Topic: rotavators

[Andy H]

what roti have you got and what are they like?
Thinking of getting one and wondering on performance of the various ones old or new and what you paid for them?

[Roy Bham UK]

Not sure what the difference is between a rotavator and a tiller ??? I have a tiller, its a Honda FG201 and cost me £299 new. I am very pleased with it, it is quiet as compared to a 2 stroke, light and easy to use, tills down to about 9 inches.

Can be carried in a 5 door car. ;)

Some peeps likes em some peeps don't, could be a long thread this. ;D

[Andy H]

Thanks Roy, I have a Honda 5HP F501 at the moment but hard work. want onw with wheels that pull it along. Bidding on various from ebay but not sure what the pull along ones are like. So many models. :-\

Mine does the job but have to wiggle and pull and fight with it a bit. doesn`t "Dig" too well. sometimes have to use spade first.

Interesting what people have and how they fight with them....

[Common_Clay]

Hi Andy H,

               I've got a Mantis, probably a smaller type of thing than you're talking about though?
  It's hard work and I can't say it's a complete cheat, but it's good for the stomach and arm muscles (so I keep telling myself) and it's light (20lbs). It's a pull back motion to get it digging and with a bit of practice and patient can get it down nearly 10 inches or so. I must admit I've had to resort to digging a bit with a spade first, but this is new ground and heavy clay, so to be expected really... and for the tilth I get it's worth it. No wheels to speak of though.

  Don't know the Honda ones, will have to have a look... :)

[tim]

Fill in time by Searching for rotovators - like this one?
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,9594.0

Depends upon what you want to achieve. Some of them dig - some just titivate.

Five of the bigger ones assesed in Saturday's Gardening Telegraoh.

Mostly, you get what you pay for.

[Sprout]

I have a Mountfield Mini-Tiller which I bought last year from B&Q online. It's ok for breaking up the soil on already cleared beds: can do a weekends work in about 30 mins. Is a 2 stroke which means you have to add oil to the petrol which in spite of having an appropriate measuring jug, I still made the mixture too rich and the bloddy thing conked out on me mid job. Had to have it serviced and carb cleaned out before it would restart. Overall, though, glad i've got it as it does make life a lot easier and quicker.

[euronerd]

Slightly OT for which I apologise. I've found the easiest/ cleanest way to mix oil and petrol is to use one of those kitchen basters (tube and bulb). Drop a full baster (about 50ml) of oil into a 1 litre bottle and top up with petrol. Store baster in a plastic bag ready for next time. No need to clean unless you nicked it from the kitchen.  ;D

Geoff.

[flowerofshona]

Just got OH a Mantis off e-bay with all the atatchments, postage ect for £250 and it does well up the lottie and also great for earthing up the potatoes and keeping the paths between the crops clear :)
Good tip about the baster  ;)

[sandersj89]

The best way to get the right 2 stroke mix is to use the small plastic 100ml sachet containers of oil like these:

http://www.ronsmithandco.co.uk/StoreCart/main.asp?ID=&Product=576&ServPosCd=%3Ca+href%3D%22main%2Easp%22%3EShop+Home%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%26gt%3B%26nbsp%3B%3Ca+href%3D%22mainman%2Easp%3FManID%3D29%22%3ESTIHL%3C%2Fa%3E

You then have no problem getti ng the right mix, have used them for years for various strimmers, chainsaws and mowers with little problem.

You can get them at most garden machinery stores.

Jerry

[Common_Clay]

This is from the Mantis website:

http://www.mantis-uk.co.uk/part.php?partno=811013

It's what I use and have not so far (touch wood) had any problems.

[euronerd]

I should have said, calculate your own mixture strength from your literature. My own appliance needs rather more oil than 50:1 as you will have gathered, and by happy coincidence, a basterful is about right per litre of petrol. My point was, that and similar methods are quick, clean and brain-free. And probably cheaper.  ;D

Geoff.

[Andy H]

Thanks for replies, I was wondering what those OLD monster ones are like to use!

My Honda 4stroke just starts so easily.

Just bidding on ebay and after asking the width of machine about 8 times and then sending a shorter message saying despite his five years of negative feedback I would still bid if he answered emails.
He withdrew my bid  ;D

His loss anothers gain.....

Looks like I wont be getting the Camon C8 Trackmaster now then :D

[caroline7758]

Sounds like I'm preaching to the converted here, but what do any of you say to the argument that rotavators just turn the weeds over and cut them up so they multiply? Or do you only rotavate weed-free patches?

[euronerd]

Andy, I'm not a proponent of the two stroke by any stretch. Have you ever tried to start one while it's still hot?  >:( Go and have a cuppa and pretend you'd meant to stop anyway. I would think the extra weight of an old machine with a four stroke engine might be an advantage in many circumstances, but it's only a theory. I have used one, but haven't used a modern two stroke one, so can't compare.

Caroline, it's true - with marestail at least. I was a front row spectator as the guy on the next plot to mine put his mantis to work, and again the next spring as he was overrun with the stuff. He was, if not warned, advised. You're probably right about only rotavating weed free, but they don't tell you that when they're trying to sell you one. ;D

I hope it wasn't my post that screwed up the formatting on this page. :-\

Geoff.

[Andy H]

Mmmm My 2 stroke strimmer is worse when hot. the 4 st honda roti starts all the time red or frozen. Yeah been there done that with the weeds thing. I think only certain weeds survive and multiply are using roti.

Its the pro`s and cons of digging and mashing to a fine tithe.
Tiime v Back v fine tithe = roti ;D

I dig and roti, OH sows and weeds....

OH,"Look at all those weeds"!

Me,"Done my bit back hurts too much to help weed","continue madam"! :D

[Andy H]

And I bought one of those expensive mixer bottles. Fill petrol to level and add oil to level that matches strength.  ;)

[supersprout]

The Consumer's Association (Which?) reported on cultivators in November 2002. If you're interested, the mag should be available in your local library. There's much more useful info on things to watch for/avoid with different models, but I didn't want to exhaust the thread!

Here's the main thrust of the report ;D

The type and size of cultivator you choose will depend not only on your ability to keep it under control but also on the jobs you have in mind.

Size matters

Cultivators come in three basic sizes, and to find out what jobs they're capable of doing, we compared our Best Buy Rally FT5 with the smaller, but highly promoted Mantis Mini Cultivator and the much larger rear-tine Tracmaster C8. We asked our testers to assess them in the following situations: digging over uncultivated ground, digging over previously cultivated soil, and weeding between rows of plants.

The Mantis (£349) is light enough to carry (8.5kg) and will easily fit into the back of a car. The Tracmaster C8 is a much heavier machine (over 100kg), which is available to hire for around £60 a day.

The Mantis proved just the ticket for weeding between rows of crops. Its narrow blades (20cm wide) and shallow digging meant it didn't damage plants above or below the soil surface. Removing the outer blades of the Rally FT5 reduced its digging width from 62cm to 34cm, so it could also be used in confined spaces. However, as it digs deeply, and is over 60cm wide, it wasn't ideal for weeding between crops. Our testers also found the Tracmaster C8 unsuitable for this task.

The Rally FT5 was more suited to digging in open plots of ground, such as a veg bed or allotment. It had plenty of power to dig over the heaviest of soils, and with a digging depth of over 100mm in a single run, it produced a good tilth. On the downside, because you have to control its speed by pushing down on the anchor tine (to stop it simply running over the top of the soil), it required some strength to keep it under control. The Mantis Mini Cultivator also produced a good tilth, but only dug to a depth of 70mm in one run. The absence of an anchor tine or wheels meant our users found it quite tiring over the 5 sq m testing area. They also found the Tracmaster C8 hard work, because it was difficult to manoeuvre and turn around at the end of each row.

On the uncultivated soil, the Tracmaster C8 came into its own. Because the powered wheels limit its speed, it was easy to control along straight stretches. It also coped well digging through compacted ground. The Rally FT5 and Mantis Mini Cultivator both managed to dig over the uncultivated plots, but required more strength to force the blades to dig. If you're thinking of using a cultivator to dig up a lawn or neglected area, then hiring a rear-tine type such as the Tracmaster C8 would be ideal.

In our opinion, the most versatile is a mid-sized cultivator costing between £400 and £600. Known as front-tine cultivators, because the blades or tines are at the front, it's their rotating digging action that moves the machine along the ground.

Buying guide

Easily the best cultivator on test was the Rally FT5 (below). It performed well and was popular with our testers. It was well balanced and, thanks to the simple controls, was easy to use. The adjustable rear wheels and anchor tine gave a range of available digging depths and also meant it was easy to manoeuvre on both hard and soft surfaces. The Rally FT5 costs around £500 and comes with a one-year guarantee. Contact Rally for stockists.



I don't dig after the first time over the beds, spends my money on wierd and wonderful hand tools ;D ;D ;D

[tim]

Just a couple of thoughts -

1. If you go for a real machine, do make sure you have turning space at the end of your rows - or reverse gear.

2. With things like couch, they do say that if it's cut down before it reaches 4", it'll die. We've rotovated for over 40 years & have never had a return.

3. sprout - if you don't want to clutter here, you could URL it? All very helful.

[supersprout]

Good idea tim, will you pm me and show me how to post text on the web so I can put a link in? I feel like a dinosaur, no website or blog :-[
Thank you :D

[Sprout]

And I bought one of those expensive mixer bottles. Fill petrol to level and add oil to level that matches strength.  ;)

I've got one of those too, Andy but I think where I went wrong was filling it up on the flor so that I couldn't clearly see the level reached and thus added too much oil. Next time, I'll fill it up on the patio table so I can have a better view of the amount added.