Rotovator cheap option?

T

Tomjim

Well-Known Member
I do a bit of bird seed under glas and find it's hard to get a contractor to till an acre at a time you want him to come. So looking at other options.

Would a rotovator be a good option, how much for a decent one I don't want to pay mad money for one.

Any other options out there that would be cheap
 
Will work no problem at all but most are quite agey by now.

Really depends on your budget and what power you have.

The smaller ones are in good demand.
 
some harrows have decent long blades so if your only doing a acre or 2 at a time a slower speed (which you would be doing with a rotavator) wont matter
 
lough said:
It's hard to pick up a good clean one at sensible money, sometimes I see an odd spike type rotavator on done deal and they seem to be better value and they be in a lot better condition as well. Would a set of discs do. Any of them options would do a better job compared to what my neighbour did and his still grew
https://www.donedeal.ie/harrows-for-sale/parameter-discs/24445696
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Spiked rotovator................ :tdown::tdown::scratchhead: No no no nannette,,,,, had one on a bed tiller setup years back what an unmitigated pice of crap it was sir,, nowt but bother with it, , a bladed rotovator would be much better,
 
Is there a way to change the direction of the rotor spike we have one here it leaves a great finish in reverse. We use it for spuds and reseeding . Its a Howard .
 
JD 3140T said:
Is there a way to change the direction of the rotor spike we have one here it leaves a great finish in reverse. We use it for spuds and reseeding . Its a Howard .
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In reverse as in it would tend to pull you backwards in neutral? Can’t imagine that doing anything but fire soil at the tractor and out the sides, we had a ten foot Agrator spike rotovator which did a great job on stubbles to create a seedbed. It propelled you forward though.
 
MF30 said:
In reverse as in it would tend to pull you backwards in neutral? Can’t imagine that doing anything but fire soil at the tractor and out the sides, we had a ten foot Agrator spike rotovator which did a great job on stubbles to create a seedbed. It propelled you forward though.
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We owned three different Agrators over the years . Two 120 inch Agrators one with a gearbox at the side instead of a chain . Also a 160 inch one bought off Pat Doyle . We broke them up in every way possible but were always able to repair them and get them going . We broke a rotor in the middle put a heavy tube and welded it back together . We bent a rotor and straightened it in a big press . We converted them all to run inn 1000 speed because we ended up with a pile of PTO stubs twisted like sugar sticks . A pinion bearing went in one and burst the front off the gearbox . Sherrards originally sold them and were taken over by Keenans who went bankrupt with Stuart Bailey ending up with a lot of spare parts . I bought a gearbox off him and also got a couple of scrap ones off a contractor . They had a spike per inch and if people were in bother getting ground ready would get us in . They drove stones into the ground and left a lovely finish for sowing beet . You could never get stuck with them as they would drive the tractor forward in neutral . They were a Spanish made machine .
 
I herd of a lad who jumped off hos tractor to talk on hos phone, left everything running as the tractors starter was bad..... As was the handbrake....

He forgot that the linkage dropped quickly.....
Finished his chat and the tractor was wondering away from him, supposedly at quite a speed. Was a tree that stoped her anyway!
 
JD 3140T said:
Is there a way to change the direction of the rotor spike we have one here it leaves a great finish in reverse. We use it for spuds and reseeding . Its a Howard .
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Mid cork said:
I know a chap who does a bit of landscaping. He claims that spike rotovator with the tractor in reverse is the best thing for levelling and laying out a lawn.
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If you do that will you not just keep moving/carrying the soil with you in direction you are travelling and it will pile up
 
AYF said:
I herd of a lad who jumped off hos tractor to talk on hos phone, left everything running as the tractors starter was bad..... As was the handbrake....

He forgot that the linkage dropped quickly.....
Finished his chat and the tractor was wondering away from him, supposedly at quite a speed. Was a tree that stoped her anyway!
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There was a guy got killed when he got out to move a stone and it went over him . I often rotospiked up to a hard gateway and you could not stop till you lifted the machine .
 
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Bog Man said:
We owned three different Agrators over the years . Two 120 inch Agrators one with a gearbox at the side instead of a chain . Also a 160 inch one bought off Pat Doyle . We broke them up in every way possible but were always able to repair them and get them going . We broke a rotor in the middle put a heavy tube and welded it back together . We bent a rotor and straightened it in a big press . We converted them all to run inn 1000 speed because we ended up with a pile of PTO stubs twisted like sugar sticks . A pinion bearing went in one and burst the front off the gearbox . Sherrards originally sold them and were taken over by Keenans who went bankrupt with Stuart Bailey ending up with a lot of spare parts . I bought a gearbox off him and also got a couple of scrap ones off a contractor . They had a spike per inch and if people were in bother getting ground ready would get us in . They drove stones into the ground and left a lovely finish for sowing beet . You could never get stuck with them as they would drive the tractor forward in neutral . They were a Spanish made machine .
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We had one as well and the one fault they had was they picked up everything that was thrown around the field, twine, plastic and so on and wrapped it around the rotor. Wasn’t a problem in most places but in the odd place it would drive you mad.
 
Mid cork said:
We had one as well and the one fault they had was they picked up everything that was thrown around the field, twine, plastic and so on and wrapped it around the rotor. Wasn’t a problem in most places but in the odd place it would drive you mad.
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Welcome to my world for the last few days ....:no::tdown:
 
I think stone buriers and rotavators turn in opposite directionsmaybe you could buy a stone burier and reverse the direction by flipping the gearbox (You can do this on some at least)
 
Mid cork said:
We had one as well and the one fault they had was they picked up everything that was thrown around the field, twine, plastic and so on and wrapped it around the rotor. Wasn’t a problem in most places but in the odd place it would drive you mad.
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Still have the one here. We used reverse along furrows to fill them in with it and level out any ridges. It did a great job in fairness. The biggest problem I saw with it was every stone it met it pulled up.
 
diesel power said:
Still have the one here. We used reverse along furrows to fill them in with it and level out any ridges. It did a great job in fairness. The biggest problem I saw with it was every stone it met it pulled up.
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Pulling up stones wouldn’t be what I remember about it, in fact I thought it was inclined to put them down. They were about as good as what there at the time to work the ground. But when the power harrows came along they took over completely, they were in a different league all together.
 
Mid cork said:
Pulling up stones wouldn’t be what I remember about it, in fact I thought it was inclined to put them down. They were about as good as what there at the time to work the ground. But when the power harrows came along they took over completely, they were in a different league all together.
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Care to explain how? I'm only on my third season with a straight blade rotavator so I've a bit to go still :sweat:

Chalk and cheese compared to anything non powered.
 
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