[warmrain]

I am a beginner at this rotovating lark and find that once the initial top layer of harder soil has been breached the rotor tines rapidly dig themselves in so deep, they get stuck in a pit and cannot move forward.  Also the weight of the old Merry Tiller I am using aggravates this action of "digging itself into a hole".  I am not quite sure where I should be setting the depth bar -- or whether it is doing very much at all!  I am sure there must be a knack to it and my technique is not right.

Any tips?

[muckshifter]

Have sometimes found that lightly weaving the machine from left to right as you go forward helps the tines bite into fresh ground and keep up the momentum.

[Fen]

I've had the same problem. If the soil is solid set the depth foot shallow and cover the ground two or three times increasing the depth each time. If it digs in push down on the handles, pivit it on the depth stop and set of again at a slight angle.

[R Tallentire]

Whilst the above advice is correct for when you get into a hole you can’t get out of, I feel it should be stated that when being used normally you do the exact opposite, i.e. you continually lift the handles (and therefore the skid) slightly. This makes the machine try to move forwards and take a bite out of the new soil. Pressing down momentarily to “anchor” the machine, only if the tynes are taking too shallow a cut. Revs should be set as low as the machine will go without stalling. It is always easier to control the machine when two pairs of rotors are fitted, but on hard ground you have to go over with one pair first. This doesn’t seem to apply to your situation.

[Bigbadfrankie]

Depth bar adjustment is all of it. Lift the weight off the bar and the machine goes forward push down and it digs in.
On a broader scale the howard book on rotavating found with the instructions on this site is helpfull for the application of your machine.

[Paul Plots]

I'm no help at all - I have one of those old fashioned Howards. It just steadily pulls itself along and does a wonderful job dragging me gently along behind.

I also have a 2-stroke ryobi but it is so light it's easy to lift up and onwards catching in the next clump of soil as it goes.

[grendel]

I have a different type of rotovater yet again, (a norlett versatiller (older version of the powerspade)) this has wheels at theback and a drive shaft pointed forward with the tines on the front. with this you can either weave forwards or as I generally do let the machine drive forward then do the rotovating as I walk backwards pulling the tines through the soil, multiple passes allows the machine to dig down to about 10" (the full depth of the cutting head) with the wheels allowing depth of cut to be easily controlled - for hard packed soil I run with just 2 sets of tines, and once I have broken up the surface I run with all 4 tines to do the general digging.
different machines use different techniques, so its just finding what works best for you.
Grendel

[Paul Plots]

I have a different type of rotovater yet again, (a norlett versatiller (older version of the powerspade)) this has wheels at theback and a drive shaft pointed forward with the tines on the front. with this you can either weave forwards or as I generally do let the machine drive forward then do the rotovating as I walk backwards pulling the tines through the soil, multiple passes allows the machine to dig down to about 10" (the full depth of the cutting head) with the wheels allowing depth of cut to be easily controlled - for hard packed soil I run with just 2 sets of tines, and once I have broken up the surface I run with all 4 tines to do the general digging.
different machines use different techniques, so its just finding what works best for you.
Grendel

That sounds an interesting piece of kit.

If my old Howard gives up the ghost, before I do, I think I'd have trouble finding a replacement. The old girl sits patiently through most of the year waiting for exercise and then, after a couple of pulls and a think-about-it, she tut-tuts back into action.

Once started she chugs her way across the plot coping with anything I ask of her. Drive wheels pulling her tines along behind with me at the back. Anticipating the turn or stop and swing is the skill with Howard or she'll happily forge onward through the grass-paths, fence panels or anything in her way. Oh for a reverse gear.... but you can't have everything in life.. can you. 

[grendel]

mine doesnt have anything - there is no clutch, the drive is direct off the engine drive shaft through the gearbox to the tines, as soon as you pull the starter cord the tines are turning, the speed control and cutout switch are down on the engine  too. you can stall it if you get enough weeds wrapped round the tines, lovely piece of 1970's engineering - modern health and safety nightmare, but it does the job. (gets tricky when it flings a clod of earth into the engine and wedges the governer wide open. quick reach for the kill switch..
Grendel

[Paul Plots]

Sounds as if a skilful operator is needed Grendel. 

Mine is a wonder of not-quite-so modern technology. There's a couple of switches that did something or other long ago. One has wires coming out of it but it appears to do nothing despite its "on / off" label (by-passed I guess). There's also a similar one on the handle added for easy reach but I've not even twiddled with that for the last 10 years.

There's a simple pull/push clutch rod and a throttle as well as a (sort of) gear lever which sets the drive wheels in motion. I think the tines are supposed to stop turning when it's out of gear but no ones told them and they take their time about taking a break. All perfectly safe if you can remember, from year to year, how the contraption works.

It's a beauty...once you ignore the slight oil leak from the drive sump. 

[jezza]

hi as mentioned lifting and lowering handles gently keeps  the rotavator moveing steadily forward ,i used to use a merry tiller super titan with 60" wide rotas to do 2 passes down greenhouse bays ,no problems sinking in at this width .depending on which Howerd it is it should have reverse a GEM needs the clutch lever pushing  towards the engine to engage the rotas should cut out if safety switch is working .I,ve seen howerd  rotavators pick the operators up when safety switch disconnected and at full revs in reverse putting them through the center pane of glass in greenhouses fortunatley the flap dropped over the rotas protecting there feet  jezza

[Olorin2001]

Being somewhat lazy I opted for the sit on version, although I had to rebuild it first, 10 rods takes 40 minutes
and the rest of the day to rake it flat,

[jezza]

hi just found a modern version of Grendels norlet power spade its a masport home gardener  £499 this one has a clutch  it also lawn aerator lawn edger  and cleaning brush as optional extras  £50.oo each looks a sturdy lightweight machine (37kg)   jezza

[anchorman]

I have a Merry Tiller major circa 1970s. I bent the depth bar trying to turn over a newish plot. I found the instructions later on the internet. Let it rotovate a bit at a time. Whatever you do tho' dont substitute good old fasioned digging with a rotovator. Dig and weed as you go for the winter dig. Next spring when you have a cleared plot, rotovate it all over. If you dont dig first and get weed roots out, the roto will chop them into even more weed roots and you will be infested in the summer.

[grendel]

having tried both hand dig and rotovate I can see no real difference to the weed growth, however if you rotovate regularly the weeds dont get a chance to grow much, my plot gets rotovated many times (in different directions) before planting - the plus is that I can rotovate the whole thing in a couple of hours - mine went from green to brown in 2 hours this morning (half plot) though I was turning in the pea and bean stalks.
Grendel