Craftsman 247.29932 Operator's Manual page 83

With experience, y ou will findthe tillingdepthand tilling speed
combinationthat is best for yourgarden.Set theengine throttleleverat
a speedtogive the engineadequatepowerand yet allowit tooperate
at the slowestpossiblespeeduntilyou haveachievedthe maximum
tillingdepthyoudesire. Fasterenginespeedsmay be desirable
whenmakingfinalpassesthroughthe seedbedor when cultivating.
Selectiond the correctenginespeed,in relationto the tillingdepth,
will ensurea sufficientpowerlevelto do thejob withoutcausingthe
engineto labor.
Suggested Tilling Patterns
• Whenpreparinga seedbed,go overthesame pathtwice in the
first row,thenoverlapone-halfthe tillerwidth on the rest of the
passes.See Figure13.
• Whenfinishedinone direction,makea secondpass at a right
angle,See Figure14.Overlapeach passfor the best results(in
very hard ground,itmay take threeor four passesto thoroughly
pulverizethe soil.)
• if thegarden sizewill not permitlengthwiseand then crosswise
tilling,then overlapthe firstpassesby one-halfa tillerwidth,fol-
lowedby successive passesat one-quarterwidth.See Figure15.
Tilling on a Slope
Donot operatethe tilleron a slopetoo steepfor safe operation.Till
slowlyand be sureyou havegood footing.Neverpermit thetiller to
freewheeldown slopes.Failureto follow this warningcouldresult in
personalinjury.
1. Tillonlyonmoderate slopes,neveronsteepground wherethefooting
is difficult.
2. Tillingup and downslopes is recommended overterracing.Tilling
verticallyon a slopeallowsmaximumplantingarea and also
leavesroomforcultivating.
NOTE:Whentilling on slopes,be surethe correctoil levelis main-
tainedin the engine (checkeveryone-halfhour of operation).The
inclineof the slopewillcause the oil to slant awayfrom its normal
leveland this can starveengineparts of requiredlubrication.Keepthe
motoroil levelat thefull pointat all times.
Figure13
iim_mlm Imlmlml_i
/ i
Figure14
Tilling Up and Down a Slope
1. Tokeepsoil erosionto a minimum,be sureto add enoughorganic
matterto the soilso that it hasgood moistureholding textureand
try to avoidleavingfootprintsor wheelmarks.
2. Whentillingvertically,try to makethe first pass uphillas the tiller
digs moredeeplygoing uphillthan it doesdownhill,in soft soilor
weeds,you may haveto lift the handlebarsslightlywhile goingup-
hill.Whengoing downhill,overlapthe first pass byaboutone-half
the widthof the tiller.
Terrace Gardening
15
Figure15