Craftsman 247.23000 Operator's Manual

Also see for 247.23000: Operator's manual

SETTING THE DEPTHii Be certain sparkplug wireis disconnectedand groundedagainsttheenginewhenperforminganyadjustments.Tillingdepthis controlledbythedepthstakewhichcanbeadjustedto fivedifferentsettings.Adjustthe sideshieldsas youadjustthedepthstake.• Whenusingthe tillerfor the firsttime, usethe secondadjustmenthole from the top(1"of tillingdepth).• Whenbreakingup sod and for shallowcultivation,usethe settingwhich gives 1"of tilling depth(secondhole fromthe top). Placethe side shieldsintheir lowestposition.• Forfurtherdepth, raisethe depthstakeand side shieldsand alsomakeone or two morepassesoverthearea.• Whentillingloosesoil, the depthstakemay be raisedto itshighestposition(use bottomadjustmenthole) to givethe deepesttillingdepth. Raisethe sideshieldsto their highestposition.• Totransporttiller,lowerthedepthstake(usetopadjustmenthole).Toadjustthe depth stake,removethe clevispin and cotterpin. Movethe depthstaketo thedesiredsettingand securewith the clevispinand cotterpin. See Figure16.Cotter /De_StakeWing NutShieldFigure16Toadjustthe sideshields,removethe wingnuts.Movethe side shieldto the desiredpositionand replacethewing nuts.Tightensecurely.See Figure13.TILLING TIPS & TECHNIQUESBeforetilling, contactyourtelephoneor utilitiescompanyand inquirel ifundergroundequipmentor linesare usedon yourproperty.Do not[till near buriedelectriccables,telephonelines,pipesor hoses.Tilling Depth• Don'toverloadthe engine,butdig as deeplyas possibleon eachpass.On laterpasses,the wheelsmay tendto spin inthe soft dirt.Helpthem along by liftingup slightlyon the handlebar(one hand,palmup, worksmosteasily).14Avoidthe temptationto pushdownon the handlebarsin anattemptto force the tillerto dig deeper.Doingsotakesthe weightoff the poweredwheels,causingthemto losetraction.Withoutthewheelsto holdthe tiller back,thetines will attemptto propeltowardstheoperatoror awayfrom theoperator.Whencultivating(breakingup thesurfacesoilaroundthe plantstodestroyweeds,SeeFigure17),adjustthetines to digonly 1"to2"deep.Usingthe shallowtillingdepthhelpspreventinjuryto theplantswhoserootsoftengrowclosetothe surface.If needed,liftup on the handlebarsslightlyto preventthetinesfromdiggingtoodeeply.(Cultivatingon a regularbasisnotonlyeliminatesweeds,italsoloosensand aeratesthesoil forbettermoistureabsorptionandfasterplantgrowth.)Wateringthegardenarea a few dayspriortotillingwillmaketillingeasier,as willlettingthenewlyworkedsoilsetfora dayor two beforemakinga final,deep tillingpass.Figure17Choosing the Correct Wheel & Tine SpeedsWithexperience,you willfindthetillingdepthand tillingspeedcombina-tionthat isbestfor yourgarden.Setthe enginethrottleleverat a speedtogivetheengineadequatepowerandyet allowit tooperateatthe slow-est possiblespeeduntilyou haveachievedthe maximumtillingdepthyoudesire.Fasterenginespeedsmay be desirablewhenmakingfinalpassesthroughtheseedbedor whencultivating.Selectionofthe correctenginespeed,in relationto thetillingdepth,willensurea sufficientpowerlevelto do thejobwithoutcausingtheengineto labor.