What is a preferred heighth to cut grass to?

Depends on your location basically. I like to keep my lawn at 3" as that is the recommended height. Any lower the roots get exposed to the sun and the grass cannot fill out or have the shade of the 3" to protect the roots in a drought situation. I've tried shorter and found that it does not work. The garden experts recommend cutting no more than 1/3 of the grass off at one time either. I mow once a week as a rule once the warmer months kick in and find that adequate. My neighbor keeps his lawn at 4" and fertilizes, etc and his lawn is nice and thick. I don't fertilize but I do use a mulching blade so I guess I naturally fertilize with the clippings.

Do not mow when yard is wet either as the mower will beat the grass to death and cause clumps of grass left on the lawn for you to rake up.

Thank you twinkiedooter for the reply and the xtra info is helpful also

Also, if you do happen to mow the lawn when it is wet out, be sure to lean the mower up and take an object and clean the underside of the deck from the accumulated grass. Once this grass mess dries, you will basically need a blowtorch and a hammer and chisel to get it off the underside of the deck. This stuff dries harder than concrete. Trust me. Been there, done that.

Also, check the sharpness of the blade every so often. A blade can go dull very quickly and this will beat the bejezus out of the grass.

Thank you, I'm feeling that extra tip was for me and people like me:D