TILLING TIPS& TECHNIQUES(CON'T)TerraceGardening(continued)
• Tocreateaterrace,startat thetopof theslopeand workdown.Gobackandforth
acrossthefirst rowas shownin Fig.4-10.
•Eachsucceedinglowerterraceisstartedbywalkingbelowtheterraceyou'repre- e_ll_l___....__,_,.. _e
paring.Foraddedstability ofthe tiller,alwayskeeptheuphill wheelin thesoft, new-
ly tilled soil. Donot till the last12" or moreof the downhill outside edgeof each _1_
terrace. This untilled strip helps prevents the terracesfrom breaking apartand
ClearingtheTines
Thetineshavea self-clearingaction which eliminatesmosttangling of debris in
thetines. However,occasionallydrygrass,stringy stalksor tough vinesmay be-
cometangled• Followthese procedurestohelp avoidtanglingand to cleanthe
tines,if necessary.
• To reducetangling, set the depthregulator deepenough to get maximum
"chopping"actionas thetines chop the materialagainstthe ground. Also, try to
till undercrop residuesor covercropswhile theyare green,moist andtender.
• While powercomposting,try swayingthe handlebarsfrom sideto side (about
6"to 12'_).This "fishtailing"action oftenclearsthe tines of debris.
• If tanglingoccurs, liftthe tinesout of thesoil andrun thetiller in reverse(if unit
is equippedwith poweredreverse)for a fewfeet. Thisreversing actionshould
unwindagood dealof debris•
• Itmaybenecessaryto removethedebrisby hand
(apocketknife will help youto cutawaythe mate-
rial).Besure tostop theengineanddisconnectthe
sparkplug wirebefore clearingthe tines byhand.
_ WARNING: Beforeclearingthe
tines byhand, stop the engine,allow
all moving partsto stopand
disconnectthe spark plugwire.
Removetheignition keyon electric
start models.
Failuretofollow this warning could
result inpersonal injury.
LOADINGANDUNLOADING •Usesturdy rampsand manually (engine tiller aheadof you. Havea personat each
THETILLER shut off) roll thetiller into andout of the sideto turn thewheels.
vehicle.Two or morepeopleare neededto •When going down ramps,walk back-
,_ WARNING: Loadingand dothis. wardwith thetiller following you. Keep
unloadingthe tiller intoa • Theramps must be strong enoughto alertfor anyobstacles behind you. Posi-
vehicle ispotentially hazardous support the combined weight of the tiller tiona person at eachwheel to control the
andwedon't recommenddoing and any handlers•The ramps should pro- speed of the tiller• Nevergo downramps
sounlessabsolutely necessary, vide good traction to preventslipping; they tiller-first, as the tiller could tip forward.
asthis could result in personal shouldhave side rails to guidethe tiller * Placewooden blocks onthe downhill
injuryor propertydamage• along the ramps;and they should have a side ofthe wheels if youneedto stop the
However,if you must load or locking device to secure themto the tiller from rolling down the ramp. Also,
unloadthetiller, follow the vehicle• usethe blocksto temporarily keepthe tiller
guidelinesgiven next. • Thehandlersshouldwearsturdyfootwear inplaceontheramps(ifnecessary),andto
thatwill helptopreventshppmg
• Before loading or unloading, stop the en- " " " ,chock the wheelsin place after the tiller is
gine,wait for allparts to stop moving, • Positionthe loadingvehicle so that the in the vehicle.
disconnectthe spark plug wire and let the rampangle isas flat as possible (the less • After loading the tiller, prevent it from
engineand muffler cool. inclineto the ramp, thebetter). Turn the rolling byengaging the wheels in the
° The tiller ist°° heavy and bulky t° lift vehicle's engine °ff andapply its parking WHEELDRIVEposition. Chockthewheels
safelyby one person Two or more people brake, with blocks andsecurely tie thetiller down.
shouldshare the load. • Whengoing up ramps,stand in the
normaloperating positionand push the
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