in the dirt, tools, urban plot
Grillo Tractor – Berta Rotary Plow
12
Jul
Jul
Yesterday, we awoke at 4 am to drive to Earth Tools in Kentucky and pick up a Grillo Tractor (similar to a BCS 2-wheeled tractor) with Berta Rotary Plow attachment….yes, we might be crazy….big kudos to spinkbickle for tirelessly researching the internet, blogs and calling Joel – the man behind Earth Tools and the true expert in this field! got questions, talk to Joel…or leave us a comment and we’ll gladly share our experience so far.
today, that trek seems to be time and money well-spent considering the outcome of the machine. what would have taken days to accomplish, takes hours when you have the right tools:) proper tools make all the difference. see below for pictures of the tractor and its impressive work!
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On your grillo what engine do you get?
Also when you use the rotary plow does it dry out the soil since it goes so deep.
I find when I use my roto tiller it tends to make ahard layer 6-8 inches down.
our grillo has an 11hp honda gas engine. i’ve read about a hard pan later developing with a rototiller/ we are purchasing the rototiller attachment for use this season. my plan is not “not overuse it”, but i’m not exactly sure what that means, but i will continue to post about our experiences.
i have not had a problem with the soil drying out per se. last summer i was able to plow our small plot, then finish with a tiller i was borrowing, and planted our alfalfa without additional irrigation. that’s all the experience i have so far. it seem to me, for primary tillage on a small farm (< 5 acres), the rotary plow is indispensable.
thanks for the comment
eric
Very cool! I’m considering getting one of these for my 2-acre plot. Do you think that amount of land is workable with a walking tractor? Was it easy to use?
Our experience is with a sub-acre lot, but I think the Grillo would be a perfect match for 2 acres. It is fairly easy to use and does a great job dislodging rocks (of all sizes!) and primary tillage of fields. If you are able to test it out prior to purchasing, I highly recommend it. That way you’ll get a feel for how it works and whether it’s manageable for you. Good luck!
Hi, now that you have had your Grillo for several years do you still like it? Why did you pick it over a BCS? Have you gotten a tiller for it yet?
I do like the Grillo. We purchased it over the BCS because it was less expensive. I’ve never used a BCS but just looking at them at shows I would probably pay the extra next time. We do have the roto-tiller I used it last year pretty extensively for bed preparation, but I’m going to try to use it less this year and prepare the beds by hand, at least, that’s the plan.
Is there a reason why you now would prefer the BCS over the Grillo. I am looking to purchase the Grillo again for the price?
I also purchased the Grillo because it was cheaper and it’s a fine two wheel tractor. I’ve only used it with the Berta rotary and the rototiller attachments. It performs adequately enough, but the BSC’s that I’ve been around seem to have a better set of controls and just overall slicker and smoother. Spending that much money, I wish today that I had spend the extra, or just never looked at a BSC. You can take that for whatever it’s worth, I do like my Grillo, I just think I would have liked a BSC more.