Billy Goat PR550H, OS552H owner manual Operation, Folding Handle, RAKING/SLICING Tips

PR & OS Owner’s Manual

OPERATION

FOLDING HANDLE

This unit is equipped with a folding upper handle for easier storage and transportation. The handle can be folded by sliding the handle lock loops (item 28) up. This releases the upper handle, allowing it to be folded over the unit.

ADJUSTING BLADE DEPTH

The depth of the blades can be raised or lowered by rotating the knob on the top of the adjustment lever. The blades are lowered by rotating the knob clockwise, and raised by rotating the knob counter-clockwise. The relative depth of the blades can be gauged by using the depth scale located on the right front corner of the engine base. With new blades installed the depth can be estimated as follows: 2.5 on the scale is even with the ground, 3 is equal to 0.25" deep, and 3.5 is equal to 0.5" deep

BLADE POSITION & DEPTH CONTROL LEVER

The blades can be raised or lowered into the ground by height adjustment lever on the engine base. The height adjuster lock lever must be pushed back against the adjustment lever in order to lower the blades into the ground. The resulting blade depth can be adjusted higher or lower.

See ADJUSTING BLADE DEPTH.

SPRING TINE CONVERSION

counter clockwise to raise blades

clockwise to lower blades

blades up	blades up
transport	transport

blades down running

If are converting your Power rake to a spring tine reel, you will need to replace the spacer on the control lever to accommodate for the tine. First remove the clip (item 18), then unscrew the yoke (item 17), remove the washer (items 69) and insert the spacer (item 75) in front of the spring. Reassemble in reverse order.

RAKING/SLICING TIPS

Before beginning, it is best to evaluate the condition of the lawn by cutting one or more core samples from area to be treated. A core can be cut using a piece of pvc, or metal pipe. Hammer the pipe into the ground, remove it, push the core out of the pipe and inspect it to determine the depth of thatch in your yard.

THATCH: Thatch is a dense layer of dead grass, clippings, and roots that builds up over time at the base of of the lawn preventing air, water, and fertilizer from reaching the soil. This can cause shallow root development and make a lawn more susceptible to drought and disease.

Thatch also provides an ideal environment for insects to hide and multiply. Periodic removal of thatch will keep your lawn in good health.

HEAVY THATCH: Lawns with an excessive amount of thatch will require multiple treatments for effective removal. Trying to remove excessive thatch (greater than 3/4"[19 mm] deep) in one treatment will damage or destroy the living part of the lawn. It is best to remove heavy thatch in seasonal treatments (i.e. spring, and fall).

SLOPES: Rake slopes across not up and down. This is much easier and safer for the operator and is better for the lawn. Raking across will help to reduce runoff during watering and allow the sloped ground to hold more seed, fertilizer, and water. The units maximum operating slope is 35% or 19°.

DEPTH: The wide range of depth adjustment on your unit is provided to allow for blade wear. Setting the reel deeper will not produce better, or quicker results. The flail reel is intended to be set so it just touches the surface on flat ground. The slicing reel should be set even with the ground for verti-slicing work, and set to a maximum 1/2" depth for overseeding jobs. Setting the reel deeper than this will only result in premature wear on the unit (i.e. failed belt). If you desire to work the ground deeper than the above guidelines allow, it should be done gradually in multiple passes..

SLICING / OVERSEEDING: Mow the lawn to shorter than the normal cut height before starting (i.e. approximately 2" tall for fescue grass). For the best result, Slice/Overseed in criss- cross pattern (See Fig. 1 and See Fig 2).

Fig.1

Fig.2

Part No 350412 6 Form No F061311C