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TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES(CON'T)
TerraceGardening(continued)
• Tocreateaterrace,startat the topof the slopeandwork down.Gobackandforth
acrossthefirst row asshownin Fig.4-10.
• Eachsucceedinglowerterraceisstartedbywalking belowthe terraceyou're pre-
paring.Foraddedstabilityofthetiller,alwayskeepthe uphillwheelinthe soft,new-
ly tilled soil. Donot till the last 12" or more of the downhill 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 of debris in
thetines. However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalksor toughvinesmaybe-
cometangled.Follow theseproceduresto helpavoidtangling and to cleanthe
tines,if necessary.
• It maybenecessaryto removethedebrisby hand
(a pocketknifewill helpyou to cut awaythe mate-
rial).Besure to stopthe engineanddisconnectthe
sparkplugwirebeforeclearingthetines by hand.
• Toreducetangling,setthedepthregulatordeepenoughto getmaximum"chop-
ping" actionasthetineschopthe materialagainstthe ground.Also,try to till un-
dercrop residuesor covercropswhile theyare green,moist andtender.
• While powercomposting,try swayingthe handlebarsfrom sideto side (about
6"to 12").This"fishtailing" actionoften clearsthe tines ofdebris.
• Iftanglingoccurs,lift thetinesout ofthe soilandrun thetiller in reverse(if unit
isequippedwith poweredreverse)for afewfeet.Thisreversingactionshouldun-
winda gooddealof debris.
WARNING: Beforeclearingthe
tines byhand, stop theengine,allow
all moving parts to 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 recommend doing
so unlessabsolutelynecessary,
asthis could result in personal
injury or property damage.
However,if you must load or
unloadthe tiller, follow the
guidelinesgiven next.
• Beforeloading or unloading, stop the en-
gine,wait for all parts to stop moving,
disconnect the spark plug wire and letthe
engine and muffler cool.
• Thetiller istoo heavyand bulky to lift
safelyby one person. Twoor more people
should sharethe load.
• Usesturdy ramps and manually (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 the tiller
and anyhandlers. The rampsshould pro-
videgoodtraction to preventslipping; they
should haveside rails to guide the tiller
along the ramps; andthey should havea
locking deviceto secure them to the
vehicle.
• Thehandlersshouldwearsturdyfootwear
that will helpto preventslipping.
• Position the loading vehicle so that the
ramp angle is asflat aspossible (the less
incline to the ramp, the better). Turnthe
vehicle's engine off and apply its parking
brake.
• Whengoing up ramps,stand in the
normal operating position and push the
tiller aheadofyou. Havea person ateach
sideto turn the wheels.
• When going down ramps,walkbackward
with thetiller following you. Keepalertfor
anyobstacles behind you. Position a per-
son ateach wheelto control the speedof
thetiller. Nevergo down ramps tiller-first,
asthe tiller could tip forward.
• Placewoodenblocks onthedownhill 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),and to
chockthe wheels in placeafter the tiller is
in the vehicle.
• After loading the tiller, prevent it from
rolling byengagingthe wheels in the
WHEELDRIVEposition. Chockthe wheels
with blocksandsecurelytiethe tiller down.
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