Manual

TiLLiNG TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Beforetilling,contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyandinquire
l ifundergroundequipmentor linesareusedon yourproperty.Do not
[till nearburiedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.
Tilling Depth
o Thisisa FRT(forward-rotatingfine) tiller.Whenthe forwardtine
engagementleveris pressedagainstthe handlethe tinesrotate
forward.Thiscreatesan "uppercut"fineactionwhichdigsdeeply,
uprootingsoiland weeds.Don'toverloadthe engine,butdigas
deeplyas possibleon eachpass.
Whencultivating(breakingupthesurfacesoilaroundthe plants
to destroyweeds,SeeFigure18),try to havethe tinesonlydig1"
to 2" deep.Usingthe shallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjuryto
the plantswhoserootsoftengrowcloseto thesurface.If needed,
lift upon the handlebarsslightlyto preventthe tinesfromdigging
too deeply.(Cultivatingona regularbasisnot onlyeliminates
weeds,italsoloosensandaeratesthesoilfor bettermoisture
absorptionandfasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthe gardenareaa
fewdayspriorto tillingwill maketilling easier,as will lettingthe
newlyworkedsoil setfora dayortwo beforemakinga final,deep
tillingpass.
f -
_ J
Figure18
Choosing the Correct Tine Speed
Withexperience,youwill find thetillingdepthand tillingspeed
combinationthatis bestforyourgarden.Setthe enginethrottleleverat
a speedto givethe engineadequatepowerandyetallowit to operate
at the slowestpossiblespeeduntilyouhaveachievedthemaximum
tillingdepthyou desire.Fasterenginespeedsmaybedesirable
whenmakingfinal passesthroughthe seedbedor whencultivating.
Selectionof thecorrectenginespeed,in relationto thetillingdepth,
will ensurea sufficientpowerlevelto dothe jobwithoutcausingthe
engineto labor.
Suggested Tilling Patterns
• Whenpreparinga seedbed,go overthe samepathtwice inthe
first row,then overlapone-halfthe tiller widthon the restof the
passes.See Figure19.
f
Whenfinishedin onedirection,makea secondpassat a right
angle,SeeFigure20.Overlapeach passfor the bestresults(in
very hardground,itmaytakethreeor fourpassesto thoroughly
pulverizethe soil.)
r
Figure 20
J
14