Setting The Depth; Tilling Tips & Techniques - Craftsman 247.23000 Operator's Manual

SETTING THE DEPTH
i
i Be certain sparkplug wireis disconnected and groundedagainstthe
enginewhenperforminganyadjustments.
Tillingdepthis controlled bythedepthstakewhichcanbeadjusted to five
different s ettings.Adjust t he sideshields as youadjustthedepthstake.
• Whenusingthe tillerfor the firsttime, usethe secondadjustment
hole from the top(1"of tillingdepth).
• Whenbreakingup sod and for shallowcultivation,usethe setting
which gives 1"of tilling depth(secondhole fromthe top). Place
the side shieldsintheir lowestposition.
• Forfurtherdepth, raisethe depthstakeand side shieldsand also
makeone or two morepassesoverthearea.
• Whentillingloosesoil, the depthstakemay be raisedto its
highestposition(use bottomadjustmenthole) to givethe deepest
tillingdepth. Raisethe sideshieldsto their highestposition.
• Totransporttiller,lowerthedepthstake(usetopadjustment h ole).
Toadjustthe depth stake,removethe clevispin and cotterpin. Move
the depthstaketo thedesiredsettingand securewith the clevispin
and cotterpin. See Figure16.
Cotter
/
De_
Stake
Wing Nut
Shield
Figure16
Toadjustthe sideshields,removethe wingnuts.Movethe side shield
to the desiredpositionand replacethewing nuts.Tightensecurely.
See Figure13.
TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Beforetilling, contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyand inquire
l ifunderground equipmentor linesare usedon yourproperty.Do not
[till near buriedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.
Tilling Depth
• Don'toverloadthe engine,butdig as deeplyas possibleon each
pass.On laterpasses,the wheelsmay tendto spin inthe soft dirt.
Helpthem along by lifting up slightlyon the handlebar(one hand,
palmup, worksmosteasily).
14
Avoidthe temptationto pushdownon the handlebarsin an
attemptto force the tillerto dig deeper.Doingsotakesthe weight
off the poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Without
thewheelsto holdthe tiller back,thetines will attemptto propel
towardstheoperatoror awayfrom theoperator.
Whencultivating (breakingup thesurfacesoilaroundthe plants
todestroyweeds,SeeFigure17),adjustthetines to digonly 1"to
2"deep.Usingthe shallow tillingdepthhelpspreventinjury to the
plantswhoserootsoftengrowclosetothe surface.If needed,lift
up on the handlebars slightlyto preventthetinesfromdiggingtoo
deeply.(Cultivating on a regularbasisnotonlyeliminates weeds,it
alsoloosens and aeratesthesoil forbettermoistureabsorption and
fasterplantgrowth.)Watering thegardenarea a few dayspriorto
tillingwillmaketillingeasier,as willlettingthenewlyworkedsoilset
fora dayor two beforemakinga final,deep tillingpass.
Figure17
Choosing the Correct Wheel & Tine Speeds
Withexperience, you willfindthetillingdepthand tillingspeedcombina-
tionthat isbestfor yourgarden.Setthe enginethrottleleverat a speed
togivetheengineadequatepowerandyet allowit tooperateatthe slow-
est possible speeduntilyou haveachieved the maximum tillingdepth
youdesire.Fasterenginespeedsmay be desirable whenmakingfinal
passesthroughtheseedbedor whencultivating.Selection ofthe correct
enginespeed,in relationto thetillingdepth,willensurea sufficientpower
levelto do thejobwithoutcausingtheengineto labor.