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Here at Acacia hire out pedestrian Barreto rotovators which are great, not sure if it would be the size you need but this is the one:
http://acaciarental.com/rotovators/13hp-baretto-rotovator
If it can survive hire it must be pretty durable! :)
thanks for the info guys.
One thing ive noticed is some having diff locks.... is this not abit much on a machine like this? Am I correct in saying it stops power to the wheel which isnt getting traction and gives it to the one which is?
cheers
THE BCS units are good, and the attachment option would come in handy - very fast at clearing scrub and other rough duty tasks. I've rented one and found it better than expected, enough torque to do anything I wanted.
What are you preparing the ground for?
There are many bits of kit out there, I have always owed and run the Howard Gems as commented on above and prove great workhorses and really do bite into the ground, which is great if you are preparing the ground the dahlia planting and other deep rooting stock, but a bit of overkill if you want to prepare a lawn.
I also used to use the grillo machines for lighter work as they are easier to manage in small areas and you can use a furrow with it to open up the ground if you are benching up the ground for production. Grillo - Rotavators/Tillers/Cultivators
Have you also looked into power box rakes as they do a great finish for turf stripping, ground cultivation and seed bed stone removal. BLEC - Pedestrian Box Rake
What size areas do you usually prepare and does it have to fit through a tight access or fit in a van or ride on a trailer?
Hire or get a demo before you buy that way you can see if you need offset handles so as not to walk on the ground you have just prepared, diff lock is a must otherwise you will have to provide forward motion with a bit shove, which defeats the idea of using a machine if you are doing all the work.
How deep you you need to cultivate and is the machine come with adjustable depth option that suit your local ground conditions.
Just a few things to think about.
Do you do a lot of soil prep for lawns? Turf Teq’s Surface Preparation Rake offers the quickest way to prepare soil for turf, grass seed or wild flowers. Much quicker than a rotavator, it not only prepares the soil, but also removes the stones. http://www.groundscare-products.co.uk/
First you angle the deck left or right to work the stones into windrows for easy collection. Whilst doing this, the rake is already starting to produce a fine tilth and grade the site. Next, pivot the head straight and work it across the area in two or three directions in order to complete the job. You now have a level, rough-raked site ready to accept turf. If you are seeding, you just need to touch in the wheel marks with a hand rake. It tills only the top layer (3 to 25mm), and the soil is immediately ready for use. You don’t have to re-consolidate the ground, as you would if you used a rotavator, and it will not slump when the first serious fall of rain comes along.
To replace an existing lawn without lifting the old turf, kill off the grass with a suitable chemical. The Rake will quickly rip out the dead grass, working up a tilth as it does so, and the site is ready, leaving only a few bags of dead grass to dispose of. This feature can also be used for heavy scarification, such as preparation for a wild flower meadow or breaking up and levelling self-binding gravel paths, golf buggy paths and similar surfaces.
Our little 'fleet' consisted of 2 Howard Gems(one a 700cc twin the other a 600cc JAP single), which would rip through anything and having landscaped many, many building sites - I mean ANYTHING! They were backed up by a Howard 350 to fine down further. Alas the Gems went 10 years ago(just too big for me!), but I still use the 350(must be 45 years old now!), but if the ground is rough, I hire a Camon, which will do a job, but is really a 'toy' compared the the Gem beasts!!
Wouldn't know what to recommend, but don't go cheap, I got sucked in to buy a Husky which looked the part, strangely the rotors went the opposite way to usual - absolutely useless bit of kit for anything other than allotments, got rid within the month!
I have two rotavators, a small Honda for getting in the beds, and the big husky. I love the little Honda and use that as much as possible, and only use the big husky when I have to. Also, like Colin, I've been really disappointed with the husky, it lacks oomph, the exhaust fell off it within 2 hours of original purchase, I have had to weld the handle. Loads of other little things have gone wrong too, and I look after my stuff, kept clean, oiled, etc. At the time I was tossing between the Camon and the Husky, and I wish I'd gone for the Camon.
I'm a bit behind the times but I used to own a Camon C8 when I was doing landscaping. It was a brilliant machine. It was reliable, easy to handle and always performed exceptionally well
What did you get in the end and would you review it and recommend please?
Many thanks