Manual

Section4: Operation
TillingTips& Techniques
Clearing the tines
The tines have a self-clearing action
which helps toeliminate most tangling
of debris. However,occasionally dry
grass, stringy stalks or tough vines may
becometangled.
Followtheseprocedures to help avoid
tanglingandto clear the tines, if
necessary.
Figure 4.18
B.TerraceGardening:
• Whena slope istoosteep or too short
for verticaltilling, it may be necessary
to tillacross the slope and create
terracedrows. Terracesare rows that
are cut intothe side of a slope,creating
a narrow, but flat areaon whichto
plant.
• On a long slope, you can makeseveral
terraces, one below the other.
• Terracesshould beonly 2-to-3 feet
wide. Digging too far into theside of
the slope will expose poor subsoil that
is unproductive for plants.
• To createa terrace, start at the top of
the slope andwork down, Go backand
forth across the first row as shown in
Figure 4-18,
• Eachsucceeding lower terrace is
started by walking below the terrace
you're preparing. Foradded stability of
the tiller, always keep the uphill wheel
in the soft, newlytilled soil. Do not till
the last 12" or more of the downhill
outside edge of each terrace. This
untilled strip helps prevents the
terraces from breaking apart and
washing downhill. It also provides a
walking path betweenrows.
C. Tillingacrossslopes
withoutterracing
• If vertical or terracinggardening aren't
practical for you, then you can till
laterallyacross a slope, We don't
really recommend this method as it
can create unsure footing and invites
soil erosion.
• Study the terrain to makecertain the
slope is not too steepfor safetilling.
If possible, maketerracedrows or till
vertically.
• Move the belt into LOW belt range and
theWheel SpeedGearLever to SLOW
position. As in terracegardening, start
at the top of the slope and overlap the
first pass by half the width of the tiller.
Foraddedstability, keep the uphill
wheel in the soft, newly tilled soil. Each
succeeding terraced areais started by
walking belowthe terrace you are
preparing (Figure 4-19).
Beforeclearing the tines byhand, stop
the engine, allow all moving parts to
stop and disconnect the spark plug
wire. Failure to follow this warning
couldresultin personal injury.
• To reduce tangling, setthe Depth
Regulatordeepenough 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 handlebarsfrom side to side (about
6" to 12"). This "fishtailing" action
often clearsthetinesof debris.
• It may be necessaryto removethe
debris by hand (apocket knife will help
you to cut awaythe material).
Figure 4.19: Make a terrace in just 4
or 5 passes with the tiller.
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