Cultivating; Tilling Hints - Craftsman 917.292360 Owner's Manual

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OPERATION
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HANDLE
FIG. 8
BREAKING IN YOUR TILLER
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• You will find tilling much easier if you leave a row
untilled between passes. Then go back over the entire
area at right angles (See Fig. 9), There are two reasons
for doing this. First, wide turns are much easier to
negotiate than about-faces. Second, the tiller won't be
pulling itself, and you, toward the row next to it.
• Set depth stake and wheel height for shaNow tilling
when working extremely hard soil or sod, Then work
across the first cuts at normal depth.
Break-in your belt(s), putfeys and tine control before you
actually begin tilting.
• Start engine, tip fines off ground by pressing handles
down and engage tine control to start tine rotation.
Allow tines to rotate for five minutes.
• Check tine operation and adjust if necessary. See
"TINE OPERATION CHECK" in the Service and Ad-
justments section of this manual.
TILLING HINTS
11
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l_ AUTION: Untilyouareaccustomedto
handling your tiller, start actual field
use with throttle in slow position (mid-
way between "FAST" and "IDLE").
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To help titler move forward, Iiff up the handles slightly (thus
lifting depth stake out of ground). To slow down the tiller,
press down on handles.
if you are straining or tiller is shaking, the wheets and depth
stake are not set properly in the soil being tilled. The proper
setting of the wheels and depth stake is through trial and
error and depends upon the soiFcondition. (The harder or
wetter the ground, the slower the engine and tine speed
needed. Under these poor conditions, at fast speed the tiJler
will run and jump over the ground).
A properly adjusted tiller will dig with little effort from the
operator.
° Tilling is digging into, turning over, and breaking up
packed soil before planting. Loose, unpacked soil
helps root growth. Best tilling depth is 4" to 6". A tiller
will also clear the soil of unwanted vegetation. The
decomposition of this vegetable matter enriches the
soil. Depending on the climate (rainfall and wind), it
may be advisable to till the soil at the end of the growing
season to further condition the soil.
• Soil conditions are important for proper titling. Tines witt
not readily penetrate dry, hard soil which may contrib-
ute to excessive bounce and difficult handling of your
tiller. Hard soil should be moistened before tilling;
however, extremely wet soil wilt "ball-up" or clump
during tii_ing. Wait until the soi! is less wet in order to
achieve the best results. When tiiling in the fail, remove
vines and tong grass to prevent them from wrapping
around the tine shaft and slowing your tillingoperation.
FIG. 9
CULTIVATING
Cultivating is destroying the weeds between rows to pre-
vent them from robbing nourishment and moisture from
the plants. At the same time, breaking up the upper layer
of soit crust will help retain moisture in the soil. Best
digging depth is 1" to 3".
• You win probably not need to use the depth stake.
Begin by tipping the depth stake forward until it is held-
by the stake spring.
• Cultivate up and down the rows at a speed which will
allow tines to uproot weeds and leave the ground in
rough condition, promoting no further growth of weeds
and grass (See Fig. 10).
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FIG. 10