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Stand on the left side of the tiller. Use your right hand to
hold the Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever up into REVERSE
position. Use your left hand to move the belt off the
top-front engine pulley groove to top-rear engine pulley
groove. See Fig. 4-9.
Go to the right side of tiller and finish seating the belt.
Still holding the lever up in REVERSE position, and working
from the left side of the tiller, move the belt from the lower
front transmission groove to the lower rear transmission
groove.
Go to the right side of the tiller and finish seating the belt.
See Fig. 4-10.
Check that the belt is fully seated in the pulley grooves.
Check this from both sides of the tiller.
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Clearing the Tines
The tines have a self-clearing action which helps to eliminate
most tangling of debris. However, occasionally dry grass,
stringy stalks or tough vines may become tangled. Follow these
procedures to help avoid tangling and to clear the tines, if
necessary.
To reduce tangling, set the Depth Regulator deep enough
to get maximum “chopping” action as the tines chop the
material against the ground. Also, try to till under crop
residues or cover crops while they are green, moist and
tender.
While power composting, try swaying the handlebars from
side to side (about 6” to 12”). This “fishtailing” action often
clears the tines of debris.
It may be necessary to remove the debris by hand (a
pocket knife will help you to cut away the material).
WARNING! Before clearing the tines by hand, stop
the engine, allow all moving parts to stop and
disconnect the spark plug wire. Failure to follow this
warning could result in personal injury.
Tilling Tips & Techniques
Let the Tiller Do the Work
While tilling, relax and let the wheels pull the tiller along
while the tines do the digging. Walk on the side that is not
yet finished to avoid making footprints in the freshly tilled
soil and lightly, but securely grip the handlebar with just
one hand. Refer to Fig. 4-3.
Avoid pushing down on the handlebars in an attempt to
force the tiller to dig deeper. Doing so takes the weight
off the powered wheels, causing them to lose traction.
Without the wheels helping to hold the tiller back, the
tines will attempt to propel the tiller — often causing
the tiller to skip rapidly across the ground. Sometimes,
slight downward pressure on the handlebars will help get
through a particularly tough section of sod or unbroken
ground, but in most cases this won’t be necessary.
Tilling Depths
Avoid trying to dig too deeply too quickly, especially when
busting sod or tilling soil that hasn’t been tilled for some
time. Use shallow depth settings (only an inch or two deep)
for the first passes through the garden area. With each
succeeding pass, adjust the depth regulator to dig another
inch or two deeper. Watering the garden area a few days
prior to tilling will make tilling easier, as will letting the
newly worked soil set for a day or two before making a
final, deep tilling pass.
When cultivating — breaking up the surface soil around
plants to help destroy weeds — use very shallow depth
settings to prevent injury to plants whose roots often grow
close to the surface. If needed, lift up on the handlebars
slightly to prevent the tines from digging too deeply.
Cultivating on a regular basis not only eliminates weeds,
it also loosens and aerates the soil for better moisture
absorption and faster plant growth.
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Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever
Top-Rear Gear
Top-Front Gear
Figure 4-9
Belt
Lower-Rear Groove
Lower-Front Groove
Figure 4-10
18 sectiOn 5— OperatiOn