Clearing The Tines; Tilling Tips & Techniques - Craftsman 247.29933 Operator's Manual

CLEARING
THE TINES
Beforeclearingthetines by hand,stop theengine,allowall moving
parts to stop and disconnectthe sparkplug wire. Failureto followthis
warningcouldresult in personalinjury.
• Thetines havea self-clearingaction whicheliminatesmostof the
tanglingof debris. However, o ccasionally dry grass,stringystalks
or tough vinesmay becometangled.Followthese procedures to
help avoidtanglingand to clearthe tines, ifnecessary.
• To reducetangling,set thedepth regulatordeep enoughto get
maximum"chopping"actionas the tines chopthe materialagainst
the ground.Also, try to till undercrop residuesor covercrops
whilethey are green,moistand tender.
• Whiletilling,try swayingthe handlebarsfrom sideto side(about
6" to 12").This "fishtailing" action oftenclears the tinesof debris.
TILLING TiPS & TECHNIQUES
Beforetilling, contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyand inquire
l ifunderground equipmentor linesare usedon yourproperty.Do not
[till near buriedelectriccables,telephonelines, pipesor hoses.
Tilling Depth
• This isa DDT(dual-direction tine)tiller.Asthewheelspullforward,
thetines rotatebackward. A s thewheelspull rearward, t he tines
rotate forward.Thiscreatesan "uppercut" f ineactionwhichdigs
deeply,uprootingsoilandweeds.Don'toverloadtheengine,butdig
as deeplyas possible on eachpass On laterpasses,thewheels
maytendto spinin the softdirt. Helpthem alongbyliftingup
slightlyon thehandlebar(onehand,palmup,worksmosteasily).
• Avoidthetemptationto pushdown on the handlebarsin an
attemptto force thetiller to dig deeper.Doingso takesthe weight
off the poweredwheels,causingthem to losetraction.Without
the wheelsto hold the tillerback,the tines will attemptto propel
towardsthe operatoror awayfrom the operator.
Whencultivating (breakingup thesurfacesoilaroundthe plants
todestroyweeds,SeeFigure15),adjustthe tinesto dig only1"to
2"deep.Usingthe shallow tillingdepthhelpspreventinjury to the
plantswhoserootsoftengrowclosetothe surface.If needed,lift
up on the handlebars slightlyto preventthetinesfromdiggingtoo
deeply.(Cultivating on a regularbasisnotonlyeliminates weeds,it
alsoloosens and aeratesthesoil forbettermoistureabsorption and
fasterplantgrowth.)Watering thegardenarea a few dayspriorto
tillingwillmaketillingeasier,as willlettingthenewlyworkedsoilset
fora dayor two beforemakinga final,deep tillingpass.
,j
Figure15
Choosing the Correct Wheel & Tine Speeds
Withexperience, you willfindthetillingdepthand tillingspeedcombina-
tionthat isbestfor yourgarden.Setthe enginethrottleleverat a speed
togivetheengineadequatepowerandyet allowit tooperateatthe slow-
est possible speeduntilyou haveachieved the maximum tillingdepth
youdesire.Fasterenginespeedsmay be desirable whenmakingfinal
passesthroughtheseedbedor whencultivating.Selection ofthe correct
enginespeed,inrelationto thetillingdepth,willensurea sufficientpower
levelto do thejobwithoutcausingtheengineto labor.
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