SHOULD You SHARPEN Rototiller Tines?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 พ.ค. 2023
- Should you sharpen the tines on your rototiller? That is the question!! Are the blades supposed to be sharp? Will this increase performance? Will the blades not just get dull and wear out after repeated use hitting rocks and roots? How do you sharpen the tines on your cultivator? And do you need to remove the tines to sharpen it? There's a lot of information in this video! Steve answers it all!!
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After using a shovel almost every day for 35 years, I can tell you that sharpening makes a huge difference. Also, if you grind that point off and make it more round it will save your ankle when you hit a rock or other hard object and it spins.
If you clean all the mud off of it when finished and spray with wd 40 or like, it will keep the rust off and make it much easier to keep your shovel mud free and help the dirt, mud slide off. If someone says that it doesn't matter which shovel you use or how you treat it, they haven't used one enough.
If they haven't used a shovel enough, I've got a shovel they can use right here, and dirt here to shovel, too, no charge.
I put a slight sharpened edge on my tiller blades at the beginning of the gardening season every year. Been doing it for 30+ years.
Right on
I run a rototiller as a side hustle. I most definitely sharpen the tines.
The difference in fuel and effort is amazing.
Agreed!
Learned to sharpen my shovel when I was 41 years old. Better late then never. Never thought about garden tiller. That's for the great tip.
You're Welcome...
I clean my shovels. I don't sharpen them though. A clean shovel performs a lot better than an old rusty pitted one does. If I'm digging and there's a lot of roots I'll cut them with a mattock. A mattock I'll sharpen.
Finally took that hat off! Lovely!
Sharpening your shovel is a pratice I have seen guys who work in excavation do regularly, it makes the work go a lot easier. I have seen some people carry a flat mill file around in their back pocket just in case the shovel starts to get dull.
Right on
Love the new hatless look, April. Beautiful hair (and you, too!🥰
Great topic!..Curiously i sharpened my rototiller tines about 2 weeks ago-what a difference! I was making my garden larger and working up sod the tiller was bouncing all over the place,after having it for 20 years i decided to sharpen it WOW what a difference it chewed the sod up like magic also in my original garden it worked so much better...as always Thank you Steve and April your the best!
Right on buddy! You're Welcome...
Dang - never thought about it. Saw this video and literally went straight to the shop and put an edge on my Ames long handled shovel - something I use for gardening almost daily. I’m (not easily) impressed.
WOW!
At 73 I’m wise enough to know I still have a lot to learn. Thanks, April! ❤👍😎
Right on Dan!
Despite your advanced age (maybe you need to be 90 to know it) the old school, old old school methods have been lost to time, but nearly every long handled garden and construction tool used to be sharpened back in the day. I have the old Popular Mechanics magazines to prove it, with usually an article illustrating better ways to do it or advertising a new and improved file or grinding stone to do it with. Pretty fascinating about this old knowledge that is usually lost to the sands of time...
Well, I’m fixing my tiller today. Now I will add an extra step. Thanks April! And that other guy.
You're Welcome...
I have a 51 year old tiller and have never sharpened the blades. That's an awsome idea. I will certainly try this. It sounds like a great idea. Will let you know when I'm finished.
Right on
You'll be well pleased ! Some farm cultivator shovels ,have an angle & hard point ,that help self - sharpen as they constantly, plow through dirt and rocks
After watching your video I sharpen my ties and went out and chilling noticing that it was going through the sod and not clogging up near as quick I appreciate your video thank you
Glad it helped
Hi April and Steve , we have all raised beds for our garden now and I sold our tiller a few years ago but I used to sharpen the tines on it every year..or so .cheers guy's..
I till my raised beds. I have one of those little Mantis tillers. I turn it into clods with a shovel then run through the clods with the tiller to break the soil up fine. I mix in some peat moss and garden soil to add organics to it too. I used to use a cultivator and that's too labor intensive. I'd be out there for hours chopping away.
Great to have your wife? Asking questions and making comments. A nice duo!
April, your hair looks great!
I was JUST servicing my tiller and this thought actually crossed my mind! Crazy!!
Thank You...
I have honestly never heard of sharpening tines. Shovels, yes, I get a lot of customers asking for an edge on their shovel, but to this day I have yet to have anyone ask for tine sharpening. Typically we always just put new tines on the units in the shop if they look particularly bad. Interesting idea. I'll keep this in mind from now on, it might be a good option, I will give it a try.
Right on
I broke a tine off last year hitting a buried brick! Tine looked brand new as far as sharpened and is 20 years old. Never sharpened mine.
Hey April, hey Steve! I don't even have a rototiller, but your learning lesson with a sharpened shovel cracked a smile. I learned from my grandpa to sharpen my spade-blade. My takeaway from this video is, that what you in the U.S. call shovel is some kind of a cross-breed between our German spades and shovels. Makes much sense to me. Lets see, if I can get one of those over the internet to give it a try.
Cheers
Andreas
Loved your front tine tiller demonstration. Remember that rear time tillers will take off and drag you across the yard if not careful. Good video..
I'm pulling out the 5 ft tiller attachment this week. I've been thinking about this topic, only because I'm tilling up a garden that has dead growth as well as new spring growth. Wondering if sharper tines would help chop up and mulch the growth while prepping the soil.
You've answered my question.
Cold beers for everyone!!!
Right on
Reminds of those old 70's beer commercials "It's tiller time"
thank you april for making steve think the look on his face was priceless!
yup been sharping shovel for years, told to do it by old timer.... tines on rotortiller sounds good to me to sharpen them.
Right on
I have been putting an edge on my spades for 50 years. I won't use a dull one. ... but I never thought about tiller tines ... seems to me it would be more effective when breaking new sod with lots of roots and such and a lot less necessary on an establish garden bed ...
Never sharpened my tiller except for taking lumps of the edge where it hit a stone, my soil isnt that sandy but the tines on it keep sharp and it has been in use for 10+ years
I have a tiller attachment for my Troy-Bilt Powerhead and I can see how important sharpening the tines could be for a small engine like that. The Powerhead has a 29cc/1.8cu. in. 4-cycle engine, which is respectable for a device like this, but shape tines will help the long inner drive shaft and any bearings last longer and create less stress on the engine. I'll be sure to sharpen them if I use it again. Great tip, Steve! Thanks. Tell April I said Hi.
Yes like Steve pointed out , it saves you ge transmission..how I know from experience ( hard knocks)
Learn something new every day. Sharpening will be a good winter project before springtime.
Right on
In my younger days as a roustabout in the East Texas oilfield we used to sharpen our shovels out a lot. Not only help with small Roots but also with firm dirt. 👍🏻
Right on
I never thought about it, but it makes perfectly good sense. Great tip Steve. Thank you.
You're Welcome...
The real question is, is the time invested returned with interest.
For example. Sharpening lawn mower takes 10mins max, will last me all year (unless I’m a muppet), and means my grass is cleanly cut not ripped apart by bludgeoning, leaving horrid ends which die and make a lawn look awful. It also means I can cut grass that is maybe a little longer than is should be without stalling it. So for 10 minutes work there are real tangible benefits for the whole year or ~8 hours of mowing before it needs to be done again (ie. a factor of 48)
Spade, 5 mins resulting in an easily job and less back ache. Again tangle benefits.
Rotavator, I’m going to assume (as I’m stating it I’m not going to make an ass out of anyone) as I’ve not done it yet, sharping mine will take me 40 minutes, and be more fiddly due to access. I’m also assuming the tines will need more sharpening each time due to greater wear than a lawn mower blade. Usage between each sharpen? I’d guess 2-4 hours?
Giving you a factor of ~8.
Benefits? Will my soil be cultivated any better? I doubt it.
Will it be better for my rotavator? Yes without a doubt, but is it needed. I use a Howard that’s over 50 years old and only replaced the engine (due to poor servicing by previous owner), oh and tines. I see howards still going strong with original Kohler engines.
Sharpening your tines will also mean you’ll need to replace them sooner.
New tines come sharpened? Probably as having a flat edge would be awful and sharpening is the easiest way to get a edge that you can bed the tine in with until it wears to its natural edge?
Finally. Farmers will sharpen mower blades and swap blunt blades on a combine Harvester and doing so leads to better results and less down time/work in the field. I have never heard I farmer sharpen his cultivator blades or swap them just cos they are blunt. The same for rotating hedge croppers which cut with very fast bludgeoning speed rather than needing very 2:29 sharp edges. When the bladed wear in they still do the job and farmers really don’t care for pretty hedges or have half a day required to sharpen them all.
Please, this isn’t a troll post, more food for thought. Hell, I’m going to experiment and sharpen my rotavator blades and actually see if there are any benefits. I’m just saying I’m sceptical I’ll do it again unless I have lots of roots in new ground. I must say if I hadn’t seen your video I would not of considered this, so thanks. I probably won’t be doing it all of the time, but I will be thinking “would it help?” now. Love your videos, they’re honest and I’ve learnt lots from you. Thanks for sharing! 😊
I borrowed my neighbor's rototiller to till my garden and after I used it I was sitting there looking at the tines and noticed the two outside was backwards on the wrong sides. I asked him if he had taken them off to sharpen them or something he said no that's how he got it from his dad . His dad bought it at an auction like that. He took the teller home and turn them around he said it works a lot better after he turned it around we had a pretty good laugh about it
I loved it when he said to his lady or his receptionist sharpen rototiller blades your dam self I was Lol at you both.
Sharpened the tynes on my very old Ariens tiller. Tried it yesterday. Saw no difference. I think it is because the soil is moist and soft. I'll have to wait till the ground drys out a bit and try again. They were not very dull to begin with. They are only 51 years old.
Great tip. I always thought everybody knew that, but looking at comments, you are going to save a lot of people a lot of work
Awesome tips Steve O. Another helpful nugget. Cheers 🍻 and Steve Out
Thank You...
Thanks Steve, now i have another sharpening job to get to. 🍻
Have fun!
Ha,ha,ha my garden already in and it's popping up already So your all way behind by weeks let's Go people 🙌
Most shovels come with a bevel on the front of the edge. So I've always sharpened them the. same way, instead of filing or grinding the back and creating a double bevel.
Steve I was experiencing the same problem the other day, sharpened my spade and wow, brilliant, great hack.
Thank You...
To answer her question on how long the sharpness of the tines will last, it depends on the soil, how much sand and rock is in the soil and what the silica count is in the sand or loose rock. The higher the silica count, the faster the cutting edge will wear. We deal a lot with this in heavy equipment and mining machines. Quarries with high silica will wear bucket cutting edges very quickly. You could have the same machine with the same cutting edge a mile away with lower silica in the rock and the cutting edges last longer.
I don't have a rotolling machine ghizmo but I liked the thumbnail 🙂
Thanks for the video Steve and April well done 👍 with the info. Take care of yourself and family and be Blessed ❤️❤️👍.
You're Welcome...
Thanks Steve and April.
You're Welcome...
Excellent point! It's easier on the rototiller operator! That is paramount. Those larger sized front tillers are like trying to tame a wild boar. It feels like you're aiming at the sky half the time. It's great if you need longer arms 😂
That lady(April) needs to be interviewing politicians in the US! Great follow-up questions(".... so what's the point"). Most interviews just "let it ride" with a single answer, be it BS or not.
I couldn't read your mind Steve but your eyes were dancing.
Nice job April!
Right on
I think both of you are pretty sharp! Good tip.
Thank You...
I never did this but its tiller time here in PA so I'm sharpening them today to try this
Good luck!
I love the whole good mechanic bad mechanic thing you are doing to prove the valid point. Sharp is best and dull sucks rocks. Question should be just how long and how hard to you wish to be working? Always work smarter not harder, your body will always thank you for it. I work for an older gentleman who's philosophy is always find an easier way and don't kill yourself doing something.he is always telling me to slow down, take it easy, and take five when your body tells you to.
Growing up our rotor tiller was the number two shovel and my mother had a big garden
I have a well used tiller attachment and looking at it I have determined it will not get sharpened. Those tines that were originally over an inch wide/thick now look like pencils. Would like to replace them but at about $10 apiece X 30 individual tines, not gonna happen at my age!! Maybe the PO sharpened them a lot, hard to believe they would wear that much although he had a large garden.
4 minutes in, I had the information I came for. Good content. 👍
I think there's two ways to look at the improvements from sharp tine, you get the same work done with less effort, or you put in the same effort and get more done. Improved efficiency is the bottom line.
Right on
Great video. The follow up questions were very helpful.
Thank You...
Efficiency is what it is all about. Nicely covered.
Thank You...
My Grandfather thought me growing up that if it had an edge on it when it was new, that it needed sharpening as it gets old. Hedgetrimers, an ex,a pick, a shovel, saw, file, drillbit, any blade, whatever. Good practice, still working for me. Anything you can do to make things easier, or easier on the equipment. Great video . Thanks
You're Welcome...
Just the information i needed, thank you Steve's boss and Steve :)
You're Welcome...
Great show,April and Steve work great together,. Seems like a good balance ❤ ,
Thank You...
I like your story😂 I like the good looking ladie with no hat!
Me too!
Great idea! I don’t have a Roto tiller but I have shovels I could sharpen.
Right on
Well that makes total sense. Like you said it'll work dull but it works better sharp. Point taken!
Right on
Yep, I'll take those tips. Sounds good to me. Thanks guys👍
You're Welcome...
Steve if I lived closer I would bring my little John Deere tractor with the tiller on the back and I would till up that garden, for that pretty little lady of yours.
I don't do a lot of tilling but I'll sure sharpen my shovel from now on. Thanks 👍
Right on Buddy! You're Welcome...
Who knew! Good stuff guys keep up the golden gems of information! BTW love the new haircut!
Thank You...
It makes sense, we had a front Tyne tiller and that thing would buck up and down at a tough spot and go nowhere, then it would get a good bite and lurch forward! If you were not on your game it could get away from you. If the tynes were sharp I suppose it would have cut in easier.
Roots and weeds would also wrap round the shafts too.
Thank You...
For me the timing of this is so funny. My neighbor came over a few weeks ago to see what all the noise was. I had my tiny Sthil tiller out working on a 75 foot by 15 foot patch of yard that needed reseeded due to a water main issue. I had all summer to play with the little tiller. He said put that thing away and I'll use my big front tine tiller. Well, between the drought and the clay soil he wasn't getting very far. I watched him for a bit and I desperately wanted to sharpen the tines on his tiller so they would bite into the soil better.
His wife is a petro-chemist and she had me water in Dawn dish soap to help break up the clay and oils from the years of decaying grass and leaves. Amazingly, this made a big difference tilling wise. I still wanted to sharpen the tines though🤭.
I thought everybody knew to sharpen their tools and spray them down with wd 40 as part of their routine maintenance. It makes a huge difference.
Excellent
Agreed!
0:58 That long handled spade is what us Brits call a WestCountry shovel, invented around 3,000-1,000 BC. It can be used either as a shovel (movin stuff) or a spade (digging).
That’s great advice and it makes sense! I’ll have to remember to sharpen my shovel 😁!
Right on
A sharp tool is a happy tool
Good Job April!!!!
Yes ,Out of budget and necessity decades ago,, I discovered that sharpening the tunes worked well ,,
Good points! Thanks Steve
You're Welcome...
well i can certainly tell this may reduce a good bit of resistance with my pto driven cultivator. i have to travel pretty slow with my tractor (Challenger MT265B) so sharper blades may allow me to move a little quicker. that alone makes it worth a try.
Agreed!
Excellent video. Yes you need to sharpen the tines. Dull tines are just like a dull knife, saw, or any other cutting tool.
Right on
I thought I was surfing youtube way too much, watching rototiller sharpening. Then she mentioned sod. Last year I tilled 8x12 foot sod, it took forever with tiller. This gives me an excuse to use the grinder. Why not, what else am I doing today, surfing youtube?
Thanks, guys!
April, awesome thumbnail pic! 👏🏼👏🏼
You're Welcome...
Just like an ax used for splitting or one used for cutting, you sharpen them differently. You don't wans a razor edge on a tiller or a splitting ax because it's more fragile. A blunter edge does a better job for tilling and splitting axes because they act more as wedges and require more meat behind the edge. Furthermore they will work more efficiently for longer if they are sharpened correctly.
Another Brilliant Info
April's Small Engine Saloon
Is Awesome Richard.
Thank You...
I flipped the tines left to right on my 50+ year old tiller. Now it digs like mad, instead of slicing. Not a good idea for new soil though ;-)
My tillers owners manual shows you the angle and area to sharpen the tines and how much they can be sharpened before they need replacing. It's an old tiller though, I guess a lot of new ones just want to you replace them when they get dull and no longer offer this information.
Cool!
My Dad used to weld hay mower teeth on his tiller tines. Worked great.
Steve is always the sharpest tool. Super smart to have beautiful in the thumbnail pic! Many more clicks, for sure!
Right on
I've learned something new today, thanks
You're Welcome...
I always sharpen my tiller ,there's always nicks and roots and a inspection for worn out parts that may need to be repaired or replaced
Been sharpening mine for years. Think of this. sharpened tines slice thru the soil and ones that aren't chop thru it. You can tell the difference in vibration.
Right on
Guys, I don't have a tiller but I do sharpen my mower blades after every use. I mow acres for fire break and it isn't a lawn! It's pretty raw land and weeds. I hit a lot of small deadfall that we miss, we pick up all the crap before the weeds get too high. I also cut buck brush on the mower, it is about 1/4 inch thick. I figure a tiller is about the same thing only worse.
This shouldn't be a controversial topic. When new the times are sharp, by using the tines become dull and you should be sharpening them to restore them to factory settings. We sharpen all other blades like our kitchen knives, lawn mower blades, chainsaw....only makes sense we should do the shovel and tiller as well. The tiller will work if you do not do it same as a lawn mower, just that if you wish to be as efficient as possible and get the job done quicker and better then put it on your maintenance sheet once a year.
If you really use the equipment a lot you can inspect from time to time and come out with a rule of thumb on how many hours before sharpening, somewhat dependant on soil conditions however many do number of hours on their lawn mower blades and that is a rule that is easy to follow. As a homeowner i only do my lawn mower blade 3 times a season, for a commercial person he would do based upon hours of operation maybe 2 or 3 times a week or 20 hours or so.
Thanks for the information great idea 😊.
You're Welcome...
Great tip, Thanks👍🏻
You're Welcome...
Awesome awesome advice guys. Thanks
You're Welcome...
The only tiller we have is one of those ol' 'Click-Link' type attachments for the 4-stroke string trimmer.
They're nice for weeding/ dressing up the flower beds, but they're so under powered that they could use all the help they can get.
I really hate to admit that sharpening it never even dawned on me 🤦♀
Keep up the great work, you two! Oh, and thanks!
Right on
Great tip. Less fuel used is a bonus too.
Agreed!
👍Good stuff as always. Thx guys.
You're Welcome...
Nice.
Good suggestion, I'll definitely try this. And by the way April is beautiful. Thanks
Agreed!
Great info .... thank you..... How about snowblowers.... do you think it would help to sharpen them?...... Keep up the great work my friend 👍
Never sharpened the blades on my rear tine tiller. We till in our compost every other year so the tiller goes through the ground pretty good. The clay has turned to black dirt so it's pretty easy. I guess if you initially want to till some ground in soil with tree roots I'd sharpen them. I'm gonna need to replace all my tines soon too. I wonder if sharpening them would make them last a shorter amount of time.
What's important is the actual width left of the tines....as important as the sharpness. TroyBilt for example, used to show in their original lit, used tines against new tines; what is the acceptable wear shape /pattern and when to pitch them.