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CLEARING THE TINES
Beforeclearingthetinesby hand,stoptheengine,allowall moving
partsto stop and disconnectthe sparkplug wire. Failureto followthis
warningcouldresult in personalinjury.
Thetines havea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmostof the
tanglingof debris. However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalksor
toughvines may becometangled.Followtheseproceduresto help
avoidtanglingand to clear thetines, if necessary.
• Try to till undercrop residuesor covercropswhiletheyaregreen,
moistand tender.
• Whiletilling,try swayingthe handlebarsfromsideto side(about
6" to 12").This"fishtailing"action oftenclears the tinesof debris.
TILLING TiPS & TECHNIQUES
Beforetilling,contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyandinquire
l ifundergroundequipmentor linesare usedon yourproperty.Do not
[till nearburiedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.
Tilling Depth
• This isa FRT(forward-rotatingfine) tiller.Whenthe forwardtine
engagementleveris pressedagainstthe handlethe tinesrotate
forward.Thiscreatesan "uppercut"fine actionwhichdigsdeeply,
uprootingsoiland weeds.Don'toverloadthe engine,butdig as
deeplyas possibleon eachpass.
• Whencultivating(breakingupthe surfacesoilaroundtheplantsto
destroyweeds,SeeFigure16),tryto havethetinesonlydig 1"to
2"deep.Usingtheshallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjuryto the
plantswhoserootsoftengrowcloseto the surface.If needed,lift
uponthe handlebarsslightlyto preventthetinesfromdiggingtoo
deeply.(Cultivatingon a regularbasisnotonlyeliminatesweeds,it
alsoloosensandaeratesthe soilfor bettermoistureabsorptionand
fasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthegardenareaa fewdays priorto
tillingwill maketillingeasier,aswill lettingthe newlyworkedsoil set
fora dayortwobeforemakinga final,deeptillingpass.
f
Choosing the Correct Tine Speed
Withexperience,youwill findthetillingdepthandtillingspeedcombina-
tionthat is bestfor yourgarden.Settheenginethrottleleverat a speed
to givetheengineadequatepowerand yet allowit to operateat the slow-
estpossiblespeeduntilyouhaveachievedthemaximumtillingdepth
youdesire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybedesirablewhenmakingfinal
passesthroughthe seedbedor whencultivating.Selectionofthe correct
enginespeed,inrelationto thetillingdepth,willensurea sufficientpower
leveltodo thejob withoutcausingtheengineto labor.
Suggested Tilling Patterns
• Whenpreparinga seedbed,go overthe samepathtwice in the
first row,then overlapone-halfthe tiller widthon the restof the
passes.See Figure17.
J
Figure17
Whenfinishedin one direction,makea secondpassat a right
angle,See Figure18.Overlapeachpassfor the bestresults(in
very hardground,itmaytakethreeor fourpassesto thoroughly
pulverizethe soil).
mm_
Figure16
,J
14
Figure18
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