Tilling In The Garden - Troy-Bilt Horse Owner's Manual

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merely push the throttle lever all the way for-·
ward (to right) until it engages the shutoff clip.
For the Kohler engine, push in the Stop Sutton
on the engine and hold it in.
. PLEASE REMEMBER TO READ the complete
turning around instructions on this page be-
fore you operate your tiller in the garden.
TILLING IN THE GARDEN
When you start to till in the garden, remember
to take it easy. Use the low wheel speed for
breaking in new ground. Do not try to take too
deep a cut in the first pass through sod or hard
ground, or soil that has not been tilled for sev-
eral months or years. Go over the same path
twice in the initial row, then lap % on succeed-
ing passes. When tilling under sod or rows of
corn, if there is even the slightest slope, make
the first passes uphill. In most solis, it's best to·
start out at the second or third notch of the
depth regulator
tq
break through the upper
surfaces of the soil. An alternate method is to
set the depth regulator as deep as you can
without the tiller "jumping" when it comes to
hard spots or medium size stones.
Now position the tiller at the beginning of a
row of your garden that you want to till. Have
the depth regulator at the second or third notch,
put the Forward/Reverse Lever in the Neutral
position, start the engine and roll the tiller back
and forth a few. inches until you are able to
push the Wheel Speed Shift Lever into low
gear. Then you are ready to start tilling in the
garden. .
Push down on the -Forward/Neutral/Reverse.
Lever and start tilling. Just let the wheels pull
the machine along as the tines do the digging.
Don't lean on the handlebars because this takes
weight off the front of the wheels, reduces trac-
tion and causes the tines to attempt to propel
the tiller instead of just digging.
TURNING AROUND
When you reach the end of the first row, slow
the engine down with the throttle and lift the
handlebars to raise the tines out of the ground.
Then shift the Forward/Reverse Lever into
Neutral Position. Tilt the Troy-Silt forward
far enough to gain perfect balance before start-
ing your turn as shown in Photo 5/6A. If there's
any secret to turning, it's right here. Raise
the handlebars high enough so that the weight
Of the engine out front balances the weight of
the tines in the rear. Tines are usually a foot and
a half off the ground at this point.
To make the turn, shift the clutch lever into
Forward position-holding the handlebars up to
balance the weight-and push the handlebars
to the right (or left) so that the tiller swings
around in the direction you wish to turn (pivot-
ing it around). See Photo 5/6S and Photo 5/6C.
It should take very little effort to swing ttJe til-
ler around easily as the wheels drive your Troy-
Silt and do m·ost of the turning. (It could prove
more difficult on uneven terrain when turning
in the uphill direction.)
Using reverse tiller motion, (in low speed) as
shown in Photo 5/60, permits you to turn
within a 3-foot radius in close quarters. Do so,
by keeping handlebars high in air, balancing
tiller weight, and use Forward/Neutral/Re-
verse Lever to back up briefly. This will allow
you more room to go forward and continue
your swing around. Caution: Don't let yourself
be backed into a solid obstruction like a tree,
garage door, or fence.
Make sure that you have the depth regUlator
set at the depth you want and the tines are in
line with the path you wish to till. It is best in
tilling sod to overlap each row about ten inches
until you have the garden well busted up and.
the soil pulverized.
As you can see by the photos arid after you
have tried -it in the garden, turning your Troy-
Silt Horse Model around is simple and easily
done once you get used to controlling the bal-
ance on the pivot point, operating the shift lever
and letting the power driven wheels do the work.
Soth wheels on your Troy-Silt Tiller turn a-
round at the same rate of speed because your
tiller is designed with a soljd axle providing
equal power to both wheels. This makes it pos-
sible for the wheels to hold the tiller back while
the tines are digging-one of the most valu-
able features of your Troy-Silt Roto Tiller-Pow-
er Com poster. The Troy-Silt Horse Model's
transmission is simpler, less expensive initially
and less costly to maintain than a separate tine
clutch and transmission, or a differential or
transaxle for differences in wheel turning
speeds.