Section4: Operation
TillingTips& Techniques
Clearing the tines
Drygrass, stringy stalks or tough vines
may becometangled in the tines. Follow
theseprocedures to help avoid tangling
andto clean the tines, if necessary.
•To reduce tangling, set the depth
regulatorto maximum depth.
• Whiletilling, try swaying the handle-
barsfrom side toside (about 6"to 12").
This "fishtailing" action often clears the
tines of debris.
• If tangling occurs, lift the tines out of
thesoil andrunthe tiller in reverse for
afew feet. This may unwind a good
dealof debris.
• It may be necessaryto remove the
debrisby hand (a pocket knife will help
youto cutawaythe material).
WARNING
Before clearing the tines by
hand, stop the engine, allow
all movingparts to stop and
disconnect the spark plug
wire.
Failure to follow this warning
could result in personal
injury.

Tilling on slopes

Ifyou must garden on a moderateslope,
pleasefollow two very important guide-
lines:
1.Till only on moderate slopes, neveron
steepground where footing is difficult
(reviewsafety rules in the "Safety"
sectionof this manual).
2.We recommend tilling upanddown
slopes ratherthan terracing. Tilling
vertically on a slope allows maximum
plantingarea and also leaves room for
cultivating.
IMPORTANT:Whentilling onslopes, be
surethe correct oil level is maintained in
theengine (check every one-half hour of
operation). The inclineof theslope will
causethe oil to slantawayfrom its
normallevel and this can starve engine
partsof required lubrication. Keepthe
engineoil level at the full point at all
times!
A. Tillingup and downslopes:
• To keepsoil erosion to a minimum, be
sureto add enough organic matter to
thesoil so that it has good moisture-
holdingtexture and try to avoid leaving
footprints or wheel marks.
• Whentilling vertically, try to make the
first pass uphill as the tiller digs more
deeplygoing uphill than it does
downhill. Insoft soil or weeds, you
mayhaveto lifthandlebarsslightly
whilegoing uphill.
B.Tilling acrossslopes without
usingterraces:
If previously describedtilling methods
aren't practical for you, thenyou cantill
laterallyacross a slope. However,we
don't reallyrecommend this method as
itcan create unsure footing and invites
soil erosion.
17