POWERCOMPOSTINGPowercomposting simply means tilling
underand burying in thesoil all manner
of organic matter suchascrop residues,
leaves,grassclippings andcover crops.
This materialwill decomposeduring the
non-growingseason and add important
naturalnutrients to the soil.
When power composting, do not keep
the Depth Regulator Lever at a deep
settingif thetiller jumpsor bucks.
If jumping orbucking occurs, move the
Depth Regulator Lever downto one of
the shallower settings and then slowly
increase the tilling depth on later
passes.
Failure to follow this warning could
resultin personal injury.
Thefirst placeto begin is with crop
residuessuch as leftover vines, stalks,
stemsand roots. Power compost these
cropresidues as soonasthey finish
bearing. Thesooner this is done, the
better,as tender green matter is easierto
till under. Usethe deepest depth regula-
tor setting possiblewithout causing the
engineto laboror the tiller to jump ahead.
Standingcornstalks of reasonableheight
canbe power composted. Pushing over
(but not uprooting) cornstalks will often
makeit easierfor your tiller to chop up
thestalks. Keepthe tines clear of exces-
sivetangling by"fishtailing" or frequently
usingreverse. Makeseveral passes,then
returna few dayslaterto finish off any
remainingstubble.
Aftertilling under crop residues, add
moreorganic mattersuch as leaves,
grassclippings andeven kitchen scraps.
Whentilled intothe soil, this organic
matterwill decomposeand add even
moreimportant nutrients to the soil.
After powercomposting, you may want to
planta "green manure"cover crop to
protectthe soil during theoff-season. You
simply grow a crop of clover, alfalfa,
buckwheat,peas, beans,rye grass, grain,
or kaleandthen till it into thesoil prior to
theplanting season.
LOADINGAND UNLOADING
THETILLER
Loadingand unloading the tiller into a
vehicle is potentially hazardousand we
don'trecommenddoing so unlessabso-
lutely necessary,as this could result in
personalinjuryor propertydamage.
However,if you must load or unloadthe
tiller, follow the guidelines given next.
• Beforeloading or unloading,stop the
engine,wait for all parts to stop moving,
disconnectthe sparkplug wire and let
theengine and muffler cool. Remove
the ignition key on electric start models.
•The tiller istoo heavy(over 170 Ibs.,
dependingon model) and bulky to lift
safelyby one person. Two or more
peopleshould sharethe load.
• Usesturdy rampsand manually (engine
shutoff) roll the tiller into and out of the
vehicle. Two or more peopleare needed
to do this.
•Rampsmust be strong enough to
support the combinedweight ofthe tiller
andany handlers. The ramps should
providegood traction to preventslip-
ping;they should haveside rails to
guidethe tiller along the ramps;and
theyshould havealocking deviceto
securethem to the vehicle.
• Thehandlers should wear sturdy
footwearthat will helpto prevent
slipping.
• Position the loading vehicle so that the
rampangle is as flat as possible (the
lessincline to the ramp, the better).
Turnthe vehicle's engine off and apply
its parking brake.
• Whengoing up ramps, stand in the
normaloperating position and push the
tiller ahead ofyou. Havea personat
eachside to turn the wheels.
• Whengoing down ramps, walk back-
wardwith thetiller following you. Keep
alertfor any obstacles behind you.
Position a personat each wheel to
control the speedof the tiller. Never go
downramps tiller-first, asthe tiller could
tipforward.
• Usewooden blocks to place on the
downhill sideof the wheelsif you need
tostop thetiller from rolling down the
ramp. Also, use the blocks to temporar-
ily keepthe tiller in place on the ramps
(if necessary),and to chockthe wheels
in placeafter the tiller is in the vehicle.
• Whenthe tiller isin the vehicle, prevent
itfrom rolling by engaging the wheels in
thewheel drive position (put Wheel Gear
Leverin ENGAGE).Chock the wheels
with blocks and securely tie the tiller
down.