Craftsman 917.986940 Owner's Manual page 11

BREAKING
iN YOUR TILLER
Break-in your belt(s), pulleys and tine control
before you actually begin tilling.
• Start engine, tip tines off ground by press-
ing handles down and engagetine control
to start tine rotation. Allow tines to rotate
for five minutes.
• Check tine operation and adjust if neces-
sary. See "TINE OPERATION CHECK" in
the Service and Adjustments section of
this manual.
TILLING HINTS
_k, CAUTION: Until you are accustomed to
handling your tiller, start actual field use with
throttle in slow position.
To help tiller move forward, lift 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
wheels 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 soil condi-
tion. (The harder or wetter the ground, the
slower the engine and tine speed needed.
Under these poor conditions, at fast speed
the tiller 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"-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
tilling. Tines will not readily penetrate
dry, hard soil which may contribute to
excessive bounce and difficult handling of
your tiller. Hard soil should be moistened
before tilling; however, extremely wet soil
will "ball-up" or clump during tilling. Wait
until the soil is less wet in order to achieve
the best results. When tilling in the fall,
remove vines and long grass to prevent
them from wrapping around the tine shaft
and slowing your tilling operation.
• You will find tilling much easier ifyou leave
a row untilled between passes. Then go
back between tilled rows 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
shallow tilling when working extremely
hard soil or sod. Then work across the
first cuts at normal depth.
CU LTIVATI NG
Cultivating is destroying the weeds between
rows to prevent them from robbing nourish-
ment and moisture from the plants. At the
same time, breaking up the upper layer of
soil crust will help retain moisture in the soil.
Best digging depth is 1"-3".
• You will 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.
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