Rototiller recommendations

[tigger]

Any thoughts on the counter rotating vs. dual rotating tines? I am clearing a 30x30 plot for a garden. Is a dual worth the few bucks more? Mtd, craftsman, husqvarna, ....any thoughts on brand? I would like to spend less than a grand. Thanks

 

[Clarkbug]

Personally I would look for an older Troy-Bilt Horse. They are built like tanks and can do a LOT of work. I see some nicely restored models going for 5-600 on CL.

 

[roadiestar]

x2 what he said

 

[jlightning]

I have a troy built super bronko and it is a good tiller. It does leak a little gear oil but I make sure it is filled up before I use it and its fine.

 

[hankjrfan]

The newer ones you mentioned are decent tillers. I have one of the bigger Husky's with a 5 or 6 hp Honda motor. I wouldn't be surprised to find out all of these brands come from the same place, they look very close. One thing about them, NEVER under any circumstances leave them sitting outside overnight. Even the dew can get up in there and foul out the gears.
These aren't the most powerful tillers I've ever used. I had an old Craftsman from the 70's that would just dig a hole if you let it sit in one spot, break new ground no problem.
But it had not reverse tines and weighed a ton. Difficult to navigate it around in a truck bed.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I'm a strong proponent of no-till, as well as not tilling, but that aside- for a 30x30 garden, I would rent one or pay someone to do it. You will use it one day a year, then have to care, feed, and house it.

 

[Retired Guy]

Older Troy Built - one built in Troy, NY. None better.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Any thoughts on the counter rotating vs. dual rotating tines? I am clearing a 30x30 plot for a garden. Is a dual worth the few bucks more? Mtd, craftsman, husqvarna, ....any thoughts on brand? I would like to spend less than a grand. Thanks

My dad just got one - no idea if it's dual or rotating or whatever - and it says "Honda" on the side of it. It looks factory. I don't know anything about gardening or rototillers.

Hope this helps.

 

[hankjrfan]

Here's the bottom line for me. I have at least a couple acre market garden each year. I plow, then disc, then hit it with the 5hp rear tine tiller I mentioned.

You do not need the reverse tines feature...

but..
if you don't have it, you'll need a very heavy duty tiller to compensate for the lack. The old Sears I mentioned was at least 8 old school HP. The reverse tines allows a guy to have a smaller homeowner tiller and get the job done without killing himself. These modern day versions will have you chasin em down the row if not already really loose soil.

 

[bassJAM]

Another vote for the older Troy Built tillers. Both my grandpa and dad have one, Dad's is almost 30 years old and Grandpa's is even older. I think MTD owns Troy Built now.

 

[Retired Guy]

Another vote for the older Troy Built tillers. Both my grandpa and dad have one, Dad's is almost 30 years old and Grandpa's is even older. I think MTD owns Troy Built now.

The difference between old and new is like day and night

 

[flyingcow]

I've got an old Troy Built, Horse I think. Damn things a tank. I think it's 2ft wide. No hand clutch, it's in gear you're going places. I've broken old sod ground with it. Just go light on the first couple of passes.

I tried a counter rotating tine tiller. didn't work worth a damn for me. Wouldn't pull itself. Took it back. Did get my money back. Where I live, the soil is good old fashioned loam. Potato country. Once ground is tilled, pretty soft.

 

[ailanthus]

Another vote for the older Troy Built tillers. Both my grandpa and dad have one, Dad's is almost 30 years old and Grandpa's is even older. I think MTD owns Troy Built now.

My dad and father in law both have old-school troy bilts. Neither is quite done with theirs yet, so I got a used craftsman to hold me over for a few years.

A nearby dealer carries BCS tillers- those are the best thing going if you want something new and want to splurge a bit.

 

[SCOTT S.]

My dad has a 1980 Honda tiller he has a large 1 acre garden has tilled every year since purchase and still starts first pull every time. This is a true Honda not just a Honda motor slapped on someone else's tiller.

 

[flyingcow]

My dad has a 1980 Honda tiller he has a large 1 acre garden has tilled every year since purchase and still starts first pull every time. This is a true Honda not just a Honda motor slapped on someone else's tiller.

My father in law had one from the 80's. Beautiful machine. Very nice tiller.

 

[Highbeam]

I have this

http://www.amazon.com/Poulan-Pro-17-Inch-Stratton-PRRT850/sim/B000XMN8P4/2

I bought it used a few years ago and just this year replaced the tines. Cheap to buy and it turns out the tines are the same as is on the troybuilt horse tiller. New tines made a huge difference, the old ones had been beaten pretty hard and I didn't even know it.

The tiller is easy on gas and a necessary tool even if it does only get used a few times per year. It goes in the shop and sits there ready for next year.

I'll till a few times each year in the spring. First I spray roundup to kill the fall/winter/spring weeds, then till them under, then the weed seeds sprout so I spray again, then till them under. Then I wait a little while for the ground to settle and for any last weed seeds to pop up, spray again, and then plant. Tilling is great, works very well.

Our small garden is only 25x50 and our usual take is about 80 pumpkins, 50 walla walla onions, and many many pounds of green beans.

 

[macattack_ga]

Personally I would look for an older Troy-Bilt Horse. They are built like tanks and can do a LOT of work. I see some nicely restored models going for 5-600 on CL.

And I thought the $20 I paid for one at a yard sale this weekend was foolish. (It does need a little work).

 

[Highbeam]

You will use it one day a year, then have to care, feed, and house it.

Just like the splitters so many of us have. Or even the generators.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Just like the splitters so many of us have. Or even the generators.

Generator is a different story- you don't rent it when you need it

 

[Highbeam]

Generator is a different story- you don't rent it when you need it

I k ow what you're saying but rental yards do great business renting generators.

 

[BrotherBart]

I k ow what you're saying but rental yards do great business renting generators.

For sure. I have given thought to buying a dozen of them for rental when people go nuts here when a hurricane is moving up the coast. The night before the last one I put a new one on craigslist and it sold in five minutes. And I spent a week getting cussed by others in emails for not selling it to them. Could have rented them for two days for what they would cost me.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I k ow what you're saying but rental yards do great business renting generators.

Point is- for a 30x30 garden, rather than a farm plot, renting seems like a great option.(YMMV)

If I had the foresight, I'd have rented my power washer, and a couple other enginey pieces of yard equipment- but NOT the generator (which gets used a bit around here). I'm sure they get rented in emergency winter storms, but they get rented for the occasional job site all year round.

 

[Highbeam]

Renting is fine for lots of things. I'm a frequent renter too but I rent the expensive tools that I need once and that I can finish using quickly without an obvious recurring use. Concrete saw for example.

With an item like a tiller or logsplitter, for which I have a known recurring use I consider the price of purchasing a used unit divided by the life expectancy to determine cost per year. There is no maintenance to speak of on a tiller or splitter. Compare that to the rental price to decide if buying is a better option. As added bonus points you can sell the tiller when you're done and there is a large amount of value in having the tiller available whenever you want for no added cost, no rush to get the tilling done right away, etc.

It's not like a horse where it costs you money whether you ride it or not. You can set a machine in a shed and leave it there for a decade if you want to.

Renting vs. buying a tool is not a simple decision. I have just as often regretted repeated renting as I have regretted buying.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Maybe I'm more sensitive to that because I've been out of shed space for over a decade

 

[Highbeam]

Maybe I'm more sensitive to that because I've been out of shed space for over a decade

Good point.

The tiller is back there in that corner with the other junk while I was building this shed. They're really pretty small but I'd think that storing it outside under a tarp might not help a tiller last as long.