Troy-Bilt 634F, 634A, 630C manual Tilling Tips & Techniques

TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Tilling Depths

WARNING: Before

tilling, contact your telephone or utilities 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.

•Avoid pushing down on the handlebars in an attempt to force the tiller to dig deeper. Doing so takes the weight off the powered wheels, causing them to lose traction. Without the wheels helping to hold the tiller back, the tines will attempt to propel the tiller – often causing the tiller to skip rapidly across the ground. (Sometimes, slight downward pressure on the handlebars will help get through a particularly tough section of sod or unbroken ground, but in most cases this won’t be necessary.)

•Avoid trying to dig too deeply too quickly, especially when busting sod or when tilling soil that hasn’t been tilled for some time. Use shallow depth regulator settings (only an inch or two deep) for the first passes through the soil. With each succeeding pass, dig another inch or two deeper. (Watering the area a few days prior to tilling will make tilling easier, as will letting the newly worked soil set for a day or two before making a final, deep tilling pass.)

•When cultivating (breaking up surface soil around plants to destroy weeds, see Fig. 4-9), adjust the tines to dig only 1" to 2" deep. Using shallow tilling depths helps prevent injury to plants whose roots often grow close to the surface. If needed, lift up on the handlebars slightly to prevent the tines from digging too deeply. (Cultivating on a regular basis not only eliminates weeds, it also loosens and aerates the soil for better moisture absorption and faster plant growth.)

Choosing Correct Wheel & Tine Speeds With experience, you will find the “just right” tilling depth and tilling speed combination that is best for your garden.

Set the engine throttle lever at a speed to give the engine adequate power and yet allow it to operate at the slowest possible speed...at least until you have achieved the maximum tilling depth you desire. Faster engine speeds may be desirable when making final passes through the seedbed or when cultivating. Selection of the correct engine speed, in relation to the tilling depth, will ensure a sufficient power level to do the job without causing the engine to labor.

Let the Tiller Do the Work

While tilling, relax and let the wheels pull the tiller along while the tines do the digging. Walk on the side that is not yet finished (to avoid making footprints in the freshly tilled soil) and lightly, but securely grip the han- dlebar with just one hand.

Avoid Making Footprints

Whenever possible, walk on the untilled side of the unit to avoid making footprints in your freshly tilled or cultivated soil. Foot- prints cause soil compaction that can ham- per root penetration and contribute to soil erosion. They can also “plant” unwanted weed seeds back into the freshly tilled ground.

Avoid Tilling 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. Test soil by squeezing it into a ball. If it compresses too easily, it is too wet to till.

Preparing Seedbeds

•When preparing a seedbed, go over the same path twice in the first row, then overlap one-half the tiller width on the rest of the passes (see Fig. 6). When fin- ished in one direction, make a second pass at a right angle, as shown in Fig. 4-7. Overlap each pass for best results (in very hard ground, it may take three or four passes to thoroughly pulverize the soil.)

•If the garden size will not permit lengthwise and then crosswise tilling, then over- lap the first passes by one-half a tiller

width, followed by successive passes	1
at one-quarter width (see Fig. 4-8).			2
	3
		Fig. 4-8

Fig. 4-6Fig. 4-7

Cultivating

With	planning,	you can
allow enough room
between rows to cultivate
(see Fig. 4-9). Leave room
for the hood width,
plus	enough	extra
room for future plant			Fig. 4-9

growth.

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