Craftsman 247.29931 Tiller User Manual


 
tothe desiredpositionandreplacethewingnuts.Tightensecurely.
SeeFigure10.
ADJUSTING THE HANDLE HEIGHT
Thehandleshouldbeadjustedsothatwhenthetillerisdigging3-4"
intothesoil,thehandlefallsto aboutwaste-high.Toadjusthandle,
Beforeclearingthetinesby hand,stopthe engine,allowall moving
partstostopanddisconnectthe sparkplugwire.Failuretofollowthis
warningcouldresultin personalinjury.
simplyloosenthehandleadjustmentcrank,movethehandleto the
desiredheightandretightentheadjustmentcrank.SeeFigure11.
CLEARING THE TINES
* Thetineshavea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmostofthe
tanglingofdebris.However,occasionallydrygrass,stringystalks
ortoughvinesmaybecometangled.Followtheseproceduresto
helpavoidtanglingandtoclearthetines,if necessary.
* Toreducetangling,setthe depthregulatordeepenoughto get
maximum"chopping"actionasthe tineschopthematerialagainst
theground.Also,try totill undercropresiduesorcovercrops
whiletheyaregreen,moistand tender.
Beforetilling,contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyandinquire
ifundergroundequipmentor linesareusedon yourproperty.Do not
till nearburiedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.
* Whiletilling,try swayingthehandlebarsfromsidetoside (about
6"to 12").This"fishtailing"actionoftenclearsthe tinesofdebris.
TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Tilling Depth
* Thisis a CRT(counter-rotatingtine)tiller.Asthe wheelspull
forward,thetinesrotatebackward.Thiscreatesan"uppercut"
tineactionwhichdigs deeply,uprootingsoilandweeds.Don't
overloadthe engine,butdig asdeeplyas possibleon eachpass
Onlaterpasses,the wheelsmaytendtospininthe softdirt.Help
themalongbyliftingupslightlyonthehandlebar(onehand,palm
up,worksmosteasily).
* Avoidthetemptationto pushdownon thehandlebarsin an
attempttoforcethe tillerto digdeeper.Doingsotakestheweight
offthepoweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Withoutthe
wheelstoholdthe tillerback,thetineswillattemptto propelthe
tillerbackward,towardstheoperator.
* Whencultivating(breakingupthe surfacesoil aroundtheplants
todestroyweeds,SeeFigure12),adjustthe tinestodig only 1"
to2" deep.Usingtheshallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjuryto
theplantswhoserootsoftengrowclosetothe surface.If needed,
lift uponthehandlebarsslightlyto preventthe tinesfromdigging
toodeeply.(Cultivatingona regularbasisnotonlyeliminates
weeds,it alsoloosensandaeratesthesoilforbettermoisture
absorptionandfasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthegardenareaa
fewdayspriortotillingwillmaketilling easier,aswill lettingthe
Figure11
f
Figure12
15