Weed Eater WEF550B - Page 10

OPERATION
SPARK
PLUG
CHOKE
CONTROL
THROTTLE
=
You will find tilling much easier if you leave a row
untilled between passes. Then go back ove: the entire
area atrightangles (See Fig. 9). There are two reasons
for doing this. First, wide turns are-much easier to
negotiate than about-faces. Second, the tiller won't be
pulling itself, and you, toward the row next to it.
Set depth stake and wheel height for shallow tilling
CONTROL
when
working
extremely
hard
soil
or
sod.
Then
work
across
the
first
cuts
at
normal
depth.
(ES
(AR
FRO
FDG
*)
MENES
<
<
ps
<
<
K
RECOIL
STARTER
CA
RT
A
N
EROA
RTE
HANDLE
AW
>O
oe
>
>
FIG.
8
i
ELI
TAT
TAT
NT
ED,
MES
<
pz
<
<<
<—_
pn
BREAKING
IN
YOUR
TILLER
K
RT
HAA
ie
TF
Break-in
your
belts,
pulleys
and
tine
control
before
you
ee
> > > >
ya
actually
begin
tilling,
NAIRN
ARA
LEI
J
*
Start
engine,
tip
tines
off
ground
by
pressing
handles
et
ee
down
and
engage
tine
control
to
start
tine
rotation.
4
lz]
la
(a)
bzy
Allow
tines
to
rotate
for
five
minutes.
z
a
creck
Gee
ce
hate
ad
aos
eee
Ses
FIG.
9
Ps
ECK
int
>
E
ON
CHE!
in
the
Service
an
CULTIVATING
justments section of this manual.
TILLING HINTS
CAUTION: Until you areaccustomedto
handling your tiller, start actual field
use with throttle in slow position (mid-
way between “FAST” and “IDLE”).
To heiptiller move forward, liftup the handles slightly (thus
lifting depth stake out of ground). To slow down the tiller,
press down on handles.
Ifyou are straining or tiller is shaking, the wheels and depth
stake are not set properly in the soil being tilled. The proper
setting of the wheels. and depth stake is through trial and
error and depends upon the soil condition. (The harder or
wetter the ground, the slower the engine and tine speed
` needed. Under these poor conditions, at fast speed the tiller
will run and jump over the ground).
A properly adjusted tiller will dig with little effort from the
operator.
e Tilling is digging into, turning over, and breaking up
packed soil before planting. Loose, unpacked soil
helps root growth. Besttilling depth is 4" to6" (10-15 cm).
A tiller will also clear the soil of unwanted vegetation.
The decomposition of this vegetable matter enriches
the soil. Depending on the climate (rainfall and wind),
it may be advisable to till the soil at the end of the
growing season to further condition the soil.
* — Soilconditions are important for proper tilling. Tines will
not readily penetrate dry, hard soil which may contrib-
ute to excessive bounce and difficult handling of your
tiller. Hard soil should be moistened before tilling;
however, extremely wet soil will “ball-up” or clump
during tilling. Wait until the soil is less wet in order to
achieve the bestresults. When tilling in the fall, remove
vines and long grass to prevent them from wrapping
around the tine shaft and slowing your tilling operation.
10
Cultivating is destroying the weeds between rows to pre-
vent them from robbing nourishment and moisture from
the plants. At the same time, breaking up the upper layer
of soil crust will help retain moisture in the soil. Best
digging depth is 1" to 3" (2.5-7.5 cm).
e You will probably not need to use the depth stake.
Begin by tipping the depth stake forward until it is held
by the stake spring.
e Cultivate up and down the rows at a speed which wil
allow tines to uproot weeds and leave the ground in
rough condition, promoting no further growth of weeds
and grass (See Fig. 10).
FIG. 10