LOL!!! I just went thru all of that last week. Round and round between Tractor Supply, Lowes. Home Depot and Sears.
Sears won out. Rear Tines, Chain Driven, Counter rotating tines, powered Reverse, Neutral, and two forward gears! Way easier to use than any of the tillers that I have ever had. Doesn't beat you up when you hit a rock! 8.5HP 17" wide. $639.00 was total out the door price with tax. Get help to lift it out of the truck when you get home.

Patty

Oh Lucy...Last Spring we bought one of those little Honda tillers and LOVE it...This year I get to use it...lol...It works like a charm :)

knotz

Patty wow you did all the research for me lol. Do you have a lot to till?

Caren I need Such large areas to till that a little tiller is most likely not what I need right now. Do you use it in your beds? Already excisting gardens?

THANKS to both of you.

I will write down that info and go from there.

Lucy

Lucy with our ground you for sure need a rear tine big one. The one Patty got is perfect and would be what I would buy if I could quit spending all my money on plants, lol. She used it to put in a pond the other day and it worked great. I had to go to ace hardware today and ran by to see it. Looks wonderful. You need to stop and see hers then you will have to have a pond too, lol. The front tine will run you all over the yard and beat you to death so don't get one of those no matter what with our hard rocky ground. The small ones won't do much here except maybe for reworking existing beds.

Kristy that is what I thought. I was just scared that the rocks will not work for tillers.

NO POND!!!

roflmao

YET ha ha ha

Lucy

As an owner of very HARD soil... caliche actually (stone)... The rear tine tillers work much better, they don't bounce around on top of hard soil as bad as the front tillers. Front tillers are meant for much softer soil.

Oh it is so much easier to go shopping for something when you get all that info from friends. Where were you all when I did the kitchen appliances research rofl.

I can see myself bouncing all around the yard if I would buy a front tine tiller lol. Rear it is!

Lucy

Hey Y'all,

I smell Spring!!!:) Hahahaha... Hey, anyone grow any bananas from seed out there? I have 70 seeds from several different type banana plants, and I would like to know how some of you treat them?

Brug's & Hug's,
Bruce B.

Is there any other one besides a Troy-Built?

Ya, I just use mine for flower beds and my vegie garden..And ya, my dirt is pretty soft...Sorry mine can't help you :( lol

Have fun!!

Yall be sure to check your local papers for a good used one. You can get them dirt cheap sometimes. Haha I said dirt...

I have one here that just needs a new gas tank.. I have tilled everything I plan on ..LOL anything else and I will be using the Tractor...
Patti.. I do have to say you made a Great choice.!!!!
Kylie

Kylie I probably could use the Tractor roflmao As much as I want to till ha ha ha ha

We are going to Sears on Saturday :-))

Karma is THAT the name of the Tiller I am getting? I thought I had to walk up to the sales clerk and tell him I want to buy the tiller that comes to 639 dollars with taxes roflmao

Bruce maybe you get some replies if you post a new thread? Only got 2 little banana plants that were shared with me and I can not wait to see them grow!

Lucy

Ok, Lucy; This is what I bought.

Craftsman 850 Series

Model # 917.297032

It has a Briggs & Stratton engine.

Sears carries one model higher than the one that I bought. The only difference between the two is that mine has a 17" till path abd the other one had a 19" till path. And another couple of hundred bucks! They didn't have any of the tillers out on the floor when I was shopping. They have a stand-up sign beside the register in the lawn department with descriptions and prices. I ask if they had the one that I wanted and the clerk had to check the computer for it.
It is powerful enough to dig out my 3 ft pond, so use it to dig out the holes when you want to plant something big!
Patty

givelittle_getlots, ours is a little over 15 years old and has been in the shop just once for warrenty work some 12 years ago. Looks like it's brand new, except the kick plate and runs like a charm! Can't complain on the expense as it's earned it's self many times over here.
Now if you are talking Craftsman on the chipper, well that is about 10 years old and has been in the shops more times than I can count but we aren't giving up hope on it yet.

Patty thank you so much for the additional shopping info lol

Karma I know from seeing your yard, that you are putting that tiller to a lot of work outs! My luck is that I will pick THE piece that is going to break down rather sooner then later. It is a cursed touch lol. I could go and work for a produce store too. No matter WHAT I pick up first, it is always something that is rotten or not good lol So id does not matter what brand...as long as I AM NOT BUYING IT, it will be ok. So DH is going to do the shopping rofl

Thanks again

While outside today I saw all those BEDS and oh gosh Patty what a grand Idea about digging holes for my TREES I got to plant! Dug out a old old treestump today and let me tell you, I am out of shape. Darn winter lol

Lucy

well that sucks..went to Sears this morning. Patty your model was a run out model she said.

Next strong model...14"...599,- Dollars without Tax. 17" 699.- without Tax

Needless to say I am shopping around now or wait till they have a BIG sale...anyone has a idea when that might be for tillers?

But I did finally get a wheel barrow. 10 ct feet big with 2 wheels on the front wow how easy it was to haul the flowerboxes to the shed just so they do not freeze tonight.

Lucy

Hey Lucy, you might try craigs list. You might find a used one for cheaper. You'd just have to check it out really good first.

Ryan

Ryan like take it for a test tilling? But thank you for reminding me about graigslist. Will do that now that I put the buying on hold.

Lucy

LOL, Lucy! Works for me.

While you're out shopping, look for one of these:

{{gwi:461277}}

My mom bought this auger for me several years ago. You attach it to any drill. I admit, I didn't think it would work, but the thing is amazing. Obviously it depends on the power of your drill too, but the hole you dig is perfect size for dropping bedding plants into. Also, in small beds or around perennials, where a regular tiller won't fit, it works up the soil beautifully, plus you can go MUCH deeper than a regular tiller (which is great when you're going after pesky bermuda grass roots!). So much easier than planting or digging with a shovel. Only use your finger to pull the trigger.

I'll go through, use it to dig a ton of holes in a garden, fill the holes with mulch and steer manure, then go back and dig it up again, to mix the mulch and soil together. All without disturbing existing plants and shrubs.

I've not seen these in stores, so not sure where you'll find it, but its worth the hunt. This one is about three feet tall, so you can use it while standing up.

Ryan

What a cool gadget. Sorry you didn't find what you were looking for Lucy. Try the PX. No tax. You can check out Tractor supply as well. I didn't make it to the ladies house today. She wasn't home when I called this morning and I was pretty tired from from yesterday. I rested a while then hubby got in the mood to do yard work so we raked the back yard, cleaned out a couple of beds, trimmed the trees in the back yard and did some more hardi board on the greenhouse. I am dog tired now and he wants to go fishing tomorrow so maybe we can go one day this week after it warms back up. I figured it wouldn't be a good time to dig up things with two nights of freezes coming anyway. I added compost and mulch to as many plants as I could. Everything was starting to come up and bloom. I hope it doesn't kill them all with the long freeze tonight. I need to do exactly what Ryan said digging holes and adding compost and manure to the front bed and the big one in the back. I have a whole trailer full of tree branches if you got your chipper and want them. If not hubby will take them to the recycle center.

Ryan that is cool. You are just full of great tips thanks so much.

Kristy forget the PX :-(

Lowes has little dingy ones. 2 of em lol. STanding by the riding lawmowers I thing they were. When I ask if they had anymore then just those two. The guy send me some place else and when I saw that they were even smaller, I knew Lowes could not help me out this time.

DH is just not a run around from store to store kind of guy. When we go into a store and I say oh this or that looks good, he is ready to call the sales clerk over to buy it roflmao

Oh man Kristy it sounded good until I read that John was only in the MOOD to do YARDWORK lol. Man it was way to windy out there.

ha ha ha Kristy I traded the chipper buying for a tiller. Figured I rather pay the city 18 bucks per load they pick up and it does not add up to as much as the chipper would cost me. Besides the tiller will safe not only more work but also my back lol

I just decided to run over the old bushy dried perennial bushes with the lawnmower roflmao

Still looking for a tiller. Been signing up for the freecycles around Cove in the last few hours lol

Gregslist is on my list too.

Before I knew it, it is already dark now

See I should have bought mulch...but I am not ready to add that.
Kristy I hope all that work is not making you feel worse. You just don't know how to take it ease !

Lucy

The link to check on is www.craigslist.com then go to Texas and to Killeen, Temple, Fort Hood area. You could check the Austin and Dallas ones too if you are willing to drive a little farther for a good deal. I got a thrifty nickel paper a little while ago and looked for you. There is a troy bilt 7 HP Kohler industrial engine in there with with plow and furrow attachments for $650. Yeah all the work is making me hurt but it has to get done. He wants to go fishing tomorrow and I really want to rest but I have to be fair and give him his fishing time for helping me with the yard and greenhouse. Don't be joking about being in the mood. I think my back would protest tonight, lol. Glad you decided on the tiller instead of the chipper. You will get a lot more use out of it I think and the city has cheap compost and you can still put out a small pile of limbs at a time for free pickup. Just don't put them all out at once. I made him take me to eat dinner. I was starving and too tired to cook so just cleaned up and ran out to eat. Its getting cold out there. I got the electric blanket on and took my medicine and hope I sleep good tonight. I want to rest so bad tomorrow. I don't think the fish will be biting since its getting so cold tonight. I might have to take off Monday. I want to go back to the ladies house and get some more plants but I have to rest my back some first then we can go one day this week when it warms back up if you want.

Ryan that is so cool, might have to try that. I am supposed to be getting a free tiller, but the catch is I have to go to the other side of the state to get it. Robs parents have one and since they retired they don't do any yard work. Funny thing they also keep trying to give me a John Deere riding mower, my yard is so small I probably couldn't turn it around in my yard! I keep trying to tell them to just put it out front with a for sale sign on it but they just don't want to mess with it.....silly people.

Mary

Kristy please take me with you. To the Lady that is. I do the digging for us lol

Hey sometimes the mood stuff relaxes you and takes pain AWAY lol lol Just making it through it ha ha is it still kids safe to read? roflmao

Well my spring feaver...the searches for tillers and seeing higher and higher prices...I told hubby this morning to whip out his.........credit card and we are going back to Sears today.

I just want to get started and I know if it gets to warm out there I can not do heavy duty work.

BEsides I read on freecycle folks willing to pay for getting their plots tilled . I might make some money doing that ha ha ha ha Just joking. My yard will keep me busy enough for years to come

Thanks and I will post a picture of my Cadillac later on lol

Lucy

Lucy, hope your hunt for a good tiller happens soon. With all the work you guys are already doing, it tires me out, LOL! I tried to mow the lawn yesterday but the darn mower didn't start. My plan was to take the mower to the repair people, but instead I went to the nursery and bought a Williams banana and a papaya :-) Definitely want to see a pix of your Cadillac Lucy!

I'm gonna go rent one of those BIG mombo wombos. . .DH doesn't want to store it for the other 354 days we don't use it. (grin)

Fire it up, roll all over. Aarrrrr-rrrrrrrr-rrr-VROOOM-rrrrr-rrrrrrrr all over my yard.

NOTHING is going to be safe. Turn it into a big pile of DIRT. (grin)

I'm gonna turn the large brug bed here out front and put down only 5 or 6 prized ones this year, and some along the side of the garage again.

THEN, I'll go get my own Mantis. (grin)

Gotta get the 'mato beds ready everyone! You guys ready?

Ok Lucy. We will go tomorrow if it doesn't kill me fishing today. I just have some sore muscles from yesterday but not hurting as bad as I thought for all I have done the last two days. Its too cold to go fishing for another hour or two at least so I am just resting. I'll pay you to till me a long border on the side of the yard, lol. I have been eyeballing that big tiller for rent at the hardware store. That bad boy would do some damage, lol. John is wanting to put in the privacy fence since he found out the neighbors watch us out their bedroom window, roflmao. I wish he would hurry up and do it because it sure would be nice to have the border I want up against a wooden fence in a raised bed so I can fill it with good soil and will have more room for the brugs. I had a few of them starting to leaf out yesterday so I tried to cover the leafy part with mulch. I hope the wind didn't blow it all off and they froze again. Scared to go look outside, lol. Ok Lucy Perry Post, Ryan and Knotz want some of the agave but they are small and easy to dig so its up to you if we can get some for them as well. I have to see what the lady wants for them.

I am off tomorrow, so I can go with you! Two shovels and one person to point and say..."Dig this for me!" Just let me know when you are ready to go.
Patty

Kristy, you can skip me on the agave. I was only offering to send out some of mine when it multiplied. I don't need any more :-)

Thank you, though!
Ryan

well we ended up going to look at HD and Tractor supplies first after being at Sears and we had a crappy sales lady. Then we went back to the nice lady and ordered it. Will be here in the 4th. Then we better have nice weather lol. I already walked the yard and looked what i will till first.

Kristy if there is a way to get that sucker on the truck...SURE lol

Lucy

Lol, they might deliver it if I ask real sweet. Patty and Lucy I will call the lady in the morning and see if she will be home. If she is we can all go. Sorry Ryan I must have misunderstood. I'll have to go back and look and see if it was someone else but will see first if its a go. Bring a sharp shovel each. I will bring mine but its not the greatest. One of you call me in the morning about 8 or 9 if thats good with you both then give me an hour to wake up so better make it 8, lol. Caught a lot of fish if either of you want some let me know. Back hurts but it should be ok by morning if I can sleep good.

Oh man I better get moving then lol Hope you had a good nights rest and feeling better. Still not ready to look at fish with heads lol

Lucy

Technodweeb..I hope you don't drive like that too on the road. *scared* LOL

Lol, too funny. Hard to eat them while they are looking at you. I can get John to fillet you some if you want some. I am going to bed. We raked the front yard after you left and bagged up 4 bags of leaves and cleaned out the front flower bed. Gathered some seeds and cleaned them and I watered everything we planted then cooked supper and got the seeds packed up to send out for the RR to Barb and looked up and it was 11 oclock, lol. Will have to download the pics tomorrow and post the stuff for the lady on craigslist. I'll have to wait for another day off to send out the other seeds to a few folks who have been patiently waiting. I need a clone or a Pedro or something. Thanks to you and Patty for all the help today. Had a good time and John is thrilled with his peach tree. Glad we didn't plant it in the ground. He has moved it tree times in his head already but he loves the spot we put the tulip tree, lol.

You got to be kiddin...you continued to work? Oh man lol. I barely made it to plant the stuff in a temp bucket lol Actually I did plant some of those huge bulbs...by the way...I would love to have a chat with you. Or we can do a exchange...if you give me the names of all the things...I give you the list you forgot in the car for the ladies stuff rofl.

Oh I love fish that way ha ha ha ha

roflmao yeah now that I read that John moved it 3 times...glad we didn't plant it too lol Can't wait to find out WHERE it will find its place.

I bettcha John loves not only the spot for the tulip tree. But also the fact that he did not had to plant it there ha ha ha ha

Oh I had a marvelous time too. Would not mind doing that again.

Lucy

We can go again in a day or two when I feel better. Working at the shop made me hurt a lot yesterday. Its worse sitting in that chair and working than doing yard work. Speaking of I have to go to work. See you all later.