Solar power in an allotment shed?

JodyBPM

Its a brand new allotment site, so simply a turfed field, and we need to dig all the beds in from scratch. We have an electric rotivator which we would like to use, which is why we would like power.

I guess our choices are to spend out on a generator(which does bother me due to the noise and spewing out fumes all over our soil and crops), or to do it by hand (which is very, very hard work as its clay soil!), unless anyone else has any suggestions?

penrhyn

I would club together with a few other allotment owners and hire a petrol driven Rotavator to do the initial rough work.
I suspect an electric Rotavator would not cope with the job.

grahamc2003

JodyBPM wrote: »

Its a brand new allotment site, so simply a turfed field, and we need to dig all the beds in from scratch. We have an electric rotivator which we would like to use, which is why we would like power.

I guess our choices are to spend out on a generator(which does bother me due to the noise and spewing out fumes all over our soil and crops), or to do it by hand (which is very, very hard work as its clay soil!), unless anyone else has any suggestions?

No chance with any electric 'rotovators' I've seen. Mainly, they are tillers, which will, on a good day, break up decent sized lumps into a fine tilth. Even the petorl rotavtors/tillers widely advertised are only 1.5hp iirc, aren't up to your job - I have a 2.5hp one, and that can't dig into the ground. I'd say you need at least a 5hp, and probably an 8/10hp, which is getting expensive. In your situation, my serious suggestion is to get together with other holders and hire in a man and a tractor to turnover the lot, then use a tiller on that.