Plow Hoss vs Hoss Plow

[JustinE]

I have a fairly large garden (about 43'x135'). It's red clay. I'm looking for something to work it with in tighter spots that I can't get the 26'' front tine tiller. I am hoping to get my Horse II tiller rebuilt soon, which would help. For tighter spots, though, would a Maxim Plow Hoss or a Hoss Tools push plow be best for this?

 

[JustinE]

I'm guessing nobody has experience with these.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would say that a hand spade and gooseneck garden hoe would be your ticket if you cant get a 26" tiller in to it.
All kidding aside, Mantis make a super small tiller and Troybuilt has one that is about 12" wide that fits on the straight shaft 43cc weedeater. I have one from years ago that I used a couple of times in the wife flowerbed. REALLY light duty stuff due to the power shaft itself. The tiller tines are quiet heavy duty.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I have a Mantis tiller and the idea is good for small spots but get a steil brand or something that will start, mine spends more time in the shed becayse I hate trying to start it.

 

[xtn]

My wife bought one of those little walk-behind tillers, maybe 12" wide or so, and it's complete crap. Four little blades, too close together, spinning too fast, with not enough bite angle, and hardly any weight on it. We've got clay here and it just bounces around on top of the dirt. You'd have to till the dirt with something that works before this tiller would work in it. I'd sooner excavate for a swimming pool with a hand spade than prep one row of garden with that thing.

xtn

 

[JustinE]

That's been my experience with them. I too have red clay. If it gets the least bit compacted, that little mini tiller just bounces. That's one thing that worries me about a push plow.

 

[J C green]

Justin, I have the Honda Cultivator and like it a lot. I just received the hoss wheel hoe/seeder. Haven't used the hoss hoe yet just the seeder. I think the Honda would be the best option as long as you aren't expecting it to be a tiller. It is a cultivator not a tiller.

 

[JustinE]

I have a mini cultivator, Bolens. It works. My problem is, it tends to chop up plants. For example, I try to get between rows of beans, and wind up digging bean vines out from around the tines. Same with tomato plants. For some reason, mine are always really bushy, no matter the kind. I'm looking for something with a fixed blade to cut through the dirt, hopefully without damaging the plant.

 

[Groo]

My Dad has a huge garden (recently expanded to about 2 acres). He uses a 3 point tiller work it up in the spring, and has been using a POS front tine tiller to keep the rows weed free. Now that the gear box has gone out on the tiller (everything else had already been repaired); I was thinking get a chain drive horizontal shaft front tine tiller (the rear tine tillers aren't maneuverable enough); then I saw a Maxim Plow Hoss on-line, and I started thinking it might be a better tool for the job.