RYOBI 40V Mower Bag Setup (Without the Pinch)
A subscriber asked how to get the grass bag together, because the clips genuinely fight you. Here's the assembly, plus when to use each of the three attachments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojbw5-FHGRQ
THE VERDICT
The bag frame is the fiddliest part of this mower by a mile. You fit it with your fingernail and you will probably pinch yourself. Work from the correct side, do the corners last, and it takes about five minutes.
One of you asked me to show the RYOBI 40V mower bag assembly, because the clips are genuinely awkward and the manual isn't much help. So here it is.
But the bag is only one of three attachments, and picking the right one matters more than most people think. So we'll do all three, and I'll tell you which one I actually use.
Side discharge, and the bit nobody warns you about
It clips onto the right side of the mower. Two holes either side, drop it in, done. You get a consistent cut and the clippings throw straight out onto the lawn.
Side discharge doesn't care what it's throwing. If the mower is pointed at a sliding glass door, that's where the rock goes.
The safety bit
Rocks. Or in my house, toys my kids have left in the grass. If the mower is pointed at a window, that's the window. If it's pointed at a kid, that's a shin.
Think about which way you're facing before you fit this attachment, every single time. That's not me being dramatic, it's the one genuinely dangerous thing about this mower.
Mulch, which is what I actually use
The mulch plug throws the clippings back into the blades, so the grass gets cut two or three times before it drops. What lands is fine enough to decompose into the lawn.
You're fertilising while you mow. No bag to empty, no clippings to dispose of, and the lawn feeds itself. If you have no specific reason to bag, mulch.
The bag: how to actually get it together
This is the fiddly one, and it's why this guide exists. There's a hard plastic piece at the bottom and a wire frame that has to end up inside the fabric.
Step by step
1. Orientation first. Hold the frame so the top of the frame meets the top of the bag. Get this backwards and you'll fight it the entire way.
2. Slide the frame in, then bring the fabric lip up and over the top.
3. Start the clips. There's no tool for this. Get a fingernail underneath and lever each plastic clip over the metal frame.
4. Work from the correct side. The fabric goes underneath on the far side. Push from the wrong side and you're fighting the frame instead of using it.
5. Do the corners last, and go slow on the final three. By then the fabric is taut and there's no slack left.
6. Hook it on. Two hooks, one either side of the mower, and you're done.
You will pinch yourself
I did, on the last few clips. It's the taut ones at the end that get you. Slow down for those and you'll be fine.
Which attachment should you use?
✦ Mulch. Almost always. Free fertiliser, nothing to empty, no disposal. This is my default and it should probably be yours.
✦ Bag. When the grass is long enough that mulching would leave clumps, or you want a clean finish. Be aware it fills fast.
✦ Side discharge. Long or wet grass where the bag would clog. Just know what you're pointing it at.
The short version
Frame the right way up, work from the correct side, corners last, mind your fingers. Five minutes once, and you never have to think about it again.
If you'd rather watch the clips go on in real time than read the steps, the walkthrough is above. And if there's another attachment you want covered, say so in the comments.