Do you stop your mower before removing the catcher

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jan100, Apr 25, 4:16pm
I am interested to know if you have a catcher full of grass clippings that you need to empty mid-mow, do you turn off your mower or do you leave it running while you do this?
loukirby, Apr 25, 4:23pm
leave it running
holly-rocks, Apr 25, 4:26pm
I leave it running also.
flopsie, Apr 25, 4:29pm
I leave it running . How long before it becomes illegal to do so ?
hazelnut2, Apr 25, 4:34pm
I definitley turn it off!

My sister left hers running, thought that she could clear the blockage with her fingers. WHAM, BAM! two breaks in the bone at the end of her middle finger, nail removed, stitches put underneath, nail repositioned as a splint. 18 months later still stiff. 7 hour wait in hospital to be told at 3am to go home and come back later that day when the surgeon was available.

Yessiree - that blade stops turning before I open the catcher lid.
tweake, Apr 25, 4:49pm
your fingers are no where near the blades when removing the catcher.
clearing a blockage means shoving your hand in by the blade which is stupid to say the least.

all i do is throttle it back to idle so it doesn't fire grass everywhere before removing catcher.
annie17111, Apr 25, 4:54pm
I leave it on, my 12 yr old son turns it off.
mouse265, Apr 25, 5:12pm
i never turn it off after starting and if anyone is desperate enough to put their fingers or toes where they know not to deserve to suffer the consequences or are they hoping to get a bit of money from ACC
richynuts, Apr 25, 5:27pm
Turn it off. so easy to start again.
angie117, Apr 25, 5:44pm
Definitely leave ours going.
joanie04, Apr 25, 7:08pm
I leave it running. On a good day I only have to empty the catcher twice and on a bad day six times.
trade_menow, Apr 25, 7:12pm
mine stops automatically the moment i let go of the handle -its a safety feature but then again it's battery powered - Ego 56v
blueviking, Apr 26, 7:47am
I have a Toro propelled model, so as soon as you release the throttle to take the catcher off, it stops.
lythande1, Apr 26, 8:20am
No. But of course you don't put your hand in to pull out any grass that might fall.
huggy5, Apr 26, 8:33am
No, that would be really annoying. I empty it about 5 times during a mow, there is no need to go anywhere near the blade to do so.
andyb2, Apr 26, 8:36am
I just cut the throttle well back
andrew1954, Apr 26, 8:45am
My old mower is a bit “tired”. once you get it started the last thing you want to do is stop it before you have finished!
amasser, Apr 26, 8:56am
Would never go near the blades while it is running. Wear solid shoes and ear muffs but surprised how many, including 'professional mowers, don't.
clangie, Apr 26, 9:02am
i turn it off cos ifi leave it going-as soon as you pull the catcher off-it fires a big blast of clippings in ya face
rpvr, Apr 26, 9:18am
What's wrong with using a mulcher? The cut grass needs to be returned to the soil where it came from.
tygertung, Apr 26, 9:23am
I never used to when I was using a catcher, but I just don't bother with the catcher anymore and let the grass go back to the lawn.
pauldw, Apr 26, 10:15am
You're lucky if it is just clippings. Neighbour's mower fired a stone through back window of his van. My mower has fired a stone through back of the catcher over my shoulder. Wear glasses, stay away from discharge chute while blade spinning.
lespat, Apr 26, 10:42am
Likewise. 40+ yr old aluminium body masport gets temperamental restarting. Usually have to wait til it is completely cold before it will fire up again.
dazarae, Apr 26, 3:19pm
my Mum was removing the catcher when the mower was running, and at that moment the blade flicked up a stone or something - sliced off half of one of her fingers. I was about 8 years old when she staggered inside with a full-on bloody hand screaming - never forget it!
starseeker, Apr 26, 4:20pm
It certainly does. Unless you are going to fertilise your lawn, the constant removal of grass will eventually leave your 'lawn' as an undernourished heap of dirt