OPERATION
WARNING:
Do not allow familiarity with tools to make you care- less. Remember that a careless fraction of a second is sufficient to inflict serious injury.
WARNING:
Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses with side shields when operating tools. Failure to do so could re- sult in objects being thrown into your eyes, resulting in possible serious injury.
WARNING:
Do not use any attachments or accessories not recom- mended by the manufacturer of this tool. The use of at- tachments or accessories not recommended can result in serious personal injury.
WARNING:
Do not allow hands, feet, or any other part of the body or clothing near the rotating tines or any other moving part. The tines begin to rotate forward once the switch trigger is depressed. The tines continue to rotate until the switch trigger is released. Failure to avoid contact could cause serious personal injury.
applications
nBreaking up garden soil to prepare seed bed for planting
nShallow cultivating to remove weeds
starting/stopping the cultivator
See Figures 8 - 9, page iv.
nRoute an approved outdoor extension cord through the upper extension cord retainer ring.
nTie extension cord to plug connector, see figure 1.
nPlug the cultivator into the extension cord.
nStand behind the unit with the tines on the ground and the work area clean and free of obstructions.
nDepress the switch
nPull the switch trigger toward the handlebar to begin tine rotation.
To stop the cultivator, release the switch trigger.
preparing the seed bed
See Figures 10 - 12, pages iv - v.
The cultivator can be used to break up garden soil and pre- pare a seedbed for planting. Plan ahead to leave enough
room between the seed rows to allow for machine cultivating after the plants have grown.
nWith the wheel/drag stake assembly installed in position A roll the machine to the work area.
nFor general cultivating, remove or adjust the wheel/drag stake assembly using the guidelines in Adjusting Wheel Position.
nThe wheel/drag stake assembly has three installation positions to choose from. Based on the type of soil being cultivated and soil conditions at the time, the appropriate height of the wheel/drag stake assembly will vary. Adjust the wheel/drag stake assembly position using the guidelines in Adjusting cultivator speed and depth.
nRoute an approved outdoor extension cord through the upper extension cord retainer ring.
nTie extension cord to plug connector, see figure 1.
nPlug the cultivator into the extension cord.
nStand behind the unit with the tines on the ground and the work area clean and free of obstructions.
nDepress the switch
nPull the switch trigger toward the handlebar to begin tine rotation.
NOTE: If the machine moves forward too quickly and wheels are in position A or B with wheel/drag stake assembly installed, push down on the handlebar to allow the tines and/or wheel/drag stake assembly to penetrate the soil and slow the forward motion of the unit. The
rotating tines help to pull the machine forward, so use slower speeds and a shallow depth setting when learning to use the unit and when cultivating on rough or uneven ground.
NOTE: Several passes over the same path may be required to reach the desired depth. Do not try to dig too deeply in the first pass. If the machine jumps or bucks, allow the unit to move forward at a slightly faster rate or install wheel/drag stake assembly.
To dig more deeply, lift up on the handlebar. Apply downward pressure on the handlebar for more shallow cultivating.
If the machine stays and digs in one spot, try rocking the unit from side to side to start it moving forward again.
If the soil is very hard, water a few days before cultivating.
Avoid working the soil when soggy or wet. Wait a day or two after heavy rain for the ground to dry.
general CULTIVATING
See Figure 11, page iv.
Shallow cultivating less than 2 in. deep can be used to disrupt weeds and aerate soil, without injuring nearby plant roots. It should be done often so that weeds do not grow large and cause tangling in the tines of the unit.
