10
S
ection
4— c
ontrolS
& o
peration
Stopping Reverse Motion
Release the Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever — the
lever automatically returns to the NEUTRAL position.
This stops the wheels immediately. The Forward
Interlock Levers will not stop REVERSE motion.
Turning the Tiller
1.
find the balance point between the engine
and the tines by lifting up the handlebars. See
Figure 4-5.
2.
Once you find the balance point, let the
powered wheels do the turning as you push
sideways on the handlebars into a turn. Practice
the turning maneuver described here in a large
open area. Once comfortable turning the tiller,
you can then take it to the garden area.
3.
At the end of a row, move the Wheels/Tines/
PTO Drive Lever to NEUTRAL position and
reduce the engine speed.
4.
Move the Tines/PTO Clutch Lever into the
DISENGAGE position.
5.
Resume forward operation, and lift the
handlebars until the tines are off the ground.
Refer to Figure 4-5. Find the balance point
between the engine and the tines. Then push
the handlebars in the direction of the turn. Be
very careful to keep feet and legs away from
the tines, which should be disengaged. Let the
powered wheels do the hard work.
NOTE:
Use REVERSE if necessary to turn in a
limited space.
4.
When the turn is complete, shift to NEUTRAL
and lower the handlebars. Move the Tines/PTO
Clutch Lever back to ENGAGE position and
resume forward operation.
Figure 4-5
Choosing Wheel & Tine Speeds
The tiller has four FORWARD wheel/tine speed combinations for handling a variety of tilling tasks and gardening jobs. Experiment with the tine depth, engine speed,
and wheel/tine speed to determine the combination that provides the best results. Here are some tips:
1.
Advance the throttle lever so the engine has sufficient power.
2.
When tilling untilled or hard earth, do not set the Depth Regulator too deep. The tiller will buck and the engine will load down.
3.
You will know your settings are ideal when the tines break-up the soil easily, the engine does not labor, and your progress is steady and smooth. See Changing
Belt speed.
WHEEL SPEED AND BELT RANGE SELECTION GUIDE
SLOW GEAR, LOW BELT RANGE
For:
1.
Tilling in sod.
2.
Tilling in hard clay.
3.
Tilling under standing cornstalks
in tough soil conditions.
4.
Tilling under cover crops.
5.
Preparing a deep seedbed.
6.
Tilling in stony soil.
7.
Tilling under residues and organic
matter.
8.
Mixing in fertilizers, manure.
SLOW GEAR, HIGH BELT RANGE
For:
1.
Tilling in sod or hard clay.
2.
Tilling under standing
cornstalks (slow, steady speed
allows time to shred stalks).
3.
Tilling under cover crops (best
wheel speed and belt speed
range in most soils).
4.
Preparing seedbeds (best
speed choice in most soils).
5.
Tilling in stony ground.
6.
Building raised garden beds.
7.
Mixing in fertilizer.
8.
Using tiller wings in hard soil.
9.
Mixing fertilizer and manure.
10.
Tilling residues and organics.
FAST GEAR, LOW BELT RANGE
For:
1.
Going over seedbed for the last
time before planting crops.
2.
Covering over seeds in wide
row or plot planting (lift
handlebars to avoid going too
deep).
3.
Hilling and furrowing.
4.
Making raised beds.
5.
Cultivating (lift handlebars to
avoid going too deep).
6.
Tilling large areas.
7.
Tilling organic matter in.
8.
Cultivating between raised
beds with optional hiller/
furrower attachment.
FAST GEAR, HIGH BELT RANGE
For:
1.
Preparing seedbeds for
planting.
2.
Covering seeds with
less need to hold up the
handlebars.
3.
Cultivating (tiller travels
faster, rides higher on the
soil; allows engine RPM to be
reduced; handlebars don’t
have to be raised).
4.
Keeping large areas tilled and
cultivated in the summer.
5.
Tilling organic matter under.
6.
Moving tiller quickly.
7.
Cultivating between raised
beds using the optional
hiller/furrower.
Figure 4-6
Changing Belt speed
Your tiller has two belt-driven speed ranges — HIGH
RANGE and LOW RANGE — you pick one or the other
by deciding which set of pulley grooves to move the
forward belt into. By moving the belt from one speed
range into the other, in combination with the FAST
and SLOW wheel speeds, you obtain a choice of four
different forward wheel speeds and two different
tine speeds.
WARNING!
To help avoid serious personal
injury, stop the engine, remove the
ignition key, disconnect spark plug wire
and move the wire away from the spark
plug and let engine and muffler cool
down before changing the belt speeds.
Changing the belt from LOW range into HIGH range
(or back again) is a matter of moving the belt from
one set of pulley grooves to a second set of pulley
grooves. This change is done quickly and without
tools.
When the tiller is moving in REVERSE, the wheels are
powered by a rubber reverse disc, not by the belt.
Therefore, you have only two reverse speeds SLOW
and FAST, as set with the Wheel Speed Lever.
Figure 4-7 shows the range of wheel and tine speeds
available when using the two belt speed ranges and
the FAST and SLOW selections on the Wheel Speed
Lever.
Available wheel and tine speeds at 3000 RPM engine speed.
Belt
Position
Wheel
Speed
Lever
Wheel
Speed
Tine
Speed
Low Range Slow
.5 MPH
146RPM
Low Range Fast
1.2 MPH
146RPM
High
Range
Slow
.7 MPH
200RPM
High
Range
Fast
1.72 MPH
200RPM
Figure 4-7
