On Friday, April 10, 2015 at 7:38:49 PM UTC+1, Another John wrote:

four-gang job, with a sharp disc at either end of the digging axle.

So ... I've a few questions for people who are used to using these
beasts:

(1) Is it meant to be so bloody hard? It was like wrestling a tractor
all day.

(2) Wheel up, or down? At first, I put the wheel down, because I found
this was the only way I could lever the machine out of a hole.

(3) A bit later, I put the wheel back up, and developed a twisting,
side-to-side, wrangling sort of action to shove the bugger on to firmer
ground and get out of the hole.

(4) The "holes" tended to be softer soil, where the thing just dug
itself in deeper, because harder soil was in front, and it didn't like
tackling that. This naturally happened when I hit a bean trench area
followed by a path area.

(5) I ended up forking a whole area where the soil was very firm: the
machine just skated over it, and didn't look like making progress even
after 2 or 3 passes. The forking (I just levered the soil into lumps, I
didn't turn it over) had a very good effect: the machine could get
purchase on the lumps, to do its stuff.

(6) What is the flipping bar poking down at the back of the thing for?
It just seemed to be leaving a line in the soil; it certainly wasn't a
plough (what good would that be anyway?) and it was no good for levering
the machine about: it just sank deep into the ground when I tried that.

(7) Half throttle or full throttle? I did most work on half, because it
went too fast to dig in, on full throttle. I made 3 passes over the
whole plot, and went full throttle on the last pass, because this
definitely seemed more effective on the now-chopped up soil.


The youtubes I've watched almost all seemed to be rotavating soil that
has been previously rotavated (in previous seasons I mean). Those where
the soil was virgin seemed to be as cack-handed and Chaplinesque as my
own efforts.

So (spare me the scorn and the "well obviously.." comments) if anyone
has Top Tips, or a proper good youtube, to pass on, I'd be most grateful!

John
(despite everything, very grateful that I was not asked to dig the plot
with a spade or fork!).

The discs aren't sharp, they stop your foot or other stupid people's foot (standing too close) from getting pulled in and rotovated.

1) No

2)The nose wheel is a transport wheel (think wheelbarrow) it should be pinned up whilst using the rotovator.

6) Depth bar (very important)

7) Full throttle

Proper operation.

Do not fight it or try to control/manage it, it is extremely tiring.

The trick is, to grab the handles, and push down on the depth bar. This pins the rotovator down and stops it moving forward, with very little effort from you. Because it can't move forward, it digs down (limited by the tine depth) when it has reached where you want it, release some pressure from on top of the handle. It will now move forward. Balance the push down motion with the letting go forward. It should then dig and move forward at an even combination.

All you have to do, is keep a little balanced downward pressure, to get the mixture of digging and moving forward right. Get this right and it's easy.

Yours RH

20 years with Honda (UK) Power Equipment (Lawn & Garden) and 10 of those as area manager.