3.Stand on the left side of the tiller. Use your right hand to hold the Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever up into REVERSE position. Use your left hand to move the belt off the top-front engine pulley groove to top-rear engine pulley groove. See Fig. 4-9.

Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever

Top-Front Gear

Top-Rear Gear

Figure 4-9

4.Go to the right side of tiller and finish seating the belt.

5.Still holding the lever up in REVERSE position, and working from the left side of the tiller, move the belt from the lower front transmission groove to the lower rear transmission groove.

6.Go to the right side of the tiller and finish seating the belt. See Fig. 4-10.

Belt

Lower-Rear Groove

Lower-Front Groove

Figure 4-10

7.Check that the belt is fully seated in the pulley grooves. Check this from both sides of the tiller.

Clearing the Tines

The tines have a self-clearing action which helps to eliminate most tangling of debris. However, occasionally dry grass, stringy stalks or tough vines may become tangled. Follow these procedures to help avoid tangling and to clear the tines, if necessary.

•To reduce tangling, set the Depth Regulator deep enough to get maximum “chopping” action as the tines chop the material against the ground. Also, try to till under crop residues or cover crops while they are green, moist and tender.

•While power composting, try swaying the handlebars from side to side (about 6” to 12”). This “fishtailing” action often clears the tines of debris.

•It may be necessary to remove the debris by hand (a pocket knife will help you to cut away the material).

warning! Before clearing the tines by hand, stop the engine, allow all moving parts to stop and disconnect the spark plug wire. Failure to follow this warning could result in personal injury.

Tilling Tips & Techniques

Let the Tiller Do the Work

•While tilling, relax and let the wheels pull the tiller along while the tines do the digging. Walk on the side that is not yet finished to avoid making footprints in the freshly tilled soil and lightly, but securely grip the handlebar with just one hand. Refer to Fig. 4-3.

•Avoid pushing down on the handlebars in an attempt to force the tiller to dig deeper. Doing so takes the weight off the powered wheels, causing them to lose traction. Without the wheels helping to hold the tiller back, the tines will attempt to propel the tiller — often causing the tiller to skip rapidly across the ground. Sometimes, slight downward pressure on the handlebars will help get through a particularly tough section of sod or unbroken ground, but in most cases this won’t be necessary.

Tilling Depths

•Avoid trying to dig too deeply too quickly, especially when busting sod or tilling soil that hasn’t been tilled for some time. Use shallow depth settings (only an inch or two deep) for the first passes through the garden area. With each succeeding pass, adjust the depth regulator to dig another inch or two deeper. Watering the garden area a few days prior to tilling will make tilling easier, as will letting the newly worked soil set for a day or two before making a final, deep tilling pass.

•When cultivating — breaking up the surface soil around plants to help destroy weeds — use very shallow depth settings to prevent injury to plants whose roots often grow close to the surface. If needed, lift up on the handlebars slightly to prevent the tines from digging too deeply. Cultivating on a regular basis not only eliminates weeds, it also loosens and aerates the soil for better moisture absorption and faster plant growth.

18Section 5— Operation