Troy-Bilt 700 Series Operator's Manual page 13

Tilling Tips & Techniques
Tilling Depth
WARNING!
Before tilling, contact your telephone or
utilities company and inquire if underground equipment/
lines are used on your property. Do not till near buried
electric cables, telephone lines, pipes or hoses.
• When cultivating (breaking up the surface soil around the
plants to destroy weeds, see Figure 5-6), adjust the tines to
dig only 1" to 2" deep. Using the shallow tilling depth helps
prevent injury to the 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.) 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.
Figure 5-6
Suggested Tilling Patterns
• When preparing a seedbed overlap one-half the tiller width
on each the passes. See Figure 5-7.
Figure 5-7
• When finished in one direction, make a second pass at a
right angle, as shown in Figure 5-8. Overlap each pass for
the best results (in very hard ground, it may take three or
four passes to thoroughly pulverize the soil.)
Figure 5-8
Tilling on a Slope
WARNING!
Do not operate the tiller on a slope too
steep for safe operation. Till slowly and be sure you
have good footing. Never permit the tiller to
freewheel down slopes. Failure to follow this
warning could result in personal injury.
1. Till only on moderate slopes, never on steep ground where
the footing is difficult.
2. Tilling up and down slopes is recommended over terracing.
Tilling vertically on a slope allows maximum planting area
and also leaves room for cultivating.
NOTE: When tilling on slopes, be sure the correct oil level
is maintained in the engine (check every one-half hour
of operation). The incline of the slope will cause the oil to
slant away from its normal level and this can starve engine
parts of required lubrication. Keep the motor oil level at the
full point at all times.
Tilling Up and Down a Slope
1. To keep soil erosion to a minimum, be sure to add enough
organic matter to the soil so that it has good moisture-holding
texture and try to avoid leaving footprints or wheel marks.
2. When tilling vertically, try to make the first pass uphill as the
tiller digs more deeply going uphill than it does downhill.
In soft soil or weeds, you may have to lift the handlebars
slightly while going uphill. When going downhill, overlap the
first pass by about one-half the width of the tiller.
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