Husqvarna 917.29939 Owner's Manual

Contents

OPERATIONNOTE: If engine does not start, see troubleshootingpoints.SPARK PLUGCHOKECONTROLRECOILSTARTERCONTROLFig. 8BREAKING IN YOUR TILLERBreak-in your belt(s), pulleys and tine control before youactually begin tilling.• Start engine, tip tines off ground by pressing handlesdown and engage tine control to start tine rotation.Allow tines to rotate for five minutes.• Checktine operation and adjust if necessary. See"TINEOPERATION CHECK" in the Service and Adjustmentssection of this manual.TILLING HINTSCAUTION: Until you are accustomedto handling your tiller, start actual fielduse with throttle in slow position.To help tiller move forward, lift up the handles slightly (thuslifting 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 depthstake are not set properly in the soil being tilled. The propersetting of the wheels and depth stake is through trial anderror and depends upon the soil condition. (The harder orwetter the ground, the slower the engine and tine speedneeded. Under these poor conditions, at fast speed thetiller will run and jump over the ground).A properly adjusted tiller will dig with little effort from theoperator.• Tilling is digging into, turning over, and breaking uppackedsoil before planting. Loose, unpackedsoil helpsroot growth. Best tilling depth is 4"-6". A tiller will alsoclear the soil of unwanted vegetation. The decompositionof this vegetable matter enriches the soil. Dependingon the climate (rainfall and wind), it may be advisableto till the soil at the end of the growing season to furthercondition the soil.• Soil conditions are importantfor proper tilling. Tines willnot readily penetrate dry, hard soil which may contributeto 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 thebest results. When tilling in the fall, remove vines andlong grass to prevent them from wrapping around thetine shaft and slowing your tilling operation.• You will find tilling much easier if you leave a row un-tilled between passes. Then go back between tilledrows. (See Fig. 9) There are two reasons for doingthis. First, wide turns are much easier to negotiate thanabout-faces. Second, the tiller won't be pulling itself,and you, toward the row next to it.• Set depth stake and wheel height for shallow tillingwhen working extremely hard soil or sod. Then workacross the first cuts at normal depth.Fig. 9CULTIVATINGCultivating is destroying the weeds between rows to pre-vent them from robbing nourishment and moisture from theplants. At the same time, breaking up the upper layer ofsoil crust will help retain moisture in the soil. Best diggingdepth is 1"-3".• You will probably not need to use the depth stake. Beginby tipping the depth stake forward until it is held by thestake spring.• Cultivate up and down the rows at a speed which willallow tines to uproot weeds and leave the ground inrough condition, promoting no further growth of weedsand grass (See Fig. 10).9 Fig. 10