(ET) Tilling

["Darryl McMahon" <darryl econogics com>]

Saturday evening I finished the tilling of the new garden in the yard 
with the E12 and rear-mounted tiller.  What a treat!  Three passes, 
and after raking out the sod clumps, the patch looks ready to plant. 
There is a mature birch tree that is right at the boundary on my 
neighbour's property, and its roots extend well into the new garden 
area.  The rototiller found several of these.  It would slow, stop, 
then snap the root, and then continue turning again.  Amazing the 
power of this unit.  One of these roots is about 1 and 1/2 inches 
thick and green wood.

On Monday (a holiday here in Canada), I had to go over to my 
mother's place to till her garden.  The patch is even smaller than 
mine, and the gates in the fence would not permit the tractor to get 
into the yard, so the job was to be done with her gasoline-powered 
walk-behind tiller.  What a lesson in how spoiled I have become, 
and how quickly.

This machine is a few years old, but no antique.  The engine was 
completely overhauled by a professional 2 years ago.  It gets used 
once a year, for about an hour.  I did not do the tilling last year, so I 
took the time to check basics.  I was assured it worked fine the 
last time it was used.  Oil was full, and of reasonable colour.  Gas 
in the tank, mix of old and new.  Spark plug secure, and looked 
like good wire contact.  So, open the throttle and close the choke, 
and start away on the rope starter.  Nothing.  After some 20 pulls, 
not sputter, not a wisp of smoke.  Undo the plug wire and test for 
fire.  Ouch! Yep, definitely got fire.  Reattach and pull some more.  
No go.  Spend 10 minutes looking for the spark plug tool that is not 
in its appointed place.  Find an adjustable wrench. Pull the plug.  
Carboned right up.  Found replacement plug, put that in.  Pulled 
some more.  Still nothing.  Removed air filter.  Clogged.  Cleaned 
air filter, but did not put it back on.  Opened the choke.  Flooded.  
Took plug out again, dried out cylinder for a while.  Put plug back 
in, left choke open, shut off throttle, pulled until I figured the 
flooding was resolved.  Start again, throttle 3/4's open, choke 
closed, pull rope.  Nothing after several pulls.  Really getting tired 
of this (forgot to mention, this rig requires one hand on the rope, 
and one hand on the top of the motor, or pulling the rope just pulls 
the entire unit over onto its side).  Rest a minute or two.  Can't 
think of anything I've missed.  (There was a time I was considered 
pretty good with these small engine contraptions.)  Try the rope 
again.  A "phut"!  Definitely a fire that time!  Keep pulling.  Nothing.  
Nothing. Nothing.  "phut-phut".  Nothing. Nothing. Fiddle with 
choke.  Pull. "Phut-phut-phut". Pull. Nothing.  Nothing.  Close 
choke again.  Pull.  Short run and stall.  Close throttle to 1/2.  Pull.
Nothing.  Pull. Rope recoil!  Ow!  That smarted right through the 
glove. Pull.  Going, slowing, open choke, better, good, slowing, 
open choke slightly, better, better, slower, close choke, better, 
running. OK!  More throttle, more rpm, not stalling, good!

So after that, now I'm ready to "start" working.  It has taken 
between 30 and 35 minutes from ready (me) to ready (the 
machine).  The tilling takes about 40 minutes.  Then we spread 
compost over the tilled soil, and till this mixture in.  It takes about 
20 pulls and more fiddling to get the machine started again, about 
90 minutes after I had shut it off.  #@$%*& thing!  Takes about 20 
minutes to mix in the new material.

1 hour of actual tilling time, but almost another hour just to get the 
thing to run, and that does not include time to get gas or oil or the 
replacement plug.  All the while I am thinking fondly of my ET 
sitting a few miles away, switch-on, switch-off.  No gas, no oil, no 
spark plug, no throttle, no choke, no exhaust, no rope starter!  And 
they market these small engine machines as being convenient!

I'm spoiled, and I like it that way.  I don't want to face this 
experience again next year, but I am not going to rebuild a fence to 
get the ET into a garden patch that is only 20 times the size of the 
tractor.  (It is also an irregular shape, and there would be a lot of 
time spent manuevering to deal with bordering walls, hedges and 
fences.  

So, this seems as good a place as any to ask:
Did anyone ever build an electric, walk-behind rototiller?

I am not aware of one on the market today, but perhaps sometime 
in the past some company built such a thing.  If not, has anyone 
converted a gasoline walk-behind tiller to electric?  I'd rather gain 
from someone else's experience if possible before taking on such a 
project.

While a battery-electric unit would be OK, I'm wondering if a corded 
version would be feasible.  Limited to 1500 watts (15 amp, 110-volt 
circuit), operating something like a corded electric lawnmower.  
Don't especially want to go to the expense of batteries for 
something expected to see such limited use, but a surplus AC 
motor (furnace fan motor perhaps), on a discarded tiller body might 
with my collection of pulleys and belts might do the job, and justify 
investing the time.  No batteries makes it easier to transport too 
(lighter, can lay on its side).

Thoughts?  Leads on where to look for an existing unit?  Thanks in 
advance.


Darryl McMahon          48 Tarquin Crescent,
Econogics, Inc.         Nepean, Ontario K2H 8J8
 It's your planet.      Voice: (613)828-0805
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