How to Remove a Toro Trimmer Spool

In the years since its founding in 1914, The Toro Company has produced a wide range of residential and commercial maintenance and landscaping tools including electric trimmers and combined trimmer/edgers. Toro trimmers and trimmer/edgers utilize strong nylon monofilament cutting line, located on a spool in the trimmer's cutting head, to quickly cut through grass and weeds. Depending on your Toro electric trimmer model, you can easily remove the cutting line spool to clean or repair your electric trimmer.

Work gloves

Safety goggles

Flat-head screwdriver set

Wipe, brush or scrape off debris from the cutting head and/or spool cap.

Stick the head of a wide, flat-headed screwdriver firmly into the rectangular slot located in one of the two cut out sections on the spool cap.

Turn the screwdriver handle one-quarter of an inch to pop/snap off the spool from the trimmer core. If you cannot picture the way in which this works, imagine a safety lid on a can of professional spray paint--the lid will only come of the can with the insertion of a flat-headed screwdriver into a rectangular slot in the lid to act as a lever to pop or snap the lid off of the can.

Clean the cutting head area thoroughly of any dirt, grass, small rocks or other debris.

Twist the trimmer cutting head assembly cap counterclockwise, remove and set it aside.

Pull the trimmer spool and any monofilament line up out of the cutting head and cutting line eyelet.

Toro electric trimmers with twist cap threaded spools contain a spring part that can fall out when removing the spool. Reset the spring before reinserting the spool as directed in the owner's manual for your specific Toro electric trimmer.

Never soak or submerge the cutting head, cap and spool to clean away debris. Instead, use a soft-bristled brush or a damp cloth.

Never clean the cutting head assembly or remove a spool while the trimmer is plugged into an electric outlet as you can electrocute yourself or accidentally turn on the trimmer allowing the sharp, fast monofilament cutting line to seriously injure you.

Always wear safety goggles when removing a spool--especially if removing a pop/snap off spool--as a screwdriver head can easily slip out of the rectangular slot causing debris, broken plastic, the entire spool or the screwdriver to hit your face.

Use only Toro brand empty or pre-wound spools or nylon monofilament cutting line as other brands and/or other cutting lines replacements (metal wire or rope) can damage Toro electric trimmers or cause fire and/or electric shock.