CLEARING THE TINES
Beforeclearingthetinesbyhand,stoptheengine,allowall moving
partstostopanddisconnectthesparkplugwire.Failureto followthis
warningcouldresultinpersonalinjury.
• Thetines havea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmostofthe
tanglingofdebris.However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalks
ortoughvinesmaybecometangled.Followtheseproceduresto
helpavoidtanglingandto clearthe tines,ifnecessary.
• To reducetangling,setthedepth regulatordeepenoughto get
maximum"chopping"actionasthetineschopthematerialagainst
theground.Also,tryto till undercropresiduesor covercrops
whiletheyaregreen,moistandtender.
• Whiletilling,try swayingthehandlebarsfromsideto side(about
6" to 12").This"fishtailing"actionoftenclearsthe tinesof debris.
TILLING TiPS & TECHNIQUES
Beforetilling,contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyandinquire
l ifundergroundequipmentor linesareusedon yourproperty.Do not
[till nearburiedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.
Tilling Depth
• Thisisa DDT(dual-directiontine)tiller.Asthewheelspullforward,
thetinesrotatebackward.Asthewheelspullrearward,thetines
rotateforward.Thiscreatesan "uppercut"fineactionwhichdigs
deeply,uprootingsoilandweeds.Don'toverloadtheengine,butdig
asdeeplyas possibleoneachpassOnlaterpasses,thewheels
maytendto spininthe softdirt.Helpthemalongbyliftingup
slightlyonthehandlebar(onehand,palmup,worksmosteasily).
• Avoidthetemptationto pushdownonthe handlebarsinan
attempttoforcethetillerto digdeeper.Doingso takesthe weight
off thepoweredwheels,causingthemtolosetraction.Without
thewheelsto holdthetillerback,the tineswillattemptto propel
towardstheoperatororawayfromthe operator.
Whencultivating(breakingupthesurfacesoilaroundtheplants
todestroyweeds,SeeFigure16),adjustthetinestodigonly1"to
2"deep.Usingtheshallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjurytothe
plantswhoserootsoftengrowclosetothe surface.Ifneeded,lift
uponthehandlebarsslightlytopreventthetinesfromdiggingtoo
deeply.(Cultivatingona regularbasisnotonlyeliminatesweeds,it
alsoloosensandaeratesthesoil forbettermoistureabsorptionand
fasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthegardenareaafewdayspriorto
tillingwillmaketillingeasier,aswilllettingthenewlyworkedsoilset
fora dayortwobeforemakingafinal,deeptillingpass.
,j
Figure16
Choosing the Correct Wheel & Tine Speeds
Withexperience,youwillfindthetillingdepthandtillingspeedcombina-
tionthatisbestforyourgarden.Settheenginethrottleleverata speed
togivetheengineadequatepowerandyetallowit tooperateatthe slow-
estpossiblespeeduntilyou haveachievedthe maximumtillingdepth
youdesire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybedesirablewhenmakingfinal
passesthroughtheseedbedor whencultivating.Selectionofthecorrect
enginespeed,inrelationtothetillingdepth,willensurea sufficientpower
leveltodothejobwithoutcausingtheenginetolabor.
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