**Item: **Black +%26 Decker 8.3 Amp Corded Electric Front Tine Tiller
Price: $89.99
Shipping Options: $5 Standard
Condition: New
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excellent price on this. amazon has it for $244 with prime shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B006Z63KBY/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Beware first time buyers…this tiller is no good for fat clay surface that has never been tilled before. It is good for your loose garden soil.
An electrical cord on a tiller?
I don’t see what could go wrong.
I wouldn’t think anyone with fat clay surfaces would want to till it anyways as you couldn’t grow in it.
that kind of soil would best be removed from the garden.
don’t we have electric models of chainsaws, lawnmowers, hedgetrimmers, etc. already? not like this is a new concept.
That’s why I said the surface that has never been tilled before. Some folks like to use a till for removing established grass and re-sod or convert it into a garden.
It’s all that I have! cries
Part clay, anyway.
Got something similar years ago… yeah, doesn’t do much since it hadn’t been tilled in a couple years.
re: Clay soil- thanks for the input, I was actually pondering this for the conversion of sod to tillable area. Would this be suitable for breaking up the clay at all? Make it easier to scoop out?
Probably not if it’s anything like the B&D cultivator we have–that thing can barely do about a 3x3 foot square before we have to recharge it. It is much better once you have already broken ground, though, which makes me think that this one would probably be good if you’re trying to break down large clumps and re-open a garden bed from previous years. For bigger clay-soil projects (and Luke, that’s simply what some of us have–you cannot “remove” the clay geology of entire geographical areas; you have to simply work on remediation and adding plant matter), a larger rented tiller would probably be best. Or, if you want to fertilize at the same time, get a couple of feeder pigs. We’re actually doing that–their little sharp hooves dig into the ground and just tear it up.
Wouldn’t that be a sight–Woot feeder pigs . . .
Youtube video worth looking at if you are considering this
Removing soil is probably not the best idea.
Working amendments into the soil, probably using a large tiller is a better idea. It’ll be a lot of work at first, and you need to keep doing this every year.
Leaves, compost, green ‘cover crops’ can be grown in the winter, to be tilled in to loosen up soils. I use annual grain rye seed for winter growing.
This is a **corded *TILLER *** rather than a **cordless *CULTIVATOR *** so you’d expect it to be better at larger areas/heavier use. I have thoroughly enjoyed my 18v string trimmer, leaf blower, chainsaw etc. from Ryobi., as well as my (small) cordless mower (not a Ryobi). They are not as good as my STIHL equipment, but a lot less of a PITA to use, so they are the go-to tools for most of my projects that don’t require the big guns…
As for the woot! pigs, perhaps we can get them with little capes like the monkeys…
I just don’t see any benefits to having clay in a garden. removing it and putting in what would be best for the crops you’re trying to grow would make sense to me.
trying to convert a primarily clay area into something you could actually use would take several years and would probably frustrate a gardener enough to stop trying to grow anything.
Soil remediation is not easy; working with clay means you would have to provide a graded drain for your garden, which could mean digging down 18" deep (or more) in the garden, then extend this 18"+ channel away at a downhill slope (2" in 10’) for at least 10’ and fill it with gravel and perforated drain pipe (“tile”).
No tiller is built to dig 12" wide x 18" deep drain channels, much less 18" deep gardens, so just keep in mind that this tool will not be the only one you will need to build a properly-draining garden in clay soil. I would think this model is best for established gardens or new ones in soil with deep, dark loam.
All the talk about working with clay soil is moot afa this sale goes. A tiller like this will simply bounce around on top of clay soil. If you want to rototill clay soil, you not only need a more powerful gas tiller but one with rear tines, to be able to bite into the clay.