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500RTTA
(917.296250)
Owner's Manual
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SAFETY RULES SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES FOR WALK-BEHIND POWERED ROTA R Y TILLERS Keep children and pets away. TRAINING Do not overload the machine capacity by attempting Read the Owner’s Manual care ful ly. Be thor ough ly to till too deep at too fast a rate. famil iar with the controls and the proper use of the equip ment. Know how to stop the unit and disengage Never operate the machine at high speeds on slippery the controls quickly. surfaces. Look behind and use care
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CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS Read and observe the safety rules. Gasoline Capacity: 3 Quarts Follow a regular schedule in maintaining, caring for Unleaded Reg u lar and using your tiller. Oil (API-SF/SJ): SAE 30 (Above 40°F) Follow instructions under “Maintenance” and “Stor age” (Capacity 20 oz./0.6L) SAE 5W-30/10W30 (Below 40°F) sections of this Owner’s Manual. Spar
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ASSEMBLY Your new tiller has been assembled at the factory with exception of those parts left unassembled for shipping purposes. To ensure safe and proper operation of your tiller all parts and hardware you assemble must be tightened securely. Use the correct tools as necessary to insure proper tightness. TOOLS REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY FRONT A socket wrench set will make assembly easier. Standard wrench sizes are listed. (1) Utility knife (1) Tire pressure gauge (1) Pair of pliers LEFT RIGHT
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ASSEMBLY UNPACKING CARTON (See Fig. 2) Grasp handle assembly. Hold in “up” position. Be sure handle lock remains in gearcase notch. Slide handle assembly into position. CAUTION: Be careful of exposed sta ples when handling or disposing of cartoning material. HANDLE ASSEMBLY "UP" POSITION IMPORTANT: WHEN UN PACK ING AND AS SEM BLING TILLER, BE CAREFUL NOT TO STRETCH OR KINK CABLES. TIGHTEN HANDLE LOCK LEVER TO HOLD While holding handle assembly, cut cable ties se cur ing han
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ASSEMBLY ATTACH CLUTCH CABLE (See Fig. 6) CONNECT SHIFT ROD (See Fig. 7) Insert end of shift rod into hole of shift lever indicator. Hook end of clutch cable through hole in control bar bracket. Insert hairpin clip through hole of shift rod to secure. SHIFT HAIRPIN CONTROL BAR SHIFT LEVER CLIP BRACKET ROD INDICATOR CONTROL BAR CLUTCH CABLE CONTROL BAR FIG. 7 BRACKET REMOVE TILLER FROM CRATE Make sure shift lever indicator is in “N” position (See Fig. 7) END OF CLUTCH
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OPERATION KNOW YOUR TILLER READ THIS OWNER'S MANUAL AND SAFETY RULES BEFORE OPERATING YOUR TILLER. Compare the illustrations with your tiller to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls and adjustments. Save this manual for future reference. These symbols may appear on your Tiller or in literature supplied with the product. Learn and understand their meaning. SHIFT LEVER SHIFT LEVER IN DI CA TOR DRIVE CONTROL BAR DEPTH STAKE LEVELING SHIELD RECOIL STARTER HANDLE OUTER SIDE
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OPERATION The operation of any tiller can result in foreign objects thrown into the eyes, which can result in severe eye damage. Always wear safety glasses or eye shields before starting your tiller and while tilling. We recommend a wide vision safety mask for over spectacles or standard safety glasses. DEPTH STAKE (See Fig. 10) HOW TO USE YOUR TILLER The depth stake can be raised or lowered to allow you more Know how to operate all controls before adding fuel and versatile tilling and cul
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OPERATION TURNING Release the drive control bar. Move throttle control to “SLOW” position. OIL Place shift lever indicator in “F” (forward) position. Tines LEVEL will not turn. Lift handle to raise tines out of ground. Swing the handle in the opposite direction you wish to turn, being careful to keep feet and legs away from OIL tines. FILLER When you have completed your turn-around, release PLUG the drive control bar and lower handle. Place shift OIL DRAIN
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OPERATION Place throttle control in “FAST” position. Soil conditions are important for proper tilling. Tines will not readily penetrate dry, hard soil which may con tribute Push fuel valve to “ON” position. to excessive bounce and diffi cult handling of your tiller. Turn engine switch to “ON” position. Hard soil should be mois tened before tilling; however, Move choke control to full “CHOKE” position. extremely wet soil will “ball-up” or clump during tilling. G
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MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE REGULAR SERVICE PERIOD (3) First Every Every Every Refer Each month 3 months 6 months year ITEM Performed at every indicated to use month or operating hour interval, or or or or page whichever comes first. 20 Hrs. 50 Hrs. 100 Hrs. 300 Hrs. Check level Engine Oil 27 Change Reduction gear Check level oil (applicable 27 models only) Change Check Air Cleaner (1) (*) (1) Clean 28 (**) Replace Sediment cup Clean 31 Spark plug Clean-Readjust 32 Replace Spark arr
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MAINTENANCE Disconnect spark plug wire before performing any maintenance (except car bure tor adjustment) to prevent accidental start ing of engine. Prevent fi res! Keep the engine free of grass, leaves, spilled oil, or fuel. Re move fuel from tank before tipping unit for maintenance. Clean muffl er area of all grass, dirt, and debris. Do not touch hot muffl er or cylinder fi ns as contact may cause burns. ENGINE LUBRICATION Use only high quality detergent oil rated with API service classifi
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SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTS CAUTION: Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come into contact with plug. TILLER CLEVIS PIN TO ADJUST HANDLE HEIGHT (See Fig. 18) Select handle height best suited for your tilling conditions. Handle height will be different when tiller digs into soil. NUT “C” First loosen handle lock lever. Handle can be positioned at different settings between NUT “HIGH” and “LOW” positions. “D” Retighten handle lock lever secu
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SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTS GROUND DRIVE BELT ADJUSTMENT TO REPLACE GROUND DRIVE BELT (See Fig. 21) (See Fig. 21) For proper belt tension, the extension spring should Remove belt guard (See “TO REMOVE BELT GUARD” in this section of this manual). have about 5/8 inch stretch when drive control bar is in “EN GAGED” position. This tension can be attained as Remove old belt by slipping off engine pulley fi rst then follows: remove from transmission pulley. Loosen cable clip scr
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SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTS To maintain the superb tilling performance of this TINE REPLACEMENT ma chine the tines should be checked for sharpness, (See Figs. 22, 23, and 24) wear, and bending, particularly the tines which are next to the transmission. If the gap between the tines CAUTION: Tines are sharp. Wear ex ceeds 3-1/2 inches (9 cm), they should be replaced gloves or other protection when han- or straight ened as necessary. dling tines. New tines should be assembled
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SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTS ENGINE CARBURETOR The carburetor has been preset at the factory and ad just ment should not be necessary. However, engine per formance can be affected by dif fer enc es in fuel, tem per a ture, al ti tude or load. If the carburetor does need ad just ment, contact your nearest authorized service center/de part ment. The air fi lter must be assembled to the carburetor when running engine. Best carburetor adjustment is obtained when fuel tank is 1/4 full.
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STORAGE Immediately prepare your tiller for storage at the end of the ENGINE OIL season or if the unit will not be used for 30 days or more. Drain oil (with engine warm) and replace with clean oil. (See “ENGINE” in the Maintenance section of this manual). WARNING: Never store the tiller with gasoline in the tank inside a build ing CYLINDER(S) where fumes may reach an open fl ame Remove spark plug. or spark. Allow the engine to cool before Pour 1 ounce (29 ml) of oil through sp
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TROUBLESHOOTING POINTS PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION Will not star t 1. Out of fuel. 1. Fill fuel tank. 2. Engine not “CHOKED” properly. 2. See “TO START ENGINE” in Operation section. 3. Engine fl ooded.
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REPAIR PARTS TILLER - - MODEL NUMBER 500RTTA (917.296250), PRODUCT NUMBER 954 32 91-72 HANDLE ASSEMBLY KEY PART KEY PART NO. NO. DESCRIPTION NO. NO. DESCRIPTION 2 532 00 92-66 Grip, Handle 21 532 18 11-27 Handle 4 532 15 92-28 Bar Assembly, Control 23 532 08 67-77 Screw, Hex Washer Hd. Slotted 6 532 18 06-85 Panel, Control #10-24 x 1/2 8 871 19 10-08 Screw, Truss H
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REPAIR PARTS TILLER - - MODEL NUMBER 500RTTA (917.296250), PRODUCT NUMBER 954 32 91-72 MAINFRAME, LEFT SIDE KEY PART KEY PART NO. NO. DESCRIPTION NO. NO. DESCRIPTION 1 873 51 05-00 Nut, Keps 5/16-18 24 532 12 68-75 Rivet, Drilled 2 810 04 06-00 Washer, Lock 3/8 25 532 12 47-88 Clip, Hairpin 3 873 22 06-00 Nut, Hex 3/8-16 26 532 16 67-92 Guard, Belt 4 532 17 01-27 Shield, Inner Belt Guard RT
