Craftsman 917.299011 Owner's Manual page 10

7. If the choke lever has been moved to
the "ON" position to start the engine,
gradually move it to the opposite posti-
ion as the engine warms up.
NOTE: A warm engine requires less
choking to start.
8. Move throttle control to desired running
position.
9. Allow engine to warm up for a few
minutes before engaging tines.
NOTE: If engine does not start, see trou-
bleshooting points.
Fuel Valve
Spark
Throttle
Choke
Control
Recoil Starter
Engine
Switch
BREAKING IN YOUR TILLER
Break-in your belt(s), pulleys and tine con-
trol before you actually begin tilling.
• Start engine, tip tines 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 Adjustments
section of this manual.
TILLING HINTS
_I_,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 condition. (The harder or wetter
the ground, the slower the engine and tine
speed needed. Under these poor condi-
tions, at fast speed the tiller will run and
jump over the ground).
A properly adjusted tiller will dig with little
effort from the operator.
10
• 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 vegeta-
tion. The decomposition of this vegeta-
ble 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 mois-
tened 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 if you
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 negoti-
ate 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.
//
//
//i
//
//
//
7