home made rotovator?

[bawjaws]

hey all, been doing gardening and slabbing job for past couple of weeks and theres been about 10 folk who passed and want me to do theirs too, result!, in a way, because they want their gardens levelled first, so rather than pulling a hernia digging up clumpy soil and grass i was thinking of hiring a rotovator, so checked prices and the robbing gets want 50 quid a day for one!, so looked on ebay and they are going for about 400, which is cheap, if i had the money!. so swithering on the idea to make one, im thinking a 125cc pit bike engine (has 4 gears) speed reduction chains and sprockets and a kart axle on a couple of pillow block bearings for the big spinny shaft, with big sharp pieces of flat bar welded to it to cut the soil,

im looking for something along this size- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYAaDCHIu5w&NR=1


so, what does everybody think?, isit a yes or a no go?

 

[Bash_25]

I had one of those very same rotorvators myself a couple of years ago.
I still have the rotor blades kicking about ,tis a shame your so far away you coulda had them.

Ive got a Merry Tiller Titan now and i reckon its probably one of the best bits of kit i bought , older is better.

Theres still a good few "Scrappers" come up on ebay - definately worth a look , usually only need a engine ,5hp briggs & stratton are usually easy enough to find.

Good luck with it anyway.

 

[Rubber Duck]

Don't bother with a puny engine! Put a 502ci big block Chevy V8 on it....

 

[bawjaws]

Bash_25 I had one of those very same rotorvators myself a couple of years ago.
I still have the rotor blades kicking about ,tis a shame your so far away you coulda had them.

Ive got a Merry Tiller Titan now and i reckon its probably one of the best bits of kit i bought , older is better.

Theres still a good few "Scrappers" come up on ebay - definately worth a look , usually only need a engine ,5hp briggs & stratton are usually easy enough to find.

Good luck with it anyway.

the old ebay ones do look good, with their big tractor wheels!, havnt really looked at what they go for, shall have a look, thanks, and thanks for the offer of the blades

Don't bother with a puny engine! Put a 502ci big block Chevy V8 on it....

hehe, like the top gear blender!

 

[chevykev]

hehe, like the top gear blender![/QUOTE]

Or the V8 chainsaw !!! ...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9x8rBKC4BE

 

[Pete.]

Yuo still have to dig the soil first with a rotavator. They don't dig.

 

[Tungsten Sharpener]

125cc and four gears, me thinks this one will dig !!!!!!!!!

TS

 

[bawjaws]

Yuo still have to dig the soil first with a rotavator. They don't dig.

really, thats annoying, can i just turn over the soil then use the rotovator to break it up?

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

I'd be tempted to get four jobs set up, hire the rotavator for one day and do all four gardens...

or three, or five gardens, etc, depending on the size.

£50 for one job is excessive but spread over several it starts to look better.

Then use the profits from those jobs to buy your own.

As for making one, it doesn't look that hard. I'd scan through Ebay looking at all the different types, they'll show photos from various angles. Possibly look in the local garden centre with a notepad and tape measure to take a few quick dimensions.

You should be able to draw up some plans fairly easily, but that and the build will all take time. If you've got half-a-dozen jobs lined up then I'd say grab the money while it's there! They may change their minds or go elsewhere if you delay it.

Regards
Peter

 

[twowheels]

In my landscaping days I used to use the Howard pedestrian rotavator which used to weigh about a tonne, have 3 speed and reverse. The lightweight so called 10hp ones from hire companies wont even scratch your back never mind turn over sod covered ground. Well they will in a fashion but you will have to skim the surface with a mower or brushcutter. You need a decent depth on the tillers and power plus weight of the machine to cut into the ground to be effective.

 

[datostar]

Yuo still have to dig the soil first with a rotavator. They don't dig.

My old 60's 5hp Mountfield M1 does! Took off the outer set of tines and dug out 3 4x25ft beds in one day. Virgin grass - cut it short first. It's a heavy brute and had to be held back along with upward pressure on the handles to force it downwards. Once you've broken the first bit it gets easier because the tines are in the ground and you've got an edge to 'nibble' at. With four tines on it would have been too much for it, I think. Mind you, probably as hard work as digging, but quicker.

 

[cyborg]

125cc and four gears, me thinks this one will dig !!!!!!!!!

TS

you thinks it will dig WELL ME thinks it will run away with you LMAO. decent power lawnmower engine or something simmilar i would have suggested not a 125cc pit bike engine.

 

[brightspark]

just buy a second hand one cheap . i bought a 5hp one for 70 quid rotovated me big garden hired it out at least 15 times for 15 quid a go and still have it

 

[weld_it]

i gave away last year the rotovator i owned. it hadn't bean used for over nearly 4 years as i have ended up with back problems due to gardening.
its not till now i was thinking i should of at least kepted the engine off it.

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

hey all, been doing gardening and slabbing job for past couple of weeks and theres been about 10 folk who passed and want me to do theirs too, result!, in a way, because they want their gardens levelled first, so rather than pulling a hernia digging up clumpy soil and grass i was thinking of hiring a rotovator, so checked prices and the robbing gets want 50 quid a day for one!, so looked on ebay and they are going for about 400, which is cheap, if i had the money!. so swithering on the idea to make one, im thinking a 125cc pit bike engine (has 4 gears) speed reduction chains and sprockets and a kart axle on a couple of pillow block bearings for the big spinny shaft, with big sharp pieces of flat bar welded to it to cut the soil,

im looking for something along this size- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYAaDCHIu5w&NR=1


so, what does everybody think?, isit a yes or a no go?

Don't use chain drives... use belts and pullies with a tensioner trigger to engage the slipping belt to take the drive from the engine to the chain drive sprocket on the tine arm .

Imagine if it is chain and gear driven machine and you pick up steel rod/wire or lumps of concrete etc unless you have a clutch your going to wrap things up in a very unsafe manner till it stalls .
That engine you are looking at it's very big .. you will need a decent flywheel as well.

I've had both types over the years biggies and small put in the back of the cart jobbies

The secret to using a rotorvator is to let the machine do the work and not to fight with the machine .... no death grip on the handles and controls..


That rear spike that sets the amount of speed travelled is also fairly critical on the machinge that have them .
Just do a few quick barely scratching the surface runs ove the whole area and then lengthen the spike and adjust the handles to put them by your belly button when you are to the depth you're working at and away you go again . Do it in a darning pattern and soon you'll be doing a foot deep .

Doing it in shallow runs means that any brick /rubble /a big tussock of rye grass and roots etc tends to get loosened and lifted out where as if you try a full foot in depth the machine will hit the brick etc. and fly up in the air back towards you.

The really big rotorvators with several forward and reverse gears are not best suited to doing initial rough ground work on small patches of garden they are more for clean market gardens etc and can really turn the earth over rather well .

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

My old 60's 5hp Mountfield M1 does! Took off the outer set of tines and dug out 3 4x25ft beds in one day. Virgin grass - cut it short first. It's a heavy brute and had to be held back along with upward pressure on the handles to force it downwards. Once you've broken the first bit it gets easier because the tines are in the ground and you've got an edge to 'nibble' at. With four tines on it would have been too much for it, I think. Mind you, probably as hard work as digging, but quicker.

Lovely thing .. like a long lost bruvver...

That's where I learnt to let the machine do the work instead of fighting the machine. No luxury of cutting the tussocks and brambles either ..just get going.

 

[Coo]

Thread resurection !

2 years old dudes...

 

[brightspark]

Thread resurection !

2 years old dudes...

the oldies are the best