Using Rotivator on Garden

[ukmercenary]

Hello

Just looking for some advice really, so I was planning to hire a rotivator this weekend to flatten my rear garden. It is roughly about 100 meters long by about 10 meters wide.

Is the ground very hard this time of year?
I am not the strongest of people (given I work in an office all day).

How hard are these rotivators to use ? I was planning to hire one.

Cheers
Paul

 

[r896neo]

If your garden is really 100m long a rotovator is far too small for the job. It would take days of hard work. You need a mini tractor with appropriate attachments. You will be able then to turn it over and use a grader leveller to flatten as raking an area that size is impractical. Youll also need a towed roller.

If you meant your garden is 10m by 10m then go for it, This is a good time. As long as there are no big trees you should not find it too hard. You will probably get a trackmaster 7.5hp and you should not consider anything smaller than that as it will be too weak.

It is a good workout though manhandling it around corners etc but they have forward and reverse gears so that makes them easier. A long Reach and a bit of bulk is more useful than fitness for operating them

 

[ukmercenary]

Hi thanks alot for your advice, I think 100m long was to long I would have to measure it to be sure. I've attached an airel photo from Google Maps.
I would need to hire the rotoavator hass has one here https://www.hss.com/hire/p/power-digger-rotavator do you think it would be ok?

There are no big trees there are some stones so I may get a skip to clear some of junk and stop soil into.

 

[ukmercenary]

Garden pic,

 

[gerbils]

I brought one off amazon last year for about £70 and used it myself - was about the same cost as renting but you have the option of selling it on. Not as powerful, but easier to use, no need for petrol and worked for me just fine on pretty dry ground. Just have to be a bit more patient perhaps? Wasn't hard to pull. (I suggest pulling rather than pushing!)

 

[Nige F]

I would need to hire the rotoavator has one here https://www.hss.com/hire/p/power-digger-rotavator do you think it would be ok?

No , you'll struggle with one like that - you need one that has driven wheels and the tines @ the back, preferably with handles that swing to the side so you don't walk on the cultivated ground. A Howard rotavator is the generic type

 

[r896neo]

As i said you need a 7.5hp trackmaster type as a minimum. that one you linked to is really a tiller for turning over beds etc it will not be powerful enough to dredge up and turn existing turf.

The 7.5hp trackmasters have driven gears forward and backward.

They are like this http://www.jewson.co.uk/tool-hire/landscaping/rotavators/products/6555/rotavator-heavy-duty/

Your in for a long hard day or more if you want to properly rotovate an area anywhere near the size you mentioned with a pedestrian machine. You need multiple passes to rotovate and existing lawn and A LOT of raking

 

[endecotp]

I'm normally a 100% metric person but in this case:

10 x 100 m is about a quarter of an acre.
An acre is the amount of land that a man with two oxen can plough in a day.
Horses are a bit quicker than oxen.

Just FYI. No idea how long it would take with new-fangled machines. Rotavators just make me think of Richard Briars.

 

[Nige F]

Never mind Richard - what about his Mrs. in the series

 

[endecotp]

I've been trying to find a youtube clip but failing. Anyone else want to waste their morning searching?