Craftsman 917.292402 owner manual Cultivating, Breaking in Your Tiller, Tilling Hints

Control

Control

Starter

BREAKING IN YOUR TILLER

Braak-in your belt(s), pulleys and tine con- trol before you actually begin filling.

•Start engine, tip tines off ground by

preying handles down and engage line control to start tine rotation. Allow tines

to rotate for five minutes.

•Check line operation and adjust if nec- essary. See triNE OPERATION

CHECK" in the Service and Adjustments section of this manual.

TILLING HINTS '

_,CAUTION: Until you are accustomed to handling your tiller, start actual field use with throttle in slow position (mid-way be- tween "FAST" and "IDLE").

To help tiller move forward, lift up the han- dles slightly (thus lifting depth stake out of

ground). To slow do.,wnthe tiller, press down on handles.

If you are straining or tiller is shaking, the wheels and depth stake are not set prop- erly in the soil being tilled. The proper set- ting of the wheels and depth stake is through trial and error and depends upon the soil condition. (The harder or wetter the ground, the slower the engine and line speed needed. Under these poor condi- tions, _t fast speed the filler will run and jump over the ground).

A propedy adjusted tiller Will dig with little effort from the operator.

•Tilling is digging into, tuming over, and breaking up packed soil before planting.

Loose, unpacked soil helps root growth. Best tilling depth is 4" to6". A tiller will also clear the soil of unwanted vegeta- tion. The decomposition of this veg- etable matter enriches the soil. Depending on the climate (rainfall and wind), it may be advisable to till the soil

8t the end of the growing season to fur- ther condition the soil.

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•Soil conditions are important for proper tilling. Tines will not readily penetrate

. dry, hard soil which may contribute to excessive bounce and difficult handling of your tiller. Hard soil should be mois- tened before tilling; however, extremely wet soil will =ball-up"or clump during till- ing. Wait until the soil is less wet in order to achieve the best results. When tilling in the fall, remove vines and long grass to prevent them from wrapping around the line shaft and slowing your tilling operation.

•You will find tilling much easier if you leave a row untilled between passes.

Then go back between tilled rows. There are two reasons for doing this. F,rst, wide turns are much easier to negotiate than about-faces. Second, the tiller

won'tbe pulling itself, and you, toward the row next to it.

•Set depth stake and wheel height for

shallow !illing when working extremely hard so ,. or sod. Then work across the

first cuts at normal depth.

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CULTIVATING

Cultivating is destroying the weeds between rows to prevent them from rob- bing nourishment and moisture from the plants. At the same time, breaking up the upper layer of soil crust will help retain

moisture in the soil. Best digging depth is 1" to 3".

•You will probably not need to use the depth stake. Begin by tipping the depth stake forward until if is held by the stake spring.

•Cultivate up ano down the rows at a speed which will allow tines to uproot weeds and leave the ground in rough condition, promoting no further growth of weeds and grass.

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