What cultivator

Hello all,  hope you don’t mind me picking your brains.
Looking to buy a cultivator but need some advice choosing the right one.

My experience with cultivators is this.
I borrowed a friends Mountfield Manor 3.5hp and it was excellent.

Knowing I could not afford the £400+ to buy one, I went out and got the cultivator attachment for my Ryobi Brush Cutter. I not only found this inadequate but hard work and returned it to the shop.

Now I have my eye on one of the following, but would like some advice from anyone who has one or knows about them.

My main concern is getting a machine that’s powerful enough to work hardened surfaces.

Alko MH350-4 B And S
This looks a powerful machine with the option of fitting a plough.
http://www.gardencut.co.uk/product_details.asp?pid=1239

Mowerland 3.5hp
http://www.gardencut.co.uk/product_details.asp?pid=2164

Mantis Petrol Cultivator
I like all the various attachments this machine can take but not sure if it’s powerful enough.
http://www.gardencut.co.uk/product_details.asp?pid=2197

Will appreciate any help and advice.

id not have any pof them and get a decent rear mounted one from ebay

 just over £300 brand new

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-6-5HP-Petrol-Rotovator-Tiller-Cultivator-Rotavator_W0QQitemZ380079864269QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_GardenPowerTools_CA?hash=item380079864269&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1296%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Hi all, thanks for your help.

To make things a bit clearer, our allotment which is just over a year old is divided into four 10ft X 22ft plots.  

The plots seem ok to take a small cultivator but there are large parts of the plots that are quite compacted and hard, due to us waking on.

i.e. the rows where the potatoes were is fine, but the rows in between where we walked along to earth them up is hard.

This is why I think I need larger cultivator, or would a small Mantis or honda do a turn. What do you think!

I hope these pictures come out.

This was our Allotment before we took it over. May 2007


A year later May 2008, this was all mainly done by hand


Today Nov 16 2008


The type of ground i need to cultivate

Hello all,  hope you don’t mind me picking your brains.

Mantis Petrol Cultivator
I like all the various attachments this machine can take but not sure if it’s powerful enough.
http://www.gardencut.co.uk/product_details.asp?pid=2197

Will appreciate any help and advice.

Firstly, I have 0.25 acre garden and sufficient power outlets to be able to reach it all. I use a Mantis Electric and have found it very satisfactory. It's power lies in the design, the rotors turn the opposite way to the conventional rotavator when working the soil, this makes them dig in and keep their depth. Plus, you pull them against the standing earth instead of walking behind them. The electric has 40 tines in a nine inch width instead of 16 in a 24 inch width, the rotors also revolve faster.

When the soil is right (correct moisture) it is the best machine on the market. see:- http://www.erowell.co.uk/Gardening/Tillers.html

Can't be much help on the tiller but you have done wonders with the plot. A beautiful job indeed.

just get a Honda
or a Honda powered Howard