OPERATOR'S MANUAL Front Tine Tillers Models 340 Thru 390 Model 390 Shown IMPORTANT: Read safety rules and instructions carefully before operating equipment. Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forestcovered, brush-covered or grass-covered land unless the engine's exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester meeting applicable local or state laws (if any).
TABLEOFCONTENTS Content Page Important Safe Operation Practices ................................................................... 3, 4 Assembling Your Tiller ....................................................................................... 5 Know Your Tiller ................................................................................................. 7 Operating Your Tiller .......................................................................................... 8 Making Adjustments .
SECTION1' IMPORTANTSAFEOPERATIONPRACTICES This Symbol Points Out Important Safety Instructions Which, If Not Followed, Could Endanger The Personal Safety And/or Property Of Yourself And Others. Read And Follow All Instructions In This Manual Before Attempting To Operate Your Tiller. Failure To Comply With These Instructions May Result In Personal Injury. When You See This Symbol-- Heed Its Warning. DANGER: Your tiller was built to be operated according to the rules for safe operation in this manual.
CHILDREN • • • • • Tragic accidents can occur if the operator is not alert to the presence of small children. Children are often attracted to the tilling activity. Never assume that children will remain where you last saw them. Keep children out of the work area and under the watchful eye of a responsible adult other than the operator. Be alert and turn the unit off if a child enters the area. Never allow children under the age of 14 to operate the tiller.
SECTION2: ASSEMBLINGYOURTILLER NOTE: This operator's guide covers three different model tillers. Models 340 thru 345 have forward tine drive only. Model 390 has both forward and reverse tine drive. Follow only the instructions which pertain to your model tiller. See the model plate on your tiller for the correct model number. IMPORTANT:This unit is shipped WITHOUT GASOLINE or OIL. After assembly, see separate engine manual for proper fuel and engine oil recommendations.
attached closer to the rear of the tiller). • Loosen the hex nut on the threaded rod near the Welded Bracket Fuel Shut-off Valve Handle Brace Crank • • Handle • Hex Bolt Cupped Washer Frame Half Briggs and Stratton Intek Engine end of the cable, and move it up the rod as far as it will go. Unthread the rod from the rest of the cable. Hook the "Z" end of the rod into the bracket underneath the handle assembly from the right hand side. See Figure 4.
Final Clutch AdJustment To check the clutch cable adjustment, proceed as follows. Reverse Tine ement Handle Disconnect the spark plug wire and move it away from the spark plug to prevent accidental starting. Engage and release the tine engagement handle, then the reverse tine engagement lever (model 390 only). If an excessive noise is heard when releasing either the tine drive clutch handle or lever, the cable may be too loose.
Choke Lever(Model 340/390) Thechokeleveris locatedabovethethrottlecontrol.It is usedtoenrichthefuelmixturewhenstartingacold engine.SeeFigure8. PrimerButton (Model 345) Theprimerbuttonis locatedbehindthe air cleaner.It is usedto enrichthe fuel mixturein the carburetor whenstartinga coldengine.SeeFigure8 Forward TineEngagement Handle Theforwardtineengagement handleis located beneaththetillerhandle.SeeFigure7.Squeezing the handleupagainstthetillerhandleengagesthetines. Release thehandletostopthetines.
• Pullropewitha rapid,continuous, fullarmstroke. Keepafirmgriponstarterhandle.Letroperewind slowly.Donotletstarterhandlesnapbackagainst starter. • Repeatpreceding instructions 5and6 untilengine starts.Whenenginestarts,movechokeleveron enginehalfwaybetweenCHOKEandRUN. • MovethrottlecontroltoIDLEpositionfora few minuteswarm-up.MovechokelevertoRUN positionasenginewarmsup. Models 343&345 • Attachsparkplugwiretosparkplug.
Controlling Speed And Tilling Depth • Wheel Yoke Adjustment: Place wheel yoke so that the wheels are forward (nearest point between wheels and tines) for shallow tilling, cultivating and transport. The forward speed will increase. Turn yoke around (farthest point between wheels and tines) for deep tilling. Forward speed will decrease. See Figure 11. Transport Position Stake Shallow"-.'.
Throttle Control: The throttle control lever adjusts the engine speed and stops the engine. With the throttle control lever pushed completely forward, the carburetor is in START position. Pulling the throttle control back slightly adjusts the engine speed to FAST. Pulling the throttle back further reduces the engine speed to SLOW. Pull the throttle completely back to stop the engine. Use maximum engine speed for deep tilling. Move the throttle control to SLOW when transporting the tiller.
SECTION5: MAKINGADJUSTMENTS _ ClutchControlAdJustments wire and ground against the engine before WARNING: Disconnect the spark plug performing any adjustments, repairs, or maintenance. To adjust the clutch controls, refer to the Final Adjustment section of assembly instructions. CarburetorAdJustment Tine Width AdJustment The tilling width of the unit is 22 inches. See Figure 15.
SECTION6: MAINTAININGYOURTILLER Lubrication components, spindles, pulleys, bearings or the engine. The use of pressure washers will result in shortened life and reduce serviceability. disconnect spark plug wire before WARNING: Always stop engine and cleaning, lubricating or doing any kind of work on tiller. Belt RemovalAnd Replacement Your tiller has been engineered with belts made of special material (Kevlar Tensile). They should not be replaced with an off-the-shelf belt.
Be certain to adjust the clutch control as instructed in the final clutch adjustment section of assembly instructions. Transmission Pulley Reverse Idler Pulley Forward Drive Belt See Figure 17 • Models 340 thru 345: Remove the belt cover by following steps 1 thru 3 of the previous section. Model 390: Remove the reverse drive belt as • • _"_- • Eng_ Pulley Forward Belt • Idler Pulley Nut • Figure 18 instructed in the previous section.
SECTION8: TROUBLESHOOTINGGUIDE Trouble Possible Engine fails to start Fuel tank empty, or stale fuel. Engine runs erratic Engine overheats Tines do not engage Cause(s) Throttle control lever not in correct starting position (if so equipped). Blocked fuel line. Dirty aircleaner. Choke not in ON position. Spark plug wire disconnected. Faulty spark plug. Engine flooded. Unit running on CHOKE. Spark plug wire loose. Blocked fuel line or stale fuel. Vent in gas cap plugged. Water or dirt in fuel system.
Model340 Thru 345 10 Standard Briggs & Stratton Tecumseh Engines 4 47 11 46 17 44 24 22 25 21 26 30 \ / 27 18 19 28 38 39 42 43 16
Model340 Thru 345 Ref. No. Part No. Ref. No. Part Description Part No. Part Description 1. 712-0442 Acorn Lock Nut 1/4-20 27. 736-0119 L-Wash. 5/16" I.D. 2. 736-3020 Flat Washer .271" I.D. x .630" O.D. 28. 710-3008 Hex Bolt 5/16-18 Gr. 5 3. 731-1599 Handle Cover 29. 786-0129 Cable Guide Bracket 4. 712-0287 Hex Nut 1/4-20 Gr.2 30. 710-0604 Hex Wash Screw 5/16-18 x .62" 5. 720-0274 Grip-Handle 31. 710-0602 6. 686-0083 Clutch Handle Assembly 32. 738-0934 Hex Wash. Hd.
Model340 Thru 345 41 13 28 12 38 33 35 23 9 27 11 24 25 / 16 3 18 18
Model340 Thru 345 Ref. No. PaN No. Ref. No. Part Description PaN No. Part Description 1. 712-0392 2. 736-3020 Hex L-Stop nut 1/4-28 Flat Wash..266" I.D. x .625" O.D. 22. 23. 746-0918 786-0053 Forward Clutch Cable Tine Shield Bracket 3. 710-0599 Hex Washer Screw 1/4-20 x .5" 24. 736-0171 L-Wash. 7/16" I.D. 4. 711-0920 Belt Cover Bolt 25. 712-0240 Hex Nut 7/16-20 Thd. 5. 712-3004A Hex Flange Top L-Nut 5/16-18 26. 710-0502A Hex Washer Screw 3/8-16 x 1.25" 6. 710-0723 27.
Model390 6 10 13 16 Standard Briggs & Stratton Tecumseh Engines 15 18 55 22 4_ // 28 27 31 42 33 25 44 7 /48 20
Model390 REF. NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 PART NO. 712-0442 736-3020 720-0270A 731-1600 710-0779A 720-0274 712-0287 726-0135 686-0083 720-0269 710-0641 731-1645A 736-0140 686-0014A 736-0264 649-0039 649-0022A 647-0042 726-0211 749-1101 736-0921 710-3194 786-0005 714-0149B 712-3004A 786-0003 786-0004 711-0415 710-0805 710-0189 REF. NO. 30 31 32 33 34 35 DESCRIPTION Acorn Lock Nut 1/4-20 Flat Washer .271" I.D. x .630" O.D.
Model390 26 25 24 / \ 24 23 48 13 30 12 29 / 31 49 27 34 28 42 33 40 45 15 22
Model390 REF. NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 PART NO. 712-0392 736-3020 710-0599 711-0920 712-3004A 710-0723 756-0313 786-0149 786-0144 712-0266 786-0057 710-0599 786-0043A 710-3008 712-3004A 686-0091 686-0106 714-0149B 711-0415 642-0023 642-0024 642-0003 642-0002 746-0918 746-0953 756-0585 REF. NO. 25 Hex L-Stop nut 1/4-28 Flat Wash..266" I.D. x .625" O.D. 26 27 Hex Washer TT-Tap Scr. 1/4-20 x .5" Belt Cover Bolt 28 29 Hex Flange Top L-Nut 5/16-18 (Gr.5) 30 Hex Hd.
MANUFACTURER'S LIMI ED WARRANTY The limited warranty set forth below is given by MTD PRODUCTS INC ("MTD") with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its possessions and territories. MTD warrants this product against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two (2) years commencing on the date of original purchase and will, at its option, repair or replace, free of charge, any part found to be defective in material or workmanship.
