Troy-Bilt Horse Tiller Operation Manual - Page 17

Choosing Wheel & Tine Speeds 2. The tiller has four FORWARD wheel/tine speed combinations for handling a variety of tilling tasks and gardening jobs. Experiment with the tine depth, engine speed, and wheel/tine speed to 3. determine the combination that provides the best results. Here are some tips: 1. Advance the throttle lever so the engine has sufficient power. When tilling untilled or hard earth, do not set the Depth Regulator too deep. The tiller will buck and the engine will load down. You will know your settings are ideal when the tines break-up the soil easily, the engine does not labor, and your progress is steady and smooth. See Fig. 4-5. WHEEL SPEED AND BELT RANGE SELECTION GUIDE SLOW GEAR, LOW BELT RANGE SLOW GEAR, HIGH BELT RANGE FAST GEAR, LOW BELT RANGE FAST GEAR, HIGH BELT RANGE For: For: For: For: 1. Tilling in sod. 1. Tilling in sod or hard clay. 1. Going over seedbed 1. Preparing seedbeds for 2. Tilling in hard clay. 2. Tilling under standing for the last time before planting. 3. Tilling under standing cornstalks (slow, steady planting crops. 2. Covering seeds with cornstalks in tough soil speed allows time to 2. Covering over seeds in less need to hold up the conditions. shred stalks). wide row or plot planting handlebars. 4. Tilling under cover crops. 3. Tilling under cover crops (best wheel speed and (lift handlebars to avoid 3. Cultivating (tiller travels going too deep). faster, rides higher on 5. Preparing a deep belt speed range in most 3. Hilling and furrowing. the soil; allows engine seedbed. soils). 4. Making raised beds. RPM to be reduced; 6. Tilling in stony soil. 7. Tilling under residues 4. Preparing seedbeds (best speed choice in 5. Cultivating (lift handlebars to avoid handlebars don't have to be raised). and organic matter. most soils). going too deep). 4. Keeping large areas tilled 8. Mixing in fertilizers, manure. 5. Tilling in stony ground. 6. Tilling large areas. and cultivated in the summer. 6. Building raised garden beds. 7. Tilling organic matter in. 5. Tilling organic matter 8. Cultivating between under. 7. Mixing in fertilizer. raised beds with 6. Moving tiller quickly. 8. Using tiller wings in hard optional hiller/furrower soil. attachment. 7. Cultivating between raised beds using the 9. Mixing fertilizer and optional hiller/furrower. manure. 10. Tilling residues and organics. Figure 4-5 Changing Belt speed Your tiller has two belt-driven speed ranges - HIGH RANGE and LOW RANGE - you pick one or the other by deciding which set of pulley grooves to move the forward belt into. By moving the belt from one speed range into the other, in combination with the FAST and SLOW wheel speeds, you obtain a choice of four different forward wheel speeds and two different tine speeds. When the tiller is moving in REVERSE, the wheels are powered by a rubber reverse disc, not by the belt. Therefore, you have only two reverse speeds SLOW and FAST, as set with the Wheel Speed Lever. Fig. 4-6 shows the range of wheel and tine speeds available when using the two belt speed ranges and the FAST and SLOW selections on the Wheel Speed Lever. WARNING! To help avoid serious personal injury, stop the engine, remove the ignition key, disconnect spark plug wire and move the wire away from the spark plug and let engine and muffler cool down Available wheel and tine speeds at 3000 RPM engine speed. Belt Position Wheel Speed Lever Wheel Speed Tine Speed Low Range Slow .5 MPH 146RPM before changing the belt speeds. Low Range Fast 1.2 MPH 146RPM Changing the belt from LOW range into HIGH range (or back again) is a matter of moving the belt from one set of pulley High Range High Range Slow Fast .7 MPH 1.72 MPH 200RPM 200RPM grooves to a second set of pulley grooves. This change is done quickly and without tools. Figure 4-6 Section 5 - Operation 17