Loading ...
Loading ...
Loading ...
CLEARING THE TINES
Beforeclearingthetinesby hand,stoptheengine,allowall moving
partsto stop and disconnectthe sparkplug wire. Failureto followthis
warningcouldresult in personalinjury.
• Thetines havea self-clearingaction whicheliminatesmostof the
tanglingof debris. However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalks
ortough vinesmay becometangled.Followtheseproceduresto
helpavoidtanglingand to clearthe tines, ifnecessary.
• To reducetangling,setthedepth regulatordeep enoughto get
maximum"chopping"actionas the tineschopthe materialagainst
the ground.Also, try to till undercrop residuesor covercrops
whilethey are green,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 DDT(dual-directiontine)tiller.Asthewheelspullforward,
thetines rotatebackward.As thewheelspullrearward,the tines
rotateforward.Thiscreatesan "uppercut"fineactionwhichdigs
deeply,uprootingsoilandweeds.Don'toverloadtheengine,butdig
as deeplyas possibleoneachpass On laterpasses,thewheels
maytendto spinin the softdirt. Helpthem alongbyliftingup
slightlyonthehandlebar(onehand,palmup,worksmosteasily).
• Avoidthetemptationto pushdown on the handlebarsin an
attemptto force thetiller to digdeeper.Doingso takesthe weight
off the poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Without
the wheelsto holdthe tillerback,the tineswill attemptto propel
towardsthe operatoror awayfrom the operator.
Whencultivating(breakingupthesurfacesoilaroundthe plants
todestroyweeds,SeeFigure16),adjustthe tinesto digonly1"to
2"deep.Usingthe shallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjuryto the
plantswhoserootsoftengrowclosetothe surface.Ifneeded,lift
uponthe handlebarsslightlyto preventthetinesfromdiggingtoo
deeply.(Cultivatingon a regularbasisnotonlyeliminatesweeds,it
alsoloosensand aeratesthesoil forbettermoistureabsorptionand
fasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthegardenareaa few dayspriorto
tillingwillmaketillingeasier,as willlettingthenewlyworkedsoilset
fora dayortwobeforemakingafinal,deep tillingpass.
,j
Figure16
Choosing the Correct Wheel & Tine Speeds
Withexperience,you willfindthetillingdepthandtillingspeedcombina-
tionthat isbestfor yourgarden.Setthe enginethrottleleverat a speed
togivetheengineadequatepowerandyetallowit tooperateatthe slow-
estpossiblespeeduntilyou haveachievedthe maximumtillingdepth
youdesire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybedesirablewhenmakingfinal
passesthroughtheseedbedor whencultivating.Selectionofthe correct
enginespeed,inrelationto thetillingdepth,willensurea sufficientpower
levelto do thejobwithoutcausingtheengineto labor.
14
Loading ...
Loading ...
Loading ...