The biggest thing I see problem and complaint wise is people using tillers for gungho, new ground breaking of a garden spot.
I used my tilers for spring work-ins of compost and fertilzers, and for weekly weed cultivation/maintenance between rows.
But, ya know if you dont have access to a tractor for the initial groundbreaking, you just have to take your lumps. BTDT.
I had a crazy dope head cousin wanted to borrow one of machines to try and find the lid to his septic tank. hell naw
Right. To do it right, you need to break new ground with a turning plow. I always do that, and in the fall, after harvesting everything, I'll either plow my garden spots with a bottom plow or a chisel. That way, the ground drys faster in the spring, allowing you to plant sooner.
If it wasn’t for the damn deer, I could disc mine with tractor, but I have a fence around mine, no tractor room. See what kind of cshit I have to put up with in my yard. They eat most plants or the blooms. They don’t fuuck with jalapeños or squash, can grow them outside of garden. Tomatoes or cucumbers, forget it.
in this case i doubt it makes a difference. i never heard of the counter rotating kind. i though the forward rotation was what what propelled it. if you want a tiller, i'd get an older troybuilt horse 8hp. if thats too much, go with a pony. whatever you get, make it a rear tine.
The rear tines can be placed in Tine-neutral and have their own transmission so you can still ‘drive’ them to and from the shed
The rear tine units will also till in forward till motion but essentially the machine will run off and leave your grip and not really dig in. Thus counter rotating tines while the transmission progresses the whole machine forward makes it efficient.
Those archaic Front Tine machines will give you a good beating and shake down, you see them often at yardsales, folks can barely get $50 to $75 for them. No one wants them.
A rear tine unit when used for weekly cultivating chores, a man can simply walk beside them gently guiding with one hand.
ya you're right. i actually forgot how mine works. shows how much i use it. i went over to raised beds about 10 years ago and haven't used mine in a long time.
Hell ......the front tine tiller I have bought it used in 1973 at a garage sale had to put a new engine on it one from Harbor Freight 6 HP on it in 2001....been painted 2 times don't even remember what brand it is..... Bottom line with a front tine type if you fight it .....it will pull twice as hard jerking you ....if you know what you are doing you can run one with one hand and let the tiller do the work....
Two root tillers, the same size... one a DR tiller with the tines that rotate against the forward movement or a Troy Built tiller the same size that has the tines that rotate forward...
Cost is not a factor.
Which would you buy ?
New Troy Bilt's suck ass. I have no idea about the DR, so that's what I'd get if limited to those two choices. I have an Earthquake which is an import and its been very good thus far.
If cost is truly not a factor BCS is by a very wide margin the best there is. Would rather have one of them than every troybilt ever made. The big box store brands that have the tines which can be switched in either direction is second best. Troybilt is waaay overrated and over priced.
I like rear time ones that can rotate the tines backwards. They seem to dig better. I've rented both types and the ones that the tines only go forward are harder to get to dig deep. If the wheels will drive forward while the tines turn backwards they dig and till well while just creeping forward.