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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.Tilling vertically on a
slopeallows maximumplantingareaandalso leavesroomfor cultivating.
IMPORTANT:Whentilling onslopes,besurethe correct oil levelis maintainedin the engine
(checkeveryone-halfhour of operation).Theinclineof the slopewill causethe oil to slant
awayfrom its normallevelandthis canstarveenginepartsof requiredlubrication. Keepthe
motor oil levelat the full point atall times!
WAHNING: Do not
operatetiller on aslope too
steepfor safe operation.Till
slowly and besureyou have
good footing. Neverpermit
tiller to freewheeldown
slopes. Failureto follow this
warning could result in
personal injury.
Tilling Upand DownSlopes(Vertical Tilling)
• To keepsoil erosionto aminimum, besureto addenoughorganicmatterto the soil sothat it hasgoodmoisture-holdingtexture andtry
to avoid leavingfootprints or wheelmarks.
• Whentilling vertically,tryto makethefirst passuphillas thetiller digs moredeeplygoing uphillthan it doesdownhill.In soft soil or weeds,
you mayhaveto lift the handlebarsslightlywhile going uphill.Whengoingdownhill, overlapthefirst passby aboutone-halfthe width of
the tiller.
Clearingthe Tines
Thetineshavea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmosttanglingof debrisinthe
tines.However,occasionallydrygrass,stringystalksortoughvinesmaybecometan-
gled.Followtheseproceduresto helpavoidtanglingandto cleanthe tines,if neces-
sary.
•Toreducetangling,setthedepthregulatordeepenoughto getmaximum"chopping"
actionas thetines chopthe materialagainstthe ground.Also,try to till undercrop
residuesor covercropswhiletheyaregreen,moistandtender.
• Whiletilling,try swayingthehandlebarsfrom sideto side (about6"to 12").This
"fishtailing"actionoftenclearsthe tinesof debris.
• Iftanglingoccurs,lift thetinesoutof the soilandrunthetiller in reverse(if unit is
equippedwith poweredreverse)forafewfeet.Thisreversingactionshouldunwinda
gooddealof debris.
• It may benecessaryto removethe debris by hand(a
pocketknifewill helpyou to cut awaythe material). Be
sure to stop the engineand disconnect the sparkplug
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 personal injury.
Loading andUnloadingtheTiller
,_ WARNING: Loadingand
unloadingthetillerintoavehicleis
potentiallyhazardousandwedon't
recommenddoingso unless
absolutelynecessary,asthiscould
resultinpersonalinjuryor
propertydamage.
However,if you mustloador
unloadthetiller,followthe
guidelinesgivennext.
• Beforeloadingor unloading,stopthe engine,
waitfor allpartsto stopmoving,
disconnectthe sparkplugwireandletthe en-
gineandmufflercool.
• Thetilleris tooheavyandbulkytolift safely
by oneperson.Twoor morepeopleshould
sharethe load.
• Use sturdy ramps andmanually (engineshut
off) roll the tiller into and out of the
vehicle. Two or more people areneededto do
this.
• Theramps must bestrong enoughto support
the combined weight of the tiller and any han-
dlers. Theramps should provide good traction
to prevent slipping; they should have side rails
to guidethe tiller along the ramps; and they
should havea locking deviceto securethemto
the
vehicle.
• Thehandlersshouldwearsturdyfootwearthat
will helpto preventslipping.
• Positionthe loading vehicle sothat the ramp
angleis as flat as possible (the less inclineto
the ramp, the better). Turnthe
vehicle's engineoff and apply its parking brake.
• When going up ramps, stand in the
normal operating position and push the tiller
ahead of you. Havea personat eachside to
turn the wheels.
• When going down ramps, walk backward
with the tiller following you. Keepalert for any
obstacles behindyou. Position a personat
eachwheel to control the speedof the tiller.
Nevergo down ramps tiller-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 keep the tiller in place onthe
ramps (if necessary),and to chockthe wheels
in place after the tiller is in the vehicle.
• After loadingthe tiller, prevent it from rolling
by engaging the wheels in the WHEELDRIVE
position. Chockthe wheelswith blocksand se-
curely tie the tiller down.
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