Poulan HDF550L User Manual - Page 9
Breaking, Tiller, Tilling, Hints, Cultivating
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OPERATION NOTE: If at a high altitude (3000 feet) or in cold temperatures (below 32°F), the carburetor fuel mixture may need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See "TO ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and Adjustments section of this manual. NOTE: If engine does not start, see troubleshooting points. SPARK PLUG CHOKE CONTROL THROTTLE CONTROL • Youwillfind tillingmuch easierifyouleave arowuntitled between passes. Then go back between tilled rows. (See Fig. 9) There are two reasons for doing this. First, wide turns are much easier to negotiate than aboutfaces. Second, the tiller won't be pulling itself, and you, toward the row next to it. • Set depthstakeandwheelheightforshallow tilling when working extremely hard soil or sod. Then work across the first cuts at normal depth. RECOIL STARTER HANDLE FIG. 8 BREAKING IN YOUR TILLER 5 6 7 Break-in your belt(s), pulleys and tine control before you actually begin tilling. • Start engine, tip tines off ground by pressing handles down andengage tinecontroltostarttine rotation. Allow tines to rotate for five minutes. • Check tine operation and adjust if necessary. See "TINEOPERATIONCHECK"inthe Service andAdjustments section of this manual. TILLING HINTS a CAUTION: Untilyouareaccustomedto handling your tiller, start actual field use with throttle in slow position. FIG. 9 CULTIVATING Cultivating isdestroyingthe weedsbetweenrows toprevent them from robbing nourishment and moisture from the plants. At the same time, breaking up the upper layer of soil crust will help retain moisture in the soil. Best digging depth is 1"-3". • You willprobablynotneedto use the depthstake.Begin by tipping the depth stake forward until it is held by the stake spring. To help tiller move forward, lift up the handles slightly (thus lifting depth stake out of ground). To slow down the tiller, press down on handles. If you are straining or tiller is shaking, the wheels and depth stake are not set properly in the soil being tilled. The proper settingofthewheels anddepthstakeisthroughtrialanderror and depends upon the soil condition. (The harder or wetter the ground, the slower the engine and tine speed needed. Under these poor conditions, at fast speed the tiller will run and jump over the ground). • Cultivate up and down the rows at a speed which will allow tines to uproot weeds andleave the ground in rough condition, promoting no further growth of weeds and grass (See Fig. 10). /1 e"\ O O O O O O O O O O A properly adjusted tiller will dig with little effort from the operator. • Tilling is digging into, turning over, and breaking up packedsoilbeforeplanting. Loose,unpackedsoilhelps root growth. Best tilling depth is 4"-6". A tiller will also clear the soil of unwanted vegetation. The decomposition of this vegetable matter enriches the soil. Depend- ingontheclimate(rainfalland wind),itmaybeadvisable to till the soil at the end of the growing season to further condition the soil. • Soil conditions are important for proper tilling. Tines will not readily penetrate dry, hard soil which may contribute to excessive bounce and difficult handling of your tiller. Hard soil should be moistened before tilling; however, extremely wet soil will "ball-up" or clump during tilling. Wait until the soil is less wet in order to achieve the best results. When tilling in the fall, remove vines and long grass to prevent them from wrapping around the tine shaft and slowing your tilling operation. 9 O O O O O O O O O O \id FIG. 10
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