Should you purchase a rototiller or consider renting rotoTillers, and what kind should you get. We have a garden that is roughly 10 feet wide and 20 feet long. It is too big to dig by hand although I have done it and this was really a workout, believe me. For those of you who are into exercise, digging up your garden by hand and then raking it and working the soil until it is pulverized and ready for planting will definitely give you a workout! On top of that, you will also save money since you do not need to purchase a tiller or go to the gym. You save money which is the point of this website, however, it is not really the point of this post.
I have been renting rototillers for the past 5 or 6 years and have found them to do a really good job, they are small enough to fit in the trunk of my car and I only need the tiller for perhaps 2 hours. There are a couple of issues about renting a tiller. First how long you rent it and when you rent it can make a difference in how much you pay. In addition, you need to consider the size of tiller that you use, to ensure that the job gets done quickly and to your satisfaction. Last should you rent or buy.
Renting RotoTillers – When should you Rent?
Most places that rent equipment of this type to homeowners as well as construction people have standard rates and there is really not too much negotiation that you can do regarding the price. However, there is several little tricks that you can use to make sure you pay the minimum. First they will usually rent for a minimum hour time, sometimes it can be for 2 hours and then you pay by the hour after that. For example, the tiller I rented was $16 for the first 2 hours and then $3 for each hour after that. If you can get your job done in 3 hours or less you are going to pay $19 and that is not too bad.
I always try to go in just before closing and rent my equipment for the minimum time frame. This way I would pay $16 for the tiller, yet I would have it for a full 24 hours instead of just two hours. Now you need to be able to get your work done in the evening since it does get dark early depending on where you live. Another good time is just before a long weekend. The shop is usually closed for the holiday, so you might it lucky and have the equipment you are renting for a full 48 hours at the 2-hour price. Now that is a deal!
Size of the Tiller you should rent?
Always make sure you rent a tiller that is large enough to do the job. A small tiller will take you longer to cover the area that you are working up, as well it may not be heavy enough to really dig into the soil if it has dried out and become hard. This was my case, and my light tiller would only work into the soil about 4 inches. I would have liked to go deeper and have before, but this year the soil is dry and hard. We simply did not get enough snow this year.
A larger rototiller would have been more difficult to transport. It would have been heavier and possibly would not have fitted into my trunk. However I know a heavier tiller would have done a better job in this case. Even though it would have been more expensive to rent, I would rather use it to do a better job. So do not go for the smallest tiller if you are looking to work the soil to a deeper level. It will also complete the job quickly. They are more powerful and heavier so they will go deeper and work faster.
Should you rent or buy a rototiller?
I have been renting a tiller for the past 5 or 6 years. I have to say this is the best approach for me. Each time it costs me about $25 with taxes to rent the tiller. I have spent approximately $150 over the past 6 years. This does not come close to what a new one would cost. Now I tend to keep my tools a long time and maintain them. I know that a rototiller would definitely pay for itself over the long run. However, I only use a tiller once per year for maybe 2 hours at a time. Gas can go bad and gum up the carb. Iit just is not worth it for me to purchase my own rototiller.
For larger gardens, it might well be worthwhile to have your own. You would probably use it more often and then it makes it all worthwhile. So save yourself some money by renting a rototiller. If you really want to save money work up the soil by hand. The job will be almost as good, and you will really get a lot of exercise.
That is it for this post. If you like this post, leave your comments and suggestions for more posts. We are always trying to save some money for everyone and we look for great new ideas.
September 28th, 2010 on 7:46 am
Great post about roto tillers and gardening