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TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES(CON'T)
TerraceGardening(continued)
• Tocreateaterrace,startat thetopof theslopeandwork down.Gobackandforth
acrossthefirst row asshown in Fig.4-10.
• Eachsucceedinglowerterraceisstartedbywalking belowtheterraceyou're pre-
paring.Foraddedstabilityofthetiller,alwayskeeptheuphillwheelinthesoft,new-
ly tilled soil. Donot till the last 12"or more of thedownhill outsideedgeof each
terrace.This untilled strip helps preventsthe terracesfrom breakingapart and
washingdownhill. Italsoprovidesa walkingpathbetweenrows. _, REPEAT
Fig. 4-10
Clearingthe Tines
Thetines havea self-clearingactionwhich eliminatesmosttangling ofdebrisin
thetines.However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalksor toughvinesmaybe-
cometangled.Follow theseproceduresto helpavoidtanglingand to cleanthe
tines,if necessary.
• Itmaybenecessaryto removethedebrisbyhand
(a pocketknifewill helpyouto cut awaythe mate-
rial).Besureto stopthe engineanddisconnectthe
sparkplugwirebeforeclearingthetinesby hand.
• Toreducetangling,setthedepthregulatordeepenoughto getmaximum"chop-
ping" actionasthetineschopthematerialagainsttheground.Also,try to till un-
dercrop residuesor covercropswhiletheyare green,moist andtender.
• While powercomposting,try swayingthe handlebarsfrom sideto side(about
6"to 12").This"fishtailing" actionoften clearsthetines ofdebris.
• Iftanglingoccurs,lift thetinesout ofthesoilandrun thetiller in reverse(if unit
isequippedwith poweredreverse)for afewfeet.Thisreversingactionshouldun-
winda gooddealof debris.
WARNING: Beforeclearingthe
tines byhand,stop theengine, allow
all moving partsto stop and
disconnectthespark plug wire.
Removethe ignition keyon electric
start models.
Failureto follow this warning could
result in personalinjury.
LOADING AND UNLOADING
THE TILLER
WARNING: Loadingand
unloading thetiller into a
vehicleis potentially hazardous
andwedon't recommenddoing
so unlessabsolutelynecessary,
asthis could result in personal
injury or property damage.
However,if you must load or
unloadthe tiller, followthe
guidelinesgivennext.
• Beforeloading or unloading,stop the en-
gine,wait for all parts to stop moving,
disconnect the spark plugwire and letthe
engineand muffler cool.
• Thetiller istoo heavyand bulkyto lift
safelyby one person. Twoor more people
should sharethe load.
• Usesturdy ramps andmanually (engine
shut off) roll thetiller into and out of the
vehicle.Twoor more peopleare neededto
do this.
• Theramps must bestrong enoughto
support the combined weight of thetiller
and anyhandlers. The rampsshould pro-
videgoodtraction to preventslipping; they
should haveside railsto guide thetiller
along the ramps; andthey should havea
locking deviceto secure them to the
vehicle.
• Thehandlersshouldwearsturdyfootwear
that will helpto preventslipping.
• Positionthe loading vehicle so that the
ramp angle is asflat aspossible (the less
incline to the ramp, the better). Turnthe
vehicle's engineoff and apply its parking
brake.
• Whengoing up ramps, standin the
normal operating position and push the
tiller aheadofyou. Havea person ateach
sideto turn the wheels.
• Whengoing down ramps,walkbackward
with thetiller following you. Keepalertfor
anyobstacles behind you. Position a per-
son ateachwheelto control the speedof
thetiller. Nevergo down ramps tiller-first,
asthe tiller could tip forward.
• Placewoodenblocksonthedownhill side
of the wheels if you needto stop the tiller
from rolling downthe ramp. Also,usethe
blocksto temporarily keepthe tiller in
placeon the ramps (if necessary),andto
chockthe wheels in placeafter the tiller is
in the vehicle.
• Afterloading the tiller, prevent it from
rolling byengagingthe wheels in the
WHEELDRIVEposition. Chockthe wheels
with blocksandsecurelytiethetiller down.
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