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  Billy Goat August 1, 2014 at 7:23pm

  I have a Husqvarna T50rh which has a 4hp Honda engine. I have heavy clay in my garden and it will go through it down to a depth of 10"-12". You can remove the outer tines to break up border if required and it has the all important reverse gear.

  I did look at a rear tine machine, but with the size and limited depth of around 6" I found this type was a better option.
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  John Evans August 2, 2014 at 10:28am

  This time of the year the clay is normally hard as a rock. The chances of a rotavator working is unlikely. I usually use a mini digger digging to half a bucket depth starting from one side moving backwards to the other. Then put the rotavator in.
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  Kieran Ray August 2, 2014 at 10:55am

  If you can find one then get a howard gem. There a beast of o rotovator. They should cope with even hard clay once they have bitten. When I was at college we had one and someone had buried a full barrow of concrete under the area I was rotovating and it broke through that.
• PRO Supplier

  Paul Errington August 2, 2014 at 1:14pm

  Try the TurfTeq surface preparation rake http://bit.ly/1i99p1h .

  In addition to soil preparation, it is used for breaking up self-binding gravel paths, so hard soil is a doddle; it won't bounce off the surface like a rotavator sometimes does.
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  Eugene Baston August 2, 2014 at 1:16pm

  +1 Gary.
  
  I had two lawns to returf, one lawn area to reseed and an herbaceous border to create from existing turfed area for four customers in May. Hire cost was £68, each customer was charged £40 for the use on site.
  
  Honda 9hp four wheeled version. Great fun getting in the back of a Ford Ranger with a Truckman canopy fitted :->
  
  Cheers, Eugene
  
  
  
  Gary Smith said:

  Most hire shops will have the Camon/Trackmaster 8hp two wheel rotavators, unless you have loads of work booked for one theres no point buying a rotavator for a couple of one off jobs, just build the total hire cost into your quote,the hire shop will also more than likely have regular tiller types but these are hard work on tough ground. I'd go for a two wheeler with independent gears for the wheels , just keep going over the ground till you get the tilth you want, if it is clay you'll have your work cut out, if it's just compacted soil you'll be amazed how quickly it starts to break up after a few passes.
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  Mike Wilkinson August 5, 2014 at 8:25am

  I have been doing a bit of ground preparation for turfing and planting recently and I think that the important thing is whatever rotavator you choose get a sprinkler on the ground for a good few hours before hand, this will make your life a whole lot easier.
• PRO Supplier

  Paul Errington August 5, 2014 at 10:29am

  That's a big problem with rotavators, Mike, and a safety issue, too. If the ground is hard, you just can't get them to bite into the soil. Whilst preparing our stand at Saltex last year, our landscaper nearly went though next door's tent! The tines got just enough purchase to drive the machine off at about 10 mph or more - not good for the heart rate! We were trying to prepare a flower bed; ended up digging it with the 5" trenching blade on our TurfTeq Power Edger which produced spade-depth tilth that was immediately ready for planting.

  The TurfTeq Power Rake http://bit.ly/1i99p1h has no problem biting into hard soil or even self-binding gravel paths. We even heard of a customer in the States who used one to break up a tarmac roadway!
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  Mitchel ingham August 13, 2014 at 1:26pm

  well I've given up on buying one as funds wont allow realistically unless I get some more work for it
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  Mitchel ingham August 20, 2014 at 9:00am

  Back on the hunt again currently looking at these on eBay struggling to get a bargain seems like stuffs going for over the odds
  
  
  http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/beasty2/Mobile%20Uploads/F9...