Troy-Bilt 634K, 634A manual Clearingthe Tines, Loading and Unloading Tiller

TILLINGTIPS & TECHNIQUES(CON'T)

TerraceGardening(continued)

•Tocreateaterrace,start at the top of the slopeandwork down. Gobackandforth acrossthe first row as shownin Fig. 4-10.

•Eachsucceedinglowerterraceis started bywalking belowthe terraceyou'repre- paring.Foraddedstabilityof thetiller,alwayskeepthe uphillwheelinthe soft,new- ly tilled soil. Do not till the last 12" or more of the downhill outsideedgeof each terrace. This untilled strip helps prevents the terracesfrom breakingapart and

washingdownhill. Italso providesa walkingpath betweenrows. _, REPEAT

Fig. 4-10

Clearingthe Tines

Thetines havea self-clearingactionwhich eliminatesmost tangling of debris in the tines. However,occasionallydry grass,stringy stalksor tough vinesmaybe- cometangled. Follow theseproceduresto helpavoid tangling and to cleanthe tines, if necessary.

•Toreducetangling,setthedepthregulatordeepenoughto getmaximum"chop- ping" actionasthe tineschop the materialagainstthe ground.Also,try to till un- dercrop residuesor covercropswhile theyare green,moist andtender.

•While powercomposting,try swayingthe handlebarsfrom side to side (about 6"to 12").This"fishtailing" actionoften clearsthe tines of debris.

•Iftangling occurs,lift the tinesout of the soil andrun thetiller in reverse(if unit is equippedwith poweredreverse)for afewfeet.Thisreversingactionshould un- wind a gooddealof debris.

•It maybenecessaryto removethe debris by hand (a pocketknifewill helpyou to cut awaythe mate- rial). Besure to stopthe engineanddisconnectthe sparkplugwire beforeclearingthe tines by hand.

WARNING: Beforeclearing the tines by hand, stop the engine, allow all moving parts to stop and disconnectthe spark plug wire. Removethe ignition keyon electric start models.

Failureto follow this warning could result in personal injury.

LOADING AND UNLOADING

THE TILLER

WARNING: Loadingand unloading the tiller into a vehicleis potentially hazardous andwe don'trecommend doing so unlessabsolutely necessary, asthis could result in personal injury or property damage. However,if you must load or unloadthe tiller, follow the guidelines given next.

•Before loading or unloading, stop the en- gine, wait for all parts to stop moving, disconnect the spark plug wire and let the engine and muffler cool.

•Thetiller is too heavyand bulky to lift

safely by one person. Twoor more people should share the load.

•Usesturdy ramps and manually (engine shut off) roll the tiller into and out of the

vehicle. Twoor more peopleare neededto do this.

•The ramps must bestrong enoughto support the combined weight of the tiller and any handlers. The rampsshould pro- vide goodtraction to preventslipping; they should have side rails to guide the tiller along the ramps; andthey should have a

locking deviceto secure them to the vehicle.

•Thehandlersshould wearsturdy footwear that will helpto preventslipping.

•Position the loading vehicle so that the ramp angle is as flat as possible (the less incline to the ramp, the better). Turn the

vehicle'sengine off and apply its parking brake.

•When going up ramps, stand in the normal operating position and push the

tiller aheadof you. Havea person at each side to turn the wheels.

•When going down ramps, walkbackward with the tiller following you. Keepalert for any obstacles behind you. Position a per- son at each wheel to control the speed of the tiller. Nevergo down ramps tiller-first, as the tiller could tip forward.

•Placewooden blocks onthe downhill side of the wheels if you needto stop the tiller from rolling down the ramp. Also, use the blocks to temporarily keepthe tiller in place on the ramps (if necessary),and to chock the wheels in placeafter the tiller is in the vehicle.

•After loading the tiller, prevent it from rolling by engagingthe wheels in the WHEELDRIVEposition. Chockthe wheels with blocks andsecurely tie the tiller down.

16