9 months ago u/Honey_Badger2828 posted that Home Depot was selling a $800 rototiller for $200. Lots of comments that it was Chinese junk but I've used it on the worst possible soil and it has performed beyond my expectations.
I included a short video where you can hear it chugging through my rocky soil. And there's a pile of rocks pulled from the hole when I played a tree.
My soil is so bad I can't get a shovel in 4 inches without hitting a rock. So I use the rototiller as an excavator. You can't stand in front of it because softball size rocks shoot out 10 feet. I'm all slopes with clay/rock soil so I'm pushing around a lot of dirt if I want flat surfaces. I've beat that machine up. Broke bolts that hold the blades, gears box is all bent up from rocks, 1 wheel is bent so it rolls like a clown car , but it starts on 2 or 3 pulls and it works.
Things I've done:
– cut a path for my side by side.
– dug shallow trenches for network wire
– dug trenches to retire drainage pipe.
– cut drainage guess to rout the rain around my animals
– dug a 120 sq ft pond
– dug out a 160 sq ft patio/ for pit
Thank you u/Honey_Badger2828, and everyone who are sharing there best help
by TwoStoryLife
9 Comments
That’s a beast. If i could make a recommendation tho, lower the dig bar all the way and stand a little closer and over the handles. Lift up the handles if you want to minimize digging and move forward faster, or apply some downward force to keep digging while the wheels slip some. Don’t hang back and try to pull against it while its doing work or that beast is going to beat you up.
Congrats on being awesome. Keep up the good work.
Looks and sounds like it’s bouncing off of large rocks on the soil. Either you need equipment to get rid of it or, you muscle, though, opening the ground up and pick out the rocks. It will get better every year.
What a legend
Man, that makes my broad fork look easy. Granted, I couldn’t find a rock in my soil if I tried.
Such a great and useful tool! I love breaking mine out when it’s time to plant the garden
Man, I might need to get us one of those. We’re also all slopes, rocks and clay soil. Been doing terraces by hand with a hoe and though I’m making progress, I got a lot rougher areas ahead of me to go. Glad you found something that worked so well for you, and it looks like I might be getting inspired myself 🙂
Thought that said “Rottweiler” and was confused where the dog was
I have quite a few no-name chinese brand machines at my place. They all start first or second pull and “Just work”. But you have to be somewhat handy to keep them maintained. They do kinda drop bolts or randomly fall apart here and there.
But yes, rototillers are absolutely amazing for rocky heavy clay soils.