MTD 21A-340-100 - Manual (Page 9)

4. Throttle Control: The throttle control lever
adjusts the engine speed and stops the engine.
With the throttle control lever pushed completely
forward, the carburetor is in START position.
Pulling the throttle control back slightly adjusts
the engine speed to FAST. Pulling the throttle
back further reduces the engine speed to SLOW.
Pull the throttle completely back to stop the
engine. Refer to Figure 8.
Use maximum engine speed for deep tilling.
Move the throttle control to SLOW when
transporting the tiller.
TRANSPORTING THE TILLER
To transport the tiller to or from the garden, pivot the
depth stake forward, out of the way. See Figure 11.
With the throttle control in SLOW position, the unit will
“walk” freely on top of the lawn. If the operator does
not allow the tiller to move freely, the unit will start to
till the surface.
CULTIVATING
For cultivating, a two to three inch depth is desirable.
Setting the wheels and depth stake so that the
wheels are about two inches above the ground while
the tiller is resting on the tines and depth stake will
allow the machine to work at cultivating depth. The
throttle should be set to control forward movement to
a slow walking speed. With the outer tines installed,
the working width of the machine is 22 or 24 inches.
For cultivation, this may be reduced to 13 inches by
removing the outer tines. Refer to ‘Tine Width
Adjustment” in Adjustment section.
When laying out plant rows, be sure to allow enough
width to permit cultivation between the rows. In
growing corn or similar crops, check-row planting will
permit cross cultivation and practically eliminate hand
hoeing. See Figure 13.
The tiller has many uses other than tilling and
cultivating a garden. One of these is the preparation
of lawn area for seeding. The tiller will prepare a deep
seed bed which will be free of hard unfilled spots,
allowing a better stand of grass to grow. The tiller is
very useful for loosening hard soil for excavation with
a shovel. NO tedious hand pickwork will be
necessary. Your tiller may be used for mixing
compost in the pile, or for mixing it with the soil in
your garden. This should be done after the soil has
been broken to the full working depth. The compost
should be worked in to a depth of six to seven inches.
This may be done by working the length of the
garden, and then by making separate passes across
its width. The addition of decayed organic matter will
substantially increase the fertility of your garden. For
proper decaying action, fertilizer should be applied
and worked in with the mulch materials. Breaking up
leaves and straw and mixing it with several inches of
soil causes the soil to hold moisture longer and allows
proper aeration of the plant root system. This also
retards the growth of weeds.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and various state
and local agencies offer published booklets and
expert advice on all phases of gardening. They
should be consulted regarding soil information,
planting dates, and the most satisfactory varieties of
crop for your particular area.
CULTIVATING