[ambriel]

Happened to notice an advert for an Eckman petrol tiller in the latest edition of Country Smallholder:  http://www.eckman.co.uk/p-291-Eckman-42.7cc-2-Stroke-Petrol-Cultivator.html


Was wondering whether anyone here had used one and what they thought?


We've half an acre of fairly peaty soil that we want to start cultivating.

[montana]

Not used this make but we bought a 2nd hand 4 stroke Mantis tiller that I cant  recomend highly enough. It was about fot the same money too on flea bay.

[Possum]

Hi Montana


What sort of soil are you tilling? I was thinking of a Mantis to cultivate a field after the pigs have turned it over. The thing is, I'm not sure that it will cope with our heavy clay.

[hughesy]

W have a 4 stroke Mantis. It's a great little machine for the veg plot etc. We've got clay soil and as long as it's not too wet the little machine does a great job. It's only any use for small areas though I dread to think how long it would take to do a field! It won't easily break new ground you'd need a much heavier machine for that. I don't think it would be much good to cultivate ground after pigs either unless you could get them off there at the critical point after they'd dug it over but before they've compacted it again. We wait till they've removed all the vegetation then harrow it which breaks it up and levels at the same time.

[Possum]

Thanks for the advice Hughsey. Think i might go for the harrowing option.

[chrismahon]

we have an old (about 30 years) Ariens Jet 6HP rotorvator. The outer tunes can be removed and the gearing lowered so that it should dig up anything. They still make them. Countax have bought the UK distributorship and I can still get genuine replacement belts but little else.