Using a Rotavator

[Le-y]

Ok my husband has just been offered a rotavator for £90 its this one....



ok i know its a rubbish picture sorry but are these types good? aparently its almost like new (son is selling it after fathers death) i dunno what make it is wont find out till we get it i expect.

£90 good value?

and is it normal for me to be a bit scared of using it lol!

any advice on using one before i do?

[nilly71]

I know nothing about them but going by the picture I would of thought it would be well worth the money.

Neil

[raisedbedted]

Definately worth the money as long as you feel its worth buying a rotavator full stop.

Personally I cant stand them as they do my back in and just chop all the weeds into even more pieces, and strangely, I enjoy digging.  So I dig and then use a tiller to break it down to a tilth.

I have just taken my rotavator to the tip - used it 3 times in 10 years !

[macmac]

The OH got ours out today.
It's the same as the one you've been offered and in his words"I'd snap their hands off if I were them "
We paid over £300 for ours a few years ago and apart from being a bit awkward to start at the beginning of the season it's brilliant
It's not to difficult to manage although he won't let me (boys and their toys)I bet I could manage it.It's not a big machine but ploughs both our lottie plots up nicely and the OH helps a couple of lottie neighbours by doing their plots.
Give it a go ,'bet you could sell it on without loss if you didn't like it
If you do get and have any probs pm us and we'll see if we can help although if it's for use on a lottie someone has always got advice
just seen raised beds post what a waste

[Le-y]

Thank you macmac, I may just have to take you up on that offer strangely i have only seen 2 people on our site since i got it in July last year and one of them had only taken on his plot the month before i got mine so not much help there lol.

sounds like a definite bargin then if you brought one of the same like for £300.

we nearly had to say no because we're moving this month and cannot possibly afford £90 in one go, the guy said he'd offer us to pay over 3 months he wants rid that quick and is giving the machine to us tomorrow when we pay him the first lot.

(i'm just glad he obviously hasn't looked on ebay.)

[cornykev]

A bargain deffo, snap his hand off.   

[Mr Smith]

A great bargain at £90.00 and don't be afraid to have a go, if the depth bar is set up correctly the only thing you will have to do is walk behind it, when I start to rotovate my muck in it will only take a couple of hours and not a couple of days digging it in,

[lincsyokel2]

The going rate for good working old Merry Tillers is £175-£200. You had better snatch his hand off at £90 and hope he doesnt ask anyone who knows what its worth. New Merry Tillers are £350. Even old knackered ones can fetch £75 because  if all the parts are there its worth putting a brand new engine on (£100)

Make no mistake about Rotavators. There hard work to use, and you need some physical strength to haul them about and make them do what you want. A Rotavator doesnt make it any easier, it just allows you to do three times the  area with the same effort.

[hippydave]

not hard to use if you have an howard that is driven like mine you just walk behind it and it and it does all the work.

[allaboutliverpool]

Hippydave, your Idle canoe club link does not work!

[raisedbedted]

just seen raised beds post what a waste

No, believe me if it had had any value it would have been sold and exchanged for some nice quality spades 

[Melbourne12]

Ok my husband has just been offered a rotavator for £90 its this one....



ok i know its a rubbish picture sorry but are these types good? aparently its almost like new (son is selling it after fathers death) i dunno what make it is wont find out till we get it i expect.

£90 good value?

and is it normal for me to be a bit scared of using it lol!

any advice on using one before i do?

I'm sure that £90 is a good price, but may I just sound a word of caution?  Similar machines sell new for around £200, which is rock bottom price for rotavators.  They are made in China, and the tines are particularly likely to bend or break.  And you'll find that spares are impossible to get.  If you do buy it, make sure that it's a reputable name with a spares backup, and the engine is also from a known manufacturer like Briggs & Stratton.

[Le-y]

just picked it up and it says its a merry tiller cadet,  briggs and stratton engine this doesnt mean much to me but its spotless got a full tank and purrs lol

[cleo]

That is indeed a bargain. Just work slowly(and that is much faster than digging/hoeing etc) and avoid any areas with a lot of couch grass.

If you look after it it will last years-my Kubota is 19 years old and still starts up without trouble

[cornykev]

I can't believe the lucky sods got a full tank as well, you must have trod in something Le-y.         

[Melbourne12]

just picked it up and it says its a merry tiller cadet,  briggs and stratton engine this doesnt mean much to me but its spotless got a full tank and purrs lol

Wow!  Have fun with it - that is indeed a bargain!

[PurpleHeather]

The only tip I can offer is to check the manufacturer has spares available.

We bought  A JCB rotovator some years ago only to find that when the clutch cable went there were no spares and no other replacement could be used. Seems JCB discontinued making them very soon after they marketed them.

I rang JCB, when it was 5 years old saying the clutch cable was 'gone' and they said that they were an old model which was discontinued.

Most people do not use them that often (not like a truck) so should expect many years of use from them.

[chriscross1966]

Get a Howard or a Merry Tiller or a Landmaster....the model may not be made but the spares scene is still good.....