Troy-Bilt Pro line 675B-Pony Operator's Manual page 14

TILLINGTIPS& TECHNIQUES
Tilling Depths
_'i, WARNING: Before
A_LL tilling, €°ntact y°ur
_ B te ephone or ut t es
company and inquire if
underground equipment or
lines are used on your
property. Do not till near
buried electric cables,
telephone lines, pipes or
hoses.
• This is a CRT(counter-rotatingtine) tiller. As the wheelspull forward, the tines rotateback-
ward. This createsan "uppercut"tine action which digs deeply,uprooting soil and weeds.
Don't overloadthe engine,but dig as deeplyas possibleon each pass. On later passes,the
wheelsmay tendto spin in the soft dirt. Helpthem along by lifting up slightly on the handle-
bar (one hand,palm up, works most easily).
• Avoidthe temptationto pushdown on the handlebarsin an attemptto force the tiller to dig
deeper.Doing so takesthe weight oft the poweredwheels,causingthem to losetraction.
Without the wheelsto hold thetiller back,thetines will attempt to propelthetiller backward,
towardsthe operator. (Sometimes,slight downwardpressureon the handlebars will help get
through a particularlytough sectionof sodor unbrokenground, but in mostcasesthis won't
be necessary.)
• Whencultivating (breakingup surfacesoil around plantsto destroyweeds,seeFig. 4-9), a just the tines to dig only t'_to 2"deep. Using
shallow tilling depths helps prevent injury to plants whose roots often grow close to the surface. If needed,!ift up on the handlebars
slightlyto preventthe tines from diggingtoo deeply. (Cultivatingon a regular basisnot only eliminatesweeds,it also!oosensand aerates
thesoil for better moistureabsorptionand faster plantgrowth.) Wateringthegardenareaa few days prior to tilling will maketilling easier,
aswill letting the newly worked soil set for a day or two beforemakinga final, deeptilling pass.
Choosing C orrect W heel&TineSpeeds Withexperience, youwillfindthe"justright" tillingdepth and tillingspeed combination
that is best for Yourgarden.
Setthe enginethrottle leverat a speedto give the engineadequatepowerand yet allow it to operateat the slowest possiblespeed...atleast
until you haveachievedthe maximumtilling depthyou desire. Fasterenginespeedsmay be desirablewhen makingfinal passesthrough
the seedbedor whencultivating.Selectionof the correct enginespeed,in relationto the tilling depth,will ensurea sufficient power levelto
do the jobwithout causingthe engineto labor.
Let the Tiller Dothe Work
Whiletilling, relaxand letthewheels pull the
tiller along while the tines do the digging.
Walk on the sidethat is not yet finished (to
avoid makingfootprints in the freshly tilled
soil) and lightly, but securelygrip the han-
dlebarwith just one hand,
Avoid MakingFootprints
Whenever possible, walk on the untilled
side of the unitto avoid makingfootprints in
your freshly tilled or cultivated soil. Foot-
prints causesoil compactionthat can ham-
per root penetration and contribute to soil
erosion. They can also !'plant" unwanted
weed seeds back into the freshly tilled
ground.
AvoidTilling Soggy,Wet Soil
Tilling wet soil often results in large, hard
clumps of soil that can interfere with plant-
ing. If time permits, wait a day or two after
heavy rains to allow the soil to dry before
tilling. Testsoil by squeezingit intoa ball. If
it compressestoo easily,it is too wet to till.
PreparingSeedbeds
• When preparing a seedbed,go over the same path twice in the first row, then
overlapone-half the tiller width on the rest of the passes(see Fig. 6). When fin-
ishedin one direction, makea second passat a right angle, as shown in Fig.4-7.
Overlapeach passfor best results (in very hard ground, it may take three or four
passesto thoroughly pulverize the soil.)
• If the gardensizewill not permit lengthwiseand then crosswisetilling, then over-
lapthe first passesbyone-halfatiller
Eig. 4-8
Fig.4-6 Fig.4-7
Cultivating
With planning, you can _.Rr_ _.Rr.
allow enough room ___ _z._'"-_ -
betweenrowstocultivate _ _
(seeFig,4-9). Leaveroom _ _
for the hood width, _ _
plus enough extra
room for future plant Fig. 4-9
growth.
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