Troy-Bilt 12214-5.5HP - Manual (Page 16)

Section 4: Operation
' Position the loading vehicle so that the
ramp angle is as flat as possible (the
less incline to the ramp, the better).
Turn the vehicle’s engine off and apply
its parking brake.
' When going up ramps, stand in the
normal operating position and push the
tiller ahead of you. Have a person at
each side to turn the wheels.
' When going down ramps, walk
backward with the tiller following you.
Keep alert for any obstacles behind you.
Position a person at each wheel to
control the speed of the tiller. Wever go
down ramps tiller-first, as the tiller could
tip forward.
• Use wooden blocks to place on the
downhill side of the wheels If you need
to stop the tiller from rolling down the
ramp. Also, use the blocks to temporar­
ily keep the tiller in place on the ramps
(if necessary), and to chock the wheels
in place after the tiller Is in the vehicle.
• When the tiller is in the vehicle, prevent
it from rolling by chocking the wheels
with blocks and securely tie the tiller
down.
16
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 foot­
prints in the freshly tilled soil) and
lightly, but securely grip the handlebar
with just one hand. See Figure 4-2.
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
backward toward the operator- often
causing the tiller to skip rapidly across
the ground-
TILLING DEPTHS
' When preparing the soil, till a fresh
path on each pass rather than overlap­
ping passes. This gives the wheels
maximum traction on undisturbed soil
(later passes can be overlapped). See
Figure 4-6. Dig as deeply as possible
on each pass, without overloading the
engine. (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 handle­
bars 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.
AVOID TILLING WET, SOGGY SOIL
Tilling wet soil may result in large,
hard clumps of soil that can interfere
with planting. If time permits, wait a
day or two after heavy rains to allow
the soil to dry. Test the soil by
squeezing it into a ball. If it com­
presses too easily, it is too wet to tili.
AVOID MAKING FOOTPRINTS
Whenever possible, walk on the untilled
side of the unit to avoid making foot­
prints in the freshly tilled soil. Footprints
cause soil compaction that can hamper
root penetration and contribute to soil
erosion. They can also “plant” unwanted
weed seeds back into the freshly tilled
ground.
CHOOSING CORRECT WHEEL
AND TINE SPEEDS
With experience, you will find the “just
right” tilling depth and tilling speed
combination that is best for your
garden.
Set the engine throttle lever at a high
enough speed to give the engine
adequate power, and yet allow it to
operate without laboring. Fastest
engine speeds may be desirable when
making final passes through the
seedbed or when cultivating. Selection
of the correct engine speed. In relation
to the tilling depth, will ensure a suffi­
cient power level to do the job without
causing the engine to labor.
SUGGESTED TILLING PATTERNS
• When preparing a seedbed, go over
the same path twice In the first row,
then make individual passes right next
to each other (see Figure 4-6). When
finished in one direction, make second
passes at a right angle as shown in
Figure 4-7. In very hard ground, it
may take three or four overlapping
passes to thoroughly pulverize the soil.
(See Figure 4-8.)
C
)
Figure 4-6