Troy-Bilt 643B - Manuel (Page 14)

14
4
Operating
Your Tiller
WARNING
Do not operate tiller
on a slope too steep
for safe operation. Till
slowly and be sure
you have good footing.
Never permit tiller
to freewheel down
slopes. Failure to fol-
low this warning could
result in personal
injury.
Before tilling, contact
your telephone or
utilities company and
inquire if underground
equipment or lines are
used on your property.
Do not till near buried
electric cables, tele-
phone lines, pipes or
hoses.
b. Swing the handlebar to the left so the right wheel
takes a “step” backward. Next swing the handle-
bar to the right so the left wheel “steps” backward.
Repeat as needed.
c. If longer distances need to be covered in reverse,
shut off the engine, then place the two wheels in
FREEWHEEL.
7. To Turn the Tiller Around:
a. Practice turning the tiller in a level, open area. Be
very careful to keep your feet and legs away from
the tines.
b. To begin a turn, lift the handlebars until the tines
are out of the ground and the engine and tines
are balanced over the wheels (Fig. 4-4).
c. With tiller balanced, push sideways on handlebar
to steer in direction of turn (Fig. 4-5). After turn-
ing, slowly lower tines into soil to resume tilling.
Stopping the Tiller and Engine
1. To stop the wheels and tines, release the Forward
Clutch Bail (all models) or the Reverse Clutch
Control (Models 643B & 645A) — whichever control
is in use.
2. To stop the engine, put the ignition switch and/or the
throttle control lever in the “OFF” or “STOP” position.
TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUES
• This is a CRT (counter-rotating tine) tiller. As the wheels pull forward, the tines rotate backward. This creates an
“uppercut” tine action which digs deeply, uprooting soil and weeds. Don’t overload the engine, but dig as deeply
as possible on each pass. On later passes, the wheels may tend to spin in the soft dirt. Help them along by lifting
up slightly on the handlebar (one hand, palm up, works most easily).
• Avoid the temptation to push 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 to hold the tiller back, the
tines will attempt to propel the tiller backward, towards the operator. (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.)
• When cultivating (breaking up surface soil around plants to destroy weeds, see Fig. 4-9), a just the tines to dig
only 1” to 2” deep. Using shallow tilling depths helps prevent injury to plants whose roots often grow close to the
surface. If needed, lift up on the handlebars 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.) 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.
Choosing Correct Wheel & Tine Speeds
Set the engine throttle lever at a speed to give the engine adequate power and yet allow it to operate at the slowest
possible speed...at least until you have achieved the maximum tilling depth you desire. Faster 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 sufficient power level to do the job without causing the engine to labor.
With experience, you will find the “just right” tilling depth and tilling
speed combination that is best for your garden.
Figure 4-4: To begine turn, lift handlebars until tines are
out of ground and unit is balanced.
Figure 4-5: With tines out of ground, push handlebars
sideways to turn tiller.