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TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES(CON'T)
TillingOn Slopes
Readthe followingrecommendationsbeforetilling on slopes:
Ifyou must gardenon a moderateslope,pleasefollow two very importantguidelines:
1.Tillonly on moderateslopes,neveronsteepgroundwherefooting isdifficult (reviewsafe-
ty rulesin Section1:Safetyof this manual).
2. We recommendtilling up and down slopes ratherthan terracing. Tillingvertically on a
slopeallows maximumplantingareaandalso leavesroomfor cultivating.
IMPORTANT:Whentilling onslopes, besurethe correctoil levelis maintainedin theengine
(checkeveryone-halfhour of operation).Theinclineof the slopewill causethe oil to slant
awayfrom its normallevelandthis can starveenginepartsof requiredlubrication.Keepthe
motor oil levelat thefull pointatall times!
WAHNING: Donot
operatetiller on aslopetoo
steepfor safe operation.Till
slowly and besureyou have
good footing. Neverpermit
tiller to freewheeldown
slopes.Failureto follow this
warning could result in
personalinjury.
Tilling Upand DownSlopes(VerticalTilling)
• Tokeepsoil erosionto aminimum, besureto addenoughorganicmatterto the soil sothat it hasgoodmoisture-holdingtextureandtry
to avoidleavingfootprints or wheelmarks.
• Whentilling vertically,tryto makethe first passuphillas thetiller digsmoredeeplygoing uphillthanitdoesdownhill.In softsoil or weeds,
youmayhaveto lift the handlebarsslightlywhile going uphill.Whengoingdownhill, overlapthefirst passby aboutone-halfthewidth of
thetiller.
Clearingthe Tines
Thetineshavea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmosttanglingof debrisinthe
tines.However,occasionallydrygrass,stringystalksortoughvinesmaybecometan-
gled.Followtheseproceduresto helpavoidtanglingandto cleanthetines,if neces-
sary.
•Toreducetangling,setthedepthregulatordeepenoughtogetmaximum"chopping"
actionasthetines chopthe materialagainstthe ground.Also,try to till undercrop
residuesor covercropswhiletheyaregreen,moistandtender.
• Whiletilling,try swayingthehandlebarsfrom sideto side(about6"to 12").This
"fishtailing"actionoftenclearsthetinesofdebris.
• Iftanglingoccurs,lift thetinesoutof thesoilandrunthetiller in reverse(if unitis
equippedwith poweredreverse)forafewfeet.Thisreversingactionshouldunwinda
gooddealofdebris.
• It may benecessaryto removethe debris by hand(a
pocketknifewill helpyou to cut awaythe material).Be
sure to stop the engineanddisconnect thesparkplug
wire beforeclearing the tines by hand.
WARNING: Beforeclearing the
tines byhand,stop the engine,allow all
moving partsto stop anddisconnect the
spark plug wire. Removethe ignition key
on electric start models.
Failureto follow this warning could result
in personalinjury.
Loading andUnloadingtheTiller
,_ WARNING: Loadingand
unloadingthetiller intoavehicleis
potentiallyhazardousandwedon't
recommenddoingsounless
absolutelynecessary,asthiscould
resultinpersonalinjuryor
propertydamage.
However,ifyou mustloador
unloadthetiller,followthe
guidelinesgivennext.
• Beforeloadingor unloading,stoptheengine,
waitfor allpartsto stopmoving,
disconnectthesparkplugwireandletthe en-
gineandmufflercool.
• Thetilleristoo heavyandbulkytolift safely
byoneperson.Twoor morepeopleshould
sharethe load.
• Use sturdy ramps and manually (engineshut
off) roll the tiller into and out of the
vehicle. Two or morepeople areneededto do
this.
• Therampsmust bestrong enoughto support
the combined weight of the tiller and any han-
dlers. Theramps should provide good traction
to prevent slipping; they shouldhave siderails
to guide the tiller along the ramps; and they
should havealocking deviceto securethemto
the
vehicle.
• Thehandlersshouldwearsturdyfootwearthat
will helpto preventslipping.
• Position the loading vehicle so that the ramp
angleis as flat as possible(the less inclineto
the ramp,the better).Turnthe
vehicle'sengineoff andapply its parking brake.
• When going up ramps, stand in the
normal operating position and pushthe tiller
ahead of you. Havea person at each sideto
turn the wheels.
• When going down ramps,walk backward
with thetiller following you. Keepalertfor any
obstacles behindyou. Positiona person at
eachwheel to control the speedof the tiller.
Nevergo down rampstiller-first, asthe tiller
could tip forward.
• Placewooden blocks on the downhill side of
the wheels if you needto stop the tiller from
rolling down the ramp. Also, use the blocks to
temporarily keepthe tiller in place onthe
ramps (if necessary),and to chockthe wheels
in place after the tiller is in thevehicle.
• After loadingthe tiller, prevent it from rolling
byengaging the wheels in the WHEELDRIVE
position. Chockthe wheelswith blocksandse-
curely tie the tiller down.
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