn off the engine and disconnect the spark plug wire before attempting to untangle the machine.

For the neatest appearance, do your trimming first, discharging clippings away from borders and shrubs, then do your mowing.

Many owners like to mow easy, open areas with their regular riding or walk-behind mower after trimming all the odd and hard-to-reach spots with the DR^® Trimmer Mower.

How to take care of dry or woody, heavy growth

Be sure to keep uncut material to your left, maintaining a clear discharge area to your right.

If the machine cannot do it all in one pass, use the "two pass" method: overlapping half of the cutting swath, whenever possible.

If the grass is very thick and heavy, try raising the trimmer head off the ground a few inches by pushing down on the handlebar. Cut the material at this height, and then make a second pass with the Mow-Ball™ Support close to the ground.

Ease the DR^® Trimmer Mower into denser growth. If the material is too tough or woody to cut, the cutting cords will wrap around it, wear down, or even break off. The design of your trimmer is to cut green material up to about the thickness of a pencil. For very heavy, dry or woody material, you may need the optional Beaver Blade® attachment.

Sometimes the growth is so heavy, you cannot mow it in rows. Use a forward and back "vacuum cleaner" motion in these cases.

For self-propelled models only

If you must go back and forth in the "vacuum cleaner" motion, be sure to release the wheel clutch lever when pulling the trimmer back.

Trimmer cord installation and tips

Because conditions and vegetation vary so much, you should experiment with cord weights to discover what works best for your situation.

When replacing cords, do it one at a time and use the old cord to mark the position for the new cord that you are replacing.

If the cord breaks off flush at the line plate, use the new cord to push out the old cord.

Storing the cord in a plastic bag with a damp sponge or cloth will help keep it pliable. You can also soak it in a bucket of room temperature water for a few days before use to make it more pliable.

Regular maintenance is the way to ensure the best performance and long life of your DR^® Trimmer Mower.

Please refer to your Owner's Manual and the Engine Owner's Manual for maintenance procedures. Service intervals listed in the checklist below supersede those listed in the Engine Owner's Manual.

The following information is provided to demonstrate proper techniques when storing your DR^® Trimmer Mower.

• Storing the cord in a plastic bag with a damp sponge or cloth will help keep it pliable. You can also soak it in a bucket of room temperature water for a few days before use to make it more pliable.
• Check the drive belt(s) for wear.
• Change the engine oil (and oil filter, if applicable). This will help to eliminate sludge and acids in the engine.
• Remove the spark plug and pour about 1 ounce of motor oil into the cylinder hole. Reinstall the plug and pull the recoil starter rope until you feel strong resistance. This will coat the piston and seat the valves to prevent moisture buildup.
• Clean or replace the engine air filters.
• Clean any dirt and debris from the cylinder head cooling fins, carburetor linkage, recoil housing, debris screen, and muffler area of the engine.
• Remove any wrapped weeds from the Mow-Ball™ Support, wheel spokes and axles. Using a stiff brush, clean grass and debris from the top and underneath the trimmer deck.
• Remove the bottom shield and clean out any debris.
• Check to make sure the operator controls are moving freely. Lubricate the throttle lever, PTA™lever (Sprint™, Pro and Commercial models), and key switch with SAE 30 oil if necessary.
• If your engine has a fuel filter, replace it.
• If your DR^® Trimmer Mower will be idle for more than 30 days, we recommend using DR^® Ethanol Fuel Treatment. This will prevent sediment from gumming up the carburetor. If there is dirt or moisture in the gas or tank, remove it by draining the tank. Completely fill the tank with fresh, unleaded gas and add the appropriate amount of fuel treatment. Run the Engine for a short time to allow the additive to circulate.
• Battery storage: On electric-starting models, remove the battery or store your DR^® Trimmer Mower in a dry environment where the temperature is between -10° F (-23° C) and +85° F (+23° C). Make sure the storage temperatures will never be outside these limits. If you will not use the machine over a long period, charge the battery every four to six weeks. (See your Owner's Manual for battery care).

The following information is provided to demonstrate proper techniques when installing or replacing cord on your DR^® Trimmer Mower.

Types of cord vs. types of vegetation

We ship (2) two thicknesses of cutting cord with your DR^® Trimmer Mower (older models used to use 130-mil orange cord as well). The cords are blue (175-mil) and green (155-mil). Because conditions and vegetation vary so much, you should experiment with cord weights (diameters) to discover what works best for your particular mowing and trimming situations.

• If you buy cutting cord in rolls, cut it into 23" lengths.
• Cord life depends on trimming conditions. Replace cords when they become broken or frayed.
• The smallest diameter of cord capable of cutting the material at hand combined with the fastest engine speed usually provides the best grass trimming performance. When you need more power for thicker growth such as berry canes, brambles, thistles, or ragweed, you may want to use the 175-mil cord in combination with the highest engine speed.
• Ease the ends of the cord into heavy growth and move slowly through thick growth. If there are woody weeds in the material you are cutting, the cutting cords may wrap around the stalks they cannot cut, and pull away from the trimmer head.
• Please note that installing more than (2) two cords at a time does not improve trimming performance, in fact, it can lessen it. Adding additional cords creates drag on the trimmer head, robs the engine of power, and may cause wrapping. Installing (2) two cords, 180 degrees apart, is the best method for optimal trimming performance.
  
• When replacing cords, do it one at a time and use the old cord to mark the position for the new cord that you are replacing.
• If the cord breaks off flush at the line plate, use the new cord to push out the old cord.
• Storing the cord in a plastic bag with a damp sponge or cloth will help keep it pliable. You can also soak it in a bucket of room temperature water for a few days before use to make it more pliable.

Cord Installation:

1. Refer to your Owner's Manual for cutting height procedures before installing the cords.
2. Insert the ends of the cord into the openings of the lines plate. Push each end of the cord through the center hold in the line plate. Adjust the cord so that the tips are even.
3. Pull the cords through the loop and push the loop up into the line plate groove above.
4. Pull the cord tight.

warning Warning:

Running the trimmer with only one cord installed or cords installed at different levels can cause excessive vibration and damage your machine.