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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

DH says I should be more specific..
The rock jamming causes the tine shaft to move axially against the 
bearings, making egg shaped, gouged bearings, transmitting a shock to 
the metal gears and chain back to the engine which repeatedly stalls and 
shuts off the engine with every rock jam.  We were just wondering about 
front tines because without the shielding, the rocks don't get stuck and 
the bouncing, while rough on the operator, protects the tiller itself. 
I want a new tiller, but I want one that lasts more than two years. I am 
a fan of no-till, but there is, IMO, always a use for a tiller on the 
homestead to remove sod and create new beds.   It's not that we haven't 
had quality tillers, either.  You know,  I learned to till using a front 
tine tiller-it is all we had when I was growing up, and I don't think we 
ever even had the thing in the shop, let alone replaced it.  Around 
here, no one has a tiller-gardens are plowed with tractors.

Two lawn tractors ago, we had a Murray that came with a Moldboard plow. 
 It was great, and I still have the plow, but no way to use it.

EarthNSky wrote:
> Both rear tine tillers we have had had counter-rotating tines and the 
> rocks jamming in there repeatedly is rough on the bearings.  Bearings 
> break after a certain period of time--- no tiller.  They seem to last 
> about 2 years here, even though I remove the rocks as I find them.
> Perhaps our rocks are larger?
>
>
> Don Bowen wrote:
> > > I realize that rear tine tillers are easier to walk through, but would a
> > > front tine tiller be better in soil where rocks are present
> > Having used both in extremely rocky Spokane Valley soil I can say without
> > hesitation, front tine tillers are very difficult to use in very rocky
> > conditions.  The tiller tends to bounce and the handles do a good job of
> > beating the operator.
> >
> > Rear tines still bounce but not nearly as much and are much easier on the
> > operator.  I never had one catch a rock in such a way as to destroy the
> > tiller.
> >
> > Don Bowen  KI6DIU
> > http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

--
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will 
not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius 
will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the 
world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone 
are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve 
the problems of the human race"

~ Calvin Coolidge