Troy-Bilt 8 HP - Manual (Page 27)

SECTION 4: Tliiln i the
In this Section you will find tips
and suggestions to help you get
the greatest possible satisfaction
from your new tiiler.
Tilling depths
When you start to till in the gar­
den, remember to take it easy. Do
not try to take too deep a cut on
the first pass through sod or hard
ground that has not been tilled for
several months or years. It is almost
impossible to dig down four or five
inches on the first pass through
untilled soil. So, you should start
tilling at a
very shallow
depth regu­
lator setting, perhaps only an inch
or two deep the first time.
In each succeeding pass, you
can go down a few more inches,
gradually working down to the
depth you want (watering your gar­
den a few days prior to tilling will
make the going much easier). At
any time, if you have difficulty get­
ting down really deep, let the newly
worked soil set for a day or two.
When you return to it, the tilling will
be easier.
it is best not to work the soil
when it is too wet. Doing so will
produce large soil clumps that will
later dry out and become hard.
Test the soil by squeezing it in your
hand. If it compresses easily into a
ball, it is too wet to till. If time will
permit, always wait for the ground
to dry before tilling.
A
WARNING
To help avoid personal injury, be
aware that the tiller may unex­
pectedly bounce upward or jump
forward and be propelled away
from you if the tines should strike
extremely hardpacked soil, sod,
frozen ground, or buried obstacles
such as large stones, roots or
stumps. If you are in doubt about
the tilling conditions, always use
the following operating precautions
to assist you in maintaining control
of the tiller:
• Walk behind and to one side of
the tiller, using just one hand on
the handlebars. Relax your arm,
but use a secure hand grip.
• Use shallower depth regulator
settings, working down gradually
deeper with each tilling pass.
• Use slower wheel, tine and en­
gine speeds.
• Clear the tilling area of all large
stones, roots and other debris.
• Avoid applying downward pres­
sure on the handlebars. If neces­
sary, apply slight upward pressure
to prevent the tines from digging
too deeply.
• Always avoid contacting hard-
packed soil or sod at the end of a
row by reducing the engine speed
and lifting the handlebars to raise
the tines out of the soil.
• IN AN EMERGENCY, stop the
tines and wheels by placing the
Wheels/Tines/PTO Drive Lever in
“NEUTRAL”. If you cannot reach
the lever or have lost control of the
tiller, LET GO of the handlebars
and all controls and do not attempt
to restrain the machine. The For­
ward Interlock Safety System will
stop the engine.
4-1: Use shallow depth regulator set­
tings when first starting out.
Seedbed preparation
In a well-prepared seedbed, the
soil should be as loose and finely
textured as possible. Ideally, the
soil should be tilled a few weeks
prior to the planting date. Then,
after a few days, it should be tilled
again. Finally, till the area one more
time on the day you are going to
plant. This procedure will not only
produce a finely textured, well-
aerated soil, it will also help to
prevent many weed seeds from
germinating.
When preparing the soil, go over
the same path twice in the first
row, then overlap one-half the till­
er’s width on each succeeding
pass. See Figure 4-2. After going
up and down the rows in one direc­
tion, make a second pass at a right
angle across your earlier rows
(Figure 4-3). Again, overlap each
pass to really pulverize the soil. (In
very hard ground, it might take
three or four passes before you
make much headway.)
If your garden is not wide enough
to till lengthwise and then cross­
wise, then you should first overlap
each pass by one-half a tiller width,
followed by successive passes of
one-quarter width. This overlap­
ping method will assure you of
thoroughly breaking up the soil.
If you have plans to expand your
garden for next season, then the
best time to bust up sod is in the
4-2: Use overlapping technique on
first pass.
4-3: Make a second pass at a right
angle to first pass.
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