Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,

Jon

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:36:54 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,

Jon


Could the hinged stake thingy be the plow? If so, that comes off when
tilling but back on when you lay out your rows. I'm no expert, but I'm
pretty sure the wheels stay on. They did when I was tilling.

Kate

"Jon Danniken" wrote in message
...
Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,

Jon

"Jon Danniken" wrote:

Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,


What brand tiller? Don't you have the owner's manual... you can probably
download a copy.

That stake thingie is a depth regulator adjustor, a stop of sorts, not meant
for accuracy but for approximate... it is not a support like a kickstand.
For deeper tilling adjust the arm higher, for shallower tilling adjust the
arm lower. Do NOT run unit with wheels removed.

Charlie wrote
Personally, I have given up on rototilling.
It breaks my heart to see worm hamburger.

Very few worms are harmed during rototilling, the vast majority burrow
deeper then you can till as soon as they feel the vibrations of your
machine. Earthworms are both male and female, each produces both eggs and
sperm. Earthworms reproduces at a far greater rate than you can rototill
them, fortunately There is no shortage of earthworms, all the world's
earthworms weigh more than all other animal life combined. If not for the
preditors that live by feeding on earthworms the planet would be so over run
with earthworms so as to make the planet uninhabitable for any other animal
life. Don't argue with me, argue with Charles Darwin.

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:36:54 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,

Jon



I hope you have a manual for your tiller. The wheels are only to make
it easy to get your machine from storage to/from the work site. The
stake is usually adjustable and allows deep or shallow tilling. Take
extra care about not losing the locking pin, maybe paint it red.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:36:54 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,

Jon



I hope you have a manual for your tiller. The wheels are only to make
it easy to get your machine from storage to/from the work site.

Actually those are drive wheels and free wheelers... engaged/disengaged by a
device at each hub. You do not want to forget to engage those wheels before
starting up the engine and engaging the tiller.

The stake is usually adjustable and allows deep or shallow tilling.

The stake is always adjustable, otherwise it would be useless.

Take extra care about not losing the locking pin, maybe paint it
red.

First few times you pull/push the pin through the hole the paint will be
gone. It's much better to attach the pin to the machine with a cable
lanyard... drill a small hole through the end of the pin and attach a split
ring... otherwise when the pin falls out you'll never know until later and
you won't find it in freshly tilled earth no matter what color. Usually
there is already a split ring with that pin but it still needs to be
fastened to the machine with a cable lanyard.

Tillers don't have a kill device like a push mower, the tines will stop but
the tiller motor will still run when you walk away... don't ever take your
hand off the steering handle with the motor running and never attempt any
adjustments/repairs with the motor running unless the tine assembly is first
removed... the tine engagement lever is small and easily bumped. Some
idiots attempt to hose off the machine while the motor is running, a great
way to lose body parts. Whenever putting the tiller in reverse never stand
directly behind the machine.

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:40:36 GMT, "brooklyn1"
wrote:



Actually those are drive wheels and free wheelers... engaged/disengaged by a
device at each hub. You do not want to forget to engage those wheels before
starting up the engine and engaging the tiller.

Have you actually seen the OP's tiller? Not everyone has the same
tiller as you.




The stake is always adjustable, otherwise it would be useless.


Wrong. Careful of your use of "always" unless you have seen every
tiller.


First few times you pull/push the pin through the hole the paint will be
gone.

Wrong again. Paint the head of the pin.


Tillers don't have a kill device like a push mower, the tines will stop but


Sorry brooklyn, but there are a lot of different kinds of tillers.
Where have you been?

On Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:36:54 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Jon, I found it easier to remove the wheels and control the front tine
tiller I had with just rotating tines and the stake. I think the
wheels might be nice if you needed to move the tiller across a
driveway, patio or surface you don't want marked with tines. I didn't
need wheels to move it to prevent digging/marking up the pathway I
took to the garden, simply lifted the weight off the stake and walked
it on the tines to the place I wanted to start and dug in the stake to
hold the machine back as it began to dig. As I wanted to move forward
I lifted the stake to allow the tines to move the machine forward.
Experience in using the front tine, or "jumping jack" tiller makes it
easier.
--
Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8
http://tinyurl.com/2fxzcb

wrote:
Could the hinged stake thingy be the plow? If so, that comes off when
tilling but back on when you lay out your rows. I'm no expert, but I'm
pretty sure the wheels stay on. They did when I was tilling.

Thanks Kate, I appreciate it.

Jon

Charlie wrote:

The wheels stay on as well as the stake thingie. Depth control and
tiller control.

The stake thingie is also used to keep the tiller from dragging you
around and makes it so you don't have to backfight the thing so much.
Set it at a depth that allows your tiller to work itself forward
slowly.

Ah, that makes sense; thanks Charlie.

Jon

I've had two: a Mantis, and a Honda I got when the Mantis quit after a
couple of years.

Each of them had an arm behind the tines, and you could attach wheels to
the arm for transporting it (they were actually light enough to just
pick up), or attach an adjustable stake. The instruction manuals said
to take the wheels off when cultivating, and use the stake to control
the depth. Both worked well that way, although the Mantis didn't last
due to engine problems.

I find it hard to visualize how one would work with the wheels on and
the control stake behind them; it would appear that the wheels would
prevent the tines from digging in. But as some posters have said, there
are many brands out there and it would be best to find an operating
manual to insure safe operation.

Jon Danniken wrote:
Hi, this should be my last roto-tiller question for the time being.

My front tine roto-tiller has wheels (behind the front tines), and it also
has a hinged stake thingy behind the wheels. The wheels have a mechanism
which allows them to easily be removed as an assembly.

When you roto-till, do you take the wheels off of yours and use the hinged
stake thingy for rear support? Or do you leave the wheels on and use the
stake at the same time?

Thanks for any help with this,

Jon

So the wheels aren't helpful when tilling?

On Monday, May 11, 2020 at 11:36:47 PM UTC-4, wrote:
So the wheels aren't helpful when tilling?

The OP was 11 years ago.

However, within the thread:
*********
Very few worms are harmed during rototilling, the vast majority burrow
deeper then you can till as soon as they feel the vibrations of your
machine. Earthworms are both male and female, each produces both eggs and
sperm. Earthworms reproduces at a far greater rate than you can rototill
them, fortunately There is no shortage of earthworms, all the world's
earthworms weigh more than all other animal life combined. If not for the
preditors that live by feeding on earthworms the planet would be so over run
with earthworms so as to make the planet uninhabitable for any other animal
life.
**************

that doesn't all sound right, especially since the US had no earthworms until Europeans arrived. (The worms arrived in ship's ballast, and began eating the forest floor litter. The ecology of the New World was totally different back then.)

Tim R wrote:
....
that doesn't all sound right, especially since the US had no earthworms until Europeans arrived. (The worms arrived in ship's ballast, and began eating the forest floor litter. The ecology of the New World was totally different back then.)

it depends upon where you are and what you
consider native (what time frame):

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smith...ers-180958094/


songbird