Troy-Bilt 12234 - Manual (Page 8)

Section 4: Operation
8
TILLING AND CULTIVATING
Use your machine for busting sod,
preparing seedbeds and for cultivating in
gardens and flower beds. It is easy to op-
erate, but it is important that you start out
slowly and read this Section thoroughly
before putting it to use. Let the machine
do most of the work. The tines will pull
the machine forward, letting you adjust
forward speed by pressing down or lifting
the handlebar.
1. Roll the machine to the work area.
2. Adjust the tilling depth to the desired
position (see Pre-Start Preparation on the
previous page).
3. Start the engine (see Stopping and
Starting the Engine on the previous
page). Stand behind the handlebar and
push down on the handlebar to raise the
tines off the ground. Squeeze the
Throttle/Tines Lever – the engine should
speed up and the tines start rotating. Re-
lease the Throttle/Tines Lever to return to
idle, the tines should stop rotating or they
may rotate very slowly. Lowering them
back to the ground should stop any
rotation.
NOTE: If tines continue to rotate when
engine is idling, either the idle speed is
too high or the centrifugal clutch is mal-
functioning. If this occurs, contact the
Factory or your local authorized dealer.
4. Squeeze the Throttle/Tines Lever to
start the tines rotating. Lower the tines to
begin tilling. Firmly hold the handlebar to
prevent the machine from moving for-
ward too quickly and to allow enough
time for the tines to dig deeply enough.
Adjust engine speed to suit the tilling
conditions. Remember that the rotating
tines help to pull the machine forward.
Use slower speeds and a shallow depth
setting when learning to use the unit and
whenever you are tilling on hard, rough or
uneven ground.
5. Do not try to till too deeply in the first
pass through sod or very hard ground. If
the machine jumps or bucks, use a shal-
lower depth setting and reduce the engine
speed. With each succeeding pass, till
more deeply.
6. Apply downward pressure on the
handlebar for shallower tilling. Lift the
handlebar to dig more deeply. If the
machine stays and tills in one spot, try
swinging the handlebar from side to
side to start it moving forward again.
7. For easier tilling, water very hard soil a
few days before tilling. Avoid working the
soil when soggy or wet. Wait a day or
two after heavy rain for the ground to dry.
CULTIVATING
1. Cultivating is shallow tilling that dis-
rupts weeds and aerates the upper crust
of soil.
2. Do not till deeper than 1"-2" to avoid
injuring nearby plant roots. Cultivate
often, so that weeds do not grow large
and cause needless tangling in the tines.
3. With careful planning, you can space
the seed rows far enough apart to allow
sufficient room for the machine to culti-
vate after the plants have grown.
ADJUSTING TINE POSITIONS
Depending upon the tilling project, you
have a choice of three tine patterns:
Wide (Standard) Tine Positions – As
shipped from the factory, the unit is set
up for general tilling and cultivating. This
10" wide tine pattern (the maximum tilling
width) uses all four tine sections
(A, Figure 7). See Tine Removal and In-
stallation in Section 5 for detailed informa-
tion on how to set up this tine position.
Narrow Tine Positions – For a narrow,
4-1/2" tilling width, remove the outside
tine section on the left- and right-sides
(B, Figure 7). See Tine Removal and In-
stallation in Section 5 for detailed informa-
tion on how to set up this tine position.
Stony Soil Tine Positions – When tilling
deeply in stony soil, stones may become
jammed between the inner tines and the
machine hood. This setup swaps the two
inner tines to minimize jamming (C,
Figure 7). See Tine Removal and Installa-
tion in Section 5 for detailed information
on how to set up this tine position.
TILLING PATTERNS
1. To make seedbeds, go over the same
path twice in the first row, then overlap
one-half the machine width on each suc-
cessive pass until all rows are tilled twice
(D, Figure 8).
2. Make a second pass at a right angle
across the original passes. Again,
overlap each pass (E, Figure 8). Hard
ground may take three to four passes
before the desired depth is achieved.
NOTE: For small gardens, overlap by
one-half (1/2) the machine width, fol-
lowed by successive passes at one-
quarter (1/4) machine width. This over-
lapping method assures thorough tilling.
Figure 8: Recommended Tilling Pattern.
Figure 7: Tine patterns.
B C A
Keep away from rotating tines. Rotating
tines will cause serious personal injury.
WARNING
D E