Topic: New lottie - advice please?

[Alimo]

Tatty - those before and after photos are brilliant... what a good piece of kit the power spade must be!!

My power spade is called my husband   ;D

Alison

[Tatty]

It was good - did cost about £48 to hire though.

Thought it was a bit rubbish to start with but then realised that you have to kind of hold it back as it wanted to travel - by holding on to it tight it churned over the ground really well.
Not that I got to play with it that much as I was on weed clearing duty and my children aged 9 and 13 got to use the digger!

[Jeannine]

Yes Plainleaf I thought the cool reference to poison was rude and definately out of order XX Jeannine

[chriscross1966]

I'm not sure I understand why you think that you can't use a rotavator, I was using my dad's Howard Gem
like this but with a different engine when I was eight... the good ones have adjustable handlebars to suit the operator... certainly all Howards had them cos even my dinky little Bulldog (the smallest proper rotavator they did) has height adjustable bars....
You can fgrequently pick up rotavators on ebay for sensible money, I paid less than 80 quid for my Bulldog (and it works properly) though don't buy a "non-runner, easy to fix" one.... if it was that easy they would have fixed it themselves..... My other rotavators (a Howard 400) needs mer to strip the engine and gearbox down this winter cos of that, whatever the problem is it won't be that easy :D.... that siad it only cost me 60 quid so if aI have to machine up a conversion plate and fit the spare Honda engine I have lying around then it won't be too bad.....

chrisc

[Tatty]

I didn't use a rotavator because I was hiring a machine and they didn't have one - they had a cultivator (not sure of the difference?) but it was more expensive and needed a truck to transport. The power digger was suitable for a estate car.

I did have a look on ebay but I know nothing about rotavators!

Wasn't sure about the power digger at first but was pleased with it - am hoping though if I use raised beds (if I can find suitable untreated wood :)  ) then I wont have the big dig to do again?