Manual

to the desiredpositionandreplacethewing nuts.Tightensecurely.
SeeFigure10.
ADJUSTING THE HANDLE HEIGHT
Thehandleshouldbeadjustedso thatwhenthe tilleris digging3-4"
intothe soil,the handlefallsto aboutwaste-high.Toadjusthandle,
Beforeclearingthe tinesby hand,stopthe engine,allowall moving
partsto stopanddisconnectthe sparkplugwire.Failureto followthis
warningcould resultin personalinjury.
simplyloosenthe handleadjustmentcrank,movethehandleto the
desiredheightandretightenthe adjustmentcrank.SeeFigure11.
CLEARING THE TINES
* Thetineshavea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmostof the
tanglingof debris.However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalks
ortoughvinesmaybecometangled.Followtheseproceduresto
helpavoidtanglingandto clearthe tines,if necessary.
* Toreducetangling,setthe depth regulatordeepenoughto get
maximum"chopping"actionasthe tineschopthematerialagainst
the ground.Also,try to till undercrop residuesorcovercrops
whiletheyaregreen,moistand tender.
Beforetilling,contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyandinquire
if undergroundequipmentor linesareusedon yourproperty.Do not
till nearburiedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.
* Whiletilling,try swayingthe handlebarsfromsideto side (about
6"to 12").This"fishtailing"actionoftenclearsthe tinesof debris.
TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Tilling Depth
* Thisis a CRT(counter-rotatingtine)tiller.As the wheelspull
forward,the tinesrotatebackward.Thiscreatesan"uppercut"
tineactionwhichdigs deeply,uprootingsoilandweeds.Don't
overloadthe engine,butdig as deeplyas possibleon eachpass
Onlater passes,the wheelsmaytendto spin inthe soft dirt.Help
themalongby liftingupslightlyonthe handlebar(onehand,palm
up,worksmosteasily).
* Avoidthe temptationtopushdownon the handlebarsin an
attemptto forcethe tiller to digdeeper.Doingso takestheweight
offthe poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Withoutthe
wheelsto holdthe tillerback,the tineswillattemptto propelthe
tillerbackward,towardsthe operator.
* Whencultivating(breakingupthe surfacesoil aroundthe plants
to destroyweeds,SeeFigure12),adjustthe tinestodig only 1"
to 2" deep.Usingthe shallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjuryto
the plantswhoserootsoftengrowcloseto the surface.If needed,
lift uponthe handlebarsslightlyto preventthe tinesfromdigging
too deeply.(Cultivatingona regularbasisnotonly eliminates
weeds,it alsoloosensandaeratesthesoilfor bettermoisture
absorptionandfasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthe gardenareaa
fewdayspriorto tillingwill maketilling easier,aswill lettingthe
Figure11
f
Figure12
14