Craftsman 247.29931 Adjusting The Handle Height, Clearing The Tines, Tilling Tips & Techniques

to the desiredpositionandreplacethewing nuts.Tightensecurely. SeeFigure10.

ADJUSTING THE HANDLE HEIGHT

Thehandleshouldbeadjustedso thatwhenthe tilleris digging3-4" intothe soil,the handlefallsto aboutwaste-high.Toadjusthandle,

Beforeclearingthe tinesby hand,stopthe engine,allowall moving partsto stopanddisconnectthe sparkplugwire. Failureto followthis warningcould resultin personalinjury.

simplyloosenthe handleadjustmentcrank,movethe handleto the desiredheightandretightenthe adjustmentcrank.SeeFigure11.

CLEARING THE TINES

*Thetineshavea self-clearingactionwhicheliminatesmostof the tanglingof debris. However,occasionallydry grass,stringystalks ortoughvinesmaybecometangled.Followtheseproceduresto helpavoidtanglingandto clearthe tines,if necessary.

*Toreducetangling,setthe depth regulatordeepenoughto get maximum"chopping"actionas the tineschopthe materialagainst the ground.Also,try to till undercrop residuesorcovercrops whiletheyaregreen,moistand tender.

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Beforetilling,contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyandinquire if undergroundequipmentor linesareusedon yourproperty.Do not till nearburiedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.

*Whiletilling,try swayingthe handlebarsfromsideto side (about 6"to 12").This"fishtailing"actionoftenclearsthe tinesof debris.

TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Tilling Depth

*Thisis a CRT(counter-rotatingtine)tiller.As the wheelspull forward,the tinesrotatebackward.Thiscreatesan"uppercut" tineactionwhichdigs deeply,uprootingsoilandweeds.Don't overloadthe engine,butdig as deeplyas possibleon eachpass Onlater passes,the wheelsmaytendto spin inthe soft dirt. Help themalongby liftingupslightlyonthe handlebar(onehand,palm up,worksmosteasily).

*Avoidthe temptationto pushdownon the handlebarsin an attemptto forcethe tiller to digdeeper.Doingso takestheweight offthe poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Withoutthe wheelsto holdthe tillerback,the tineswillattemptto propelthe tillerbackward,towardsthe operator.

*Whencultivating(breakingupthe surfacesoil aroundthe plants to destroyweeds,SeeFigure12),adjustthe tinesto dig only 1" to 2" deep.Usingthe shallowtillingdepth helpspreventinjuryto the plantswhoserootsoftengrowcloseto the surface.If needed, lift uponthe handlebarsslightlyto preventthe tinesfromdigging too deeply.(Cultivatingona regularbasisnotonly eliminates weeds,it alsoloosensandaeratesthesoil for bettermoisture absorptionandfasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthe gardenareaa fewdayspriorto tillingwill maketilling easier,as will lettingthe

Figure11

Figure12

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