Is A Electric Tiller Any Good?

Was thinking about buying a Petrol Rotavator for the allotment but all the good second hand ones are like £100+ So started looking at a electric Tiller (800 Watts)

Having never used one before, I just wondered if they were powerful enough for a allotment with such a small motor? all the ground has been now been turned over and it's fairly easy to dig so the ground is not rock solid.

We don't have any power on site but we do have use of a generator if pre-booked in advance.

 

I'm no expert so can only give limited advice..as such. As I understand it

"tillers" break down soil using high speed blades, nearly as fast as a food mixer

"Rotovators" break down the soil much much slower, so slow you could grab a weed root from between the blades if you wanted too (I would NEVER recommend doing so)

Tillers smash everything including worms and other soil life, rotovators do not do so. also I think the depth worked with a rotovator is much greater, mine goes down to around 15 inches.

Its my second machine and cost just over £200, the first was underpowered and cost around £150, but we where refunded in full as it starting falling to bits.

As your on an allotment site, have you considered buying a rotovator between a couple of you, or buying one yourself and renting it out to others to recoup some of your money?

Sorry I could not help more than this.

Steve...

 

I have a mantis tiller (4 stroke petrol). I use it to "fluff" up the beds in the Spring, rather than for digging virgin ground. I expect an electric one would be fine for that job, but as Steve says for "digging" you need a powerful cultivator (which is a word I associate with something with power drive to the wheels) or a powerful rotavator (take the wheels off and just use the power to the tines - can be like wrestling with a gorilla!)

They are available for hire if you just need it for a one off, or once a year.

 

Thanks for the reply, I have asked at my allotment and they maybe someone
interested in going halves in buying a Rotavator

 

My dad has an ancient but powerful rotovator and an electric tiller/generator combo.

My dad says the tiller is no use whatsoever on the first pass of the year. He has to at least tickle the ground first with the spade.

The rotavator will go through pretty much anything. I've used it many times. It has attitude. I reckon it would at least try to chew up solid granite if you were daft enough to let it. Certainly it will tackle compacted clay, but it will rip your arms out of their sockets if you let it. The blades on my dad's ones move considerably faster than Steve describes, you'd have no chance of getting hold of anything between the blades without rotovating your own flesh.

My dad's one is ancient though, and was probably a beast even in its day. The wheels are driven, unlike on smaller rotovators. The difference I guess is that with driven wheels, the rotovator will try to go without you, whereas on ones where the wheels are not driven, you have to help them along I guess, with the blades being the only thing pulling it forward. Newer smaller ones do look much lighter and easier to handle though, but I can't say that from experience because I've only used my dad's beastly one (which once pulled me down a hill, and took my mate through a fence).

I guess its worth doing a bit of research before you decide which to buy. But if you do go for a proper rotovator, it may be worth finding your nearest farmer's auction. Not the same thing as a new age trendy 'farmers market', an actual farmer's auction. Stuff gets sold so much cheaper there than you'll find anywhere on the interweb. You'll probably pick up a small 50cc rotovator for about £50 from such a place.

 

Hey there! I want to purchase a tiller. I've been wondering what is the best brand for it. Suggestions anyone? Thanks!