HSS Hire 999 Operating & Safety Manual

Light Duty Tiller

A lightweight tiller designed for use

in small areas previously turned.

Never push the equipment beyond its design limits. If
it will not do what you want with reasonable ease and
speed, assume you have the wrong tool for the job.
Contact your local HSS Hire for advice.

Keep the equipment clean – you will find this less of a
chore if you clean it regularly, rather than wait until the end
of the hire period.

Regularly check the fuel level and top up as necessary

with unleaded petrol.

EQUIPMENT CARE

Regularly check the oil level – when the engine is cold
and on level ground. Unscrew the dipstick, wipe it clean,
then replace it into the opening without screwing it back in
place. Remove it a second time and verify that the oil level
is between the min and max lines, top up as necessary.

When not in use, store the equipment somewhere clean,

dry and safe from thieves.

Release the throttle lever to set the engine to idle, close
the fuel tap and set the ON / OFF switch to the ‘0’(OFF)
position. Close the breather valve by turning fully
clockwise.

Reset the depth bar as high as it will go.
Hose the machine down to get it as clean as possible

(do this now before the soil dries) ready for return, to your
local HSS Hire.

FINISHING OFF

Code 62506

Fuel
Cap

Breather

Valve

Fuel

Tank

Pull

Start

Pull

Start

Engine

Oil

Fuel

Tap

Choke

Lever

Engine

Light Duty Tiller

Operating & Safety Guide 999

Operating & Safety Guide 999

999/02

999/02

©HSS Hire Service Group Ltd 2007 No. 999/02

Group Office: 25 Willow Lane, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 4TS

Web Site: http://www.hss.com

…any comments?

If you have any suggestions to enable us to improve the

information within this guide please e-mail your comments

or write to the Safety Guide Manager at the address below

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The law requires that personnel using work equipment

have received adequate training and must be competent

when using the equipment within the workplace.

Training is available at HSS Training Solutions

0845 766 7799

For advice on the safety and suitability of this
equipment contact your local HSS Hire.

There is a serious risk of personal injury if you do not
follow all instructions laid down in this guide.

The hirer has a responsibility to ensure that all
necessary risk assessments have been completed prior
to the use of this equipment.

This equipment should only be used by an operator
who has been deemed competent to do so by his/her
employer.

This equipment should be used by an able bodied,
competent adult who has read and understood these

instructions. Anyone with either a temporary or permanent
disability, should seek expert advice before using it.

Keep children, animals and bystanders away from the
work area. Cordon off a NO GO area using cones and
either barriers or tape, available for hire from your local
HSS Hire.

Never use this equipment if you are ill, feeling
tired, or under the influence of alcohol or

drugs.

This equipment generates potentially harmful
noise levels. To comply with health and safety at

work regulations, ear defenders must be worn by everyone
in the vicinity.

Wear practical, protective clothing, gloves
and footwear. Avoid loose garments and

jewellery that could catch in moving parts, tie back long
hair.

Ensure the work area is well lit and ventilated, if in
doubt, ask about lighting and ventilation equipment at
your local HSS Hire.

Make sure you know how to switch this machine OFF
before you switch it ON in case you get into difficulty.

Always switch the engine off and wait for moving parts to
come to rest before making adjustments to it.

Engines, especially the exhausts, get very hot so switch
OFF and allow to cool before touching them.

Keep flammable materials well away from engine and
exhaust.

Survey the area to be dug and ensure that there are NO
hidden services (electric cables, soil pipes etc) below
the work area. If in doubt, use a cable-avoiding tool

available from your local HSS Hire.

Be careful if your view is obstructed, avoid using the
machine under low branches where you are forced to

Exhaust Danger

NEVER operate petrol engines indoors or in a

confined space.

The exhaust contains gases that can kill.

GENERAL SAFETY

crouch to pass under.
The digging tines can cause serious injury. Always keep

feet and hands well away from the tines taking special
care when starting.

Make sure that anyone in the immediate work area is
warned of what you are doing.

Check the condition of the equipment before use. If it

shows signs of damage or excessive wear, return it to your
local HSS Hire.

Ensure the guard is correctly fitted and secure before
starting work.

Clear the area to be cultivated of everything that could
get in the machines way – sticks, stones, washing lines
etc.

Any long grass should be cut and cleared, as this will

clog the tines and reduce the depth of the dig.
Ensure the soil is in a suitable condition to be dug, soil

should be neither too wet nor too dry.

Adjust the rear depth bar to suite the depth you
require, this is held in position with an ‘R’ clip & pin. The

higher the bar the deeper the dig.
It is essential to familiarise yourself with all the controls

before starting.
With the machine on firm level ground, check fuel and

oil levels (see EQUIPMENT CARE).
Set the ON/OFF switch, located on the right hand

control handle, to the ‘I’ (ON) position. If at any time you
get into difficulty, move the switch to the ‘0’ (OFF)
position to stop the engine.

Open the breather valve (fitted to the fuel cap) three
full turns anticlockwise. If the breather valve is not
opened, the engine will be starved of fuel. However,
the valve must always be closed when the machine is
not in use. Open the fuel tap by turning quarter turn
anticlockwise and set the choke – fully closed if starting

from cold, half closed if the engine is warm.

The engine is fitted with an automatic clutch, which
engages the tines as the engine speed increases. It is
possible that the tines may turn when starting the

GETTING STARTED

engine, so make sure you grip the control handle firmly
when starting the engine.

Two or three brisk pulls on the starter cord should now
start the engine.

Once the engine has warmed up, fully open the choke
and switch the engine OFF.

To engage the tines, squeeze the throttle lever on the
right hand control handle. To stop the tines rotating
and set the engine to idle, simply release the throttle.

When digging a strip of earth, tilt the machine forward
while holding it back (it will try to run over the surface)
until it begins to cut into the soil, then allow it to
progress at its own rate until the strip is complete.

If the unit becomes stuck in one position, tilt it back to
allow it to progress.

At the end of the strip release the throttle and turn the
machine round ready for the next run.

Repeat the process until the entire area has been dug.
To stop in an emergency simply release the throttle

lever.

Stone Alert

Keep a lookout for bricks, large stones, bits of wood,

wire etc.

Running into debris could cause serious damage to

the digger.

BASIC TECHNIQUES

Fuel Safety

NEVER refuel while the engine is hot or running.
Never smoke or allow naked lights into the area

while refuelling.

Never inhale fuel vapour.

ALWAYS mop up any spillage as quickly as possible,
and change your clothes if you get fuel on yourself.

ALWAYS store fuel in a purpose-made sealed

container, in a cool, safe place well away from the

work area.

Tines

Throttle

Lever

ON/OFF

Switch

'R' Clip

Depth

Bar

Pin

Light Duty Tiller