11
S
ection
4 — c
ontrolS
& o
peration
Changing Belt From Low Range to High Range
1.
To avoid personal injury, shut off the engine,
let all moving parts come to a complete stop,
then disconnect the spark plug wire from the
spark plug and move the wire away from the
spark plug before making any adjustments.
Wait for the engine and muffler to cool down.
2.
Move the Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever into
NEUTRAL.
WARNING!
The HIGH speed belt range
position combined with a FAST wheel
speed setting propels the tiller at the
fastest pace. Reduce the engine throttle
speed when starting out to help avoid
personal injury or property damage if
using this speed combination.
3.
Kneel on the left side of tiller. To create belt
slack, reach over to the right side of the pulleys
and push in at the center of the belt with a
finger. At the same time, use your left hand to
work the belt part-way onto the lower-front
transmission pulley groove. See Figure 4-8.
Lower-Rear Groove
Lower-Front Groove
Belt
Figure 4-8
4.
Go to the other side of the tiller to finish
seating the belt onto the pulley groove.
5.
Working from the left side of the tiller, work
the belt as much as possible onto the top-front
engine pulley groove. See Figure 4-9.
Top-Rear Groove
Top-Front Groove
Belt
Figure 4-9
6.
Finish seating the belt from the right side of
the tiller.
NOTE:
Proper belt tension is important for
good performance. See the Maintenance
& Adjustment Section for instructions on
adjusting belt tension.
NOTE:
If extra belt slack is needed to move
the belt, just raise the Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive
Lever up into REVERSE. This lowers the engine
pulley, and creates more slack.
7.
Check both sides of the high range pulley
grooves to verify that the belt is properly
seated.
Changing Belt From High Range to Low Range
1.
To avoid personal injury, shut off the engine,
let all moving parts come to a complete stop,
then disconnect the spark plug wire from the
spark plug and move the wire away from the
spark plug before making any adjustments.
Let engine and muffler cool.
2.
Move the Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever into
NEUTRAL.
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 Figure 4-10.
Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive
Lever
Top-Rear Gear
Top-Front Gear
Figure 4-10
4.
Go to the right side of the 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 Figure 4-11.
Belt
Lower-Rear
Groove
Lower-Front
Groove
Figure 4-11
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 Figure 4-4.
•
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.