Troy-Bilt 682J-Horse Operator's Manual page 23

Section4: Operation
DOWNHULL
Figure 4-18
8. Terrace 6ardening:
o When a stops is too steep or too short
for vertical tilIing, it may be necessary
to tiII across the slope and create
terraced rows. Terraces are rows that
are cut into the side of a slope, creating
a narrow, but flat area on which to
plant.
o On a iong siope, you can make several
terraces, one below the other.
o Terracesshould be onty 2-to-3 feet
wide. Digging too far into the side of
the siope will expose poor subsoii that
is unproductive for piants.
, To create a terrace, start at the top of
the siope and work down. Go back and
forth across the first row as shown in
Figure4-18.
o Eachsucceeding lower terrace is
started by walking below the terrace
you're preparing. For added stabiiity of
the tiiier, aiways keepthe uphiii wheel
in the soft, newiy tiiied soii. Do not tiff
the iast 12"or more of the downhiil
outside edge of each terrace. This
untiiied strip hetps prevents the
terraces from breaking apart and
washing downhiiL it also provides a
walking path between rows.
C. Tilling across elopes
without terracing
o if verticai or terracing gardening aren't
practical for you, then you can tiii
laterally across a siope. We don't
reaiiy recommend this method as it
can create unsure footing and invites
soii erosion.
o Study the terrain to make certain the
slope is not too steep for safe tiiiing.
if possibie, make terraced rows or till
vertically.
o Move the belt into LOW bett range and
the Wheel Speed Gear Leverto SLOW
position. As in terrace gardening, start
at the top of the siope and overlap the
first pass by half the width of the tiller.
Foradded stabiiity, keep the uphiii
wheei in the soft, newiy tiiied soil Each
succeeding terraced area is started by
walking be/owthe terrace you are
preparing (Figure 4=19).
iques
Clearing the tines
The tines havea self-clearing action
which helps to eliminate most tangiing
of debris. However, occasionaiiy dry
grass, stringy stalks or tough vines may
become tangled.
Foliow these procedures to hetp avoid
tangiing and to clear the tines, if
necessary.
Before clearing the tines by hand, stop
the engine, allow all moving parts to
stop and disconnect the spark plug
wire. Failure to fellow this warning
could result in personal injury.
o To reduce tangling, set the Depth
Regulator deep enough to get
maximum "chopping" action as the
tines chop the materiai against the
ground. Also, try to till under crop
residues or cover crops while they are
green, moist and tender.
o Whiie power composting, try swaying
the handiebars from side to side (about
6" to 12"). This "fishtaiiing" action
often clears the tines of debris.
o It may be necessaryto remove the
debris by hand (a pocket knife will help
you to cut away the materiai).
Figure 4=19: Make a terrace in just 4
or 5 passes with the tiller.
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