What Size Of Tiller Is Best For You?

Due to the unseasonably warm weather here in Utah, many of us have started to think about getting our gardens ready for spring.  Many of us have gardens both large and small, and yards that are waiting to be cultivated.  It’s important to pick the correct tiller for the job, but it’s also important to understand what size of tiller will be best for your particular project.

When thinking of what type of tiller you will need, think about the size of your garden.  A small garden is considered to be less than 1,500 square feet, a medium garden ranges from 1,500 square feet to 5,000 square feet, and a large garden is anything over 5,000 square feet.  Another consideration is based on the type of garden soil you are dealing with, as well as the size of the gardener! 

Typically, a small garden can be managed by a mini-tiller.  Mini-tillers range in price from $200 to $350.  A medium-sized garden is manageable with a 5 to 6-horsepower front-tined tiller, which range in price from $500 to $800.  Large gardens require at least a 6-horsepower rear-tined tiller, which can run from $800 to $2,000.

If the soil in your garden is very hard or rocky, a mini-tiller will often be underpowered to perform admirably, usually requiring a larger 4 to 6-horsepower tiller.  Keep in mind that if you are looking to till your entire yard, you won’t be able to get by with a mini-tiller either.  A large rear-tined tiller will typically work best when you are covering a large area, and the abundance of room to maneuver will be important. 

There are other cons  Front-tined machines are a little more difficult to manage, but that difficulty is offset by the lighter weight of the machine.  Rear-tined machines are a bit easier to use, due to their increased power, but they are more expensive and take up a great deal of space in your shed or garage. 

iderations when you look at what type of tiller would be more effective for you.

Crowell’s Flying Wrench offers tiller repair in Salt LakeCity, UT for any type of tiller.  Our mobile service will come to you anywhere in Salt Lake County or Park City, and our professional staff will quickly get your tiller running at full speed again.  Give us a call today to see what we can do for you!

By: Kyson Crowell

Lets Talk About Trimmers

Most of the posts so far have focused on lawnmowers, but it could be argued that the weed trimmer is just as important when it comes to your lawn-care arsenal. Sure, the mower does most of the work; but every homeowner knows that the devil is in the details when it comes to the silent competition between neighbors for best lawn. You’re done for if you don’t clean up the edges, and a trimmer is the best way to do it. But how do you know what kind of weed trimmer to get? Use this guide to determine which type is best for your application and if you have a trimmer and are struggling to get it to work and are watching those edges keep growing check out are great tiller service in Salt lake City UT. 

Curved-Shaft Trimmers

Curved-shaft trimmers are among the most popular because they are generally lightweight and easy to use. They get their name because of the bend in the shaft toward the cutting head. This bend brings the cutting head closer to the operator, which makes it a little easier to handle for detail work and getting at those tricky spots. Because of the bend in the shaft, these trimmers are driven by a flexible cable that runs from the motor to the cutting head. The flexible nature of this cable limits the amount of power that can be applied from the engine, as too powerful of a motor would cause it to break. That said, these machines are more than capable of handling the vast majority of jobs in a suburban setting.

Traight-Shaft Trimmers

Straight-shaft trimmers are most commonly used for industrial uses, or by those with particularly large jobs. Rather than the flexible drive cable used in curved-shaft trimmers, these have a rigid drive shaft. This results in increased durability and power transfer from the motor. This means that more powerful motors can be used. While the straight shaft allows for more power, it also means that the cutting head is further from the operator. This can make getting a level cut slightly more difficult for the inexperienced. These also tend to be heavier than their curved-shaft counterparts.

Rolling Trimmers

Rolling trimmers are a slightly newer development in the lawn-care industry. These machines look like a mix between a standard push mower and a string trimmer. Their rolling platform allows for larger and much more powerful engines along with a wider cutting radius. Unfortunately, their minimum cutting heights are relatively high when compared to most lawn mowers, making them essentially useless for all but the most niche projects.

At the end of the day, the type of trimmer you get depends entirely upon how you intend to use it. Curved-shaft trimmers are perfect for most residential uses because of their light weight and maneuverability. Straight-shaft trimmers are great for larger projects and industrial uses because of the increase in power and length of the drive shaft. Rolling trimmers are useful for some specific applications, but most people have no need for them. Consider these tips before you buy and you’re sure to end up with a machine that is perfect for you.

By: Kyson Crowell

Mulching vrs Bagging

As a mobile small engine repair provider in Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas, I get the opportunity to meet with a lot of different clients at places all around the valley. Over the years, I’ve heard many of the same questions over and over again. One of the most common things I am asked is whether or not bagging grass clippings is better than mulching. Like most things involving small engines, the answer is, “It depends.”

The question of mulching vs bagging has been around ever since the first mulching systems were introduced to the market. While the old-school opinion seems to be overwhelmingly in support of bagging, mulching systems have definite advantages when used in the right settings.

Mulching is a great way to recycle your grass clippings, and return some nutrients to the soil. They do this by chopping the grass into tiny pieces before spreading it out behind the mower. This is great for your lawn as it adds a little bit of natural fertilizer to the grass each time you mow it. Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about the hassle of filling bag after bag with your clippings, then hauling them off to be composted.

While the convenience of mulching is enough to convince many people to ditch the bag, not all situations are prime for mulching. For example, in early spring the grass retains a lot of moisture in its blades. When you try to mulch this wet, heavy grass it can clump up and bog down the mower. In addition to being unsightly, the clumps of wet grass prevent the mulch from being evenly distributed along the lawn. During the dog days of summer, however, your grass will be much drier and should mulch just fine. Go ahead and go without the bag on these days and save your energy for other yard projects.

Bagging has its own special application, even outside of the circumstances listed above. As any old-timer will tell you, bagging looks nicer. That’s because you’re cleaning up the clippings as you go. If you are concerned about aesthetics for some reason (Maybe you’ve got a backyard wedding, or garden party coming up? Or maybe this is a commercial application) bags are the way to go. It might take a little extra time, but you’ll reap the rewards of your labor while walking barefoot in that country club style yard carpet.

So there you have it. Whether you choose to bag or mulch should depend on a number of variables including, but not limited to: the time of year, the length of the lawn, and whether or not aesthetics are a major concern. Beyond that, it just boils down to your level of dealing with bags upon bags of grass clippings.

By: Kyson Crowell

You Ever Wondered Who Is The Best?

So that old mower you have been using has finally kicked the bucket? It’s not the mower’s fault; after
all, it made it through countless summers of unrelenting punishment. From those days when you
forced it through slightly damp grass because you had a tee-time to get to, to the triple digit temps it
weathered during the dog days of summer, that machine has had quite the run. It is time to retire it with
the honor it deserves. So now it’s time to replace it, but your old machine has set the bar pretty high.
We’ve all heard that they don’t make things quite like they used to – how can you be sure to choose a
mower that will pick up where its predecessor left off? Is there a brand, or list of brands that stands out
above the rest?

There are as many small engine manufacturers as there are stars in the sky, but one brand – Briggs &
Stratton – is almost universally considered to be the best. Their product line includes engines for push
mowers, riding mowers, snow blowers, and even generators. Their engines are so prevalent that they
can be found on nearly all major brands of lawn mowers and yard equipment. We recommend at least
190 CCs to ensure you have enough power for adverse conditions, but much of the rest just boils down to comfort and preference.

Husqvarna got their start producing weapons for the Swedish Army, but have gone on to become
the world’s largest producer of outdoor power equipment, including lawn mowers and other yard
equipment. Their position at the top is no accident; a quick look online shows that they receive
overwhelmingly positive reviews. Many Husqvarna mowers come with the aforementioned Briggs &
Stratton Engines, but there are options available with Honda or Kohler engines as well.

Maybe you’re more of the ‘local first’ type and would prefer a domestic brand. If so, you really can’t go wrong with John Deere. Based out of Illinois, these iconic, green machines are about as American as it
gets. There is a reason you see a lot of old John Deere tractors in rural areas; these things are truly built
to last. And while they are mostly known for large agricultural machinery like harvesters, combines, and tractors, their riding and push mowers are built with the same attention commitment to quality.

While Briggs & Stratton have certainly made their mark on the small engine industry, and big companies like Husqvarna and Deere have developed a significant amount of brand loyalty among the general population, one should not interpret that to mean that they are the only options. There are plenty of other companies out there producing high quality machinery that is built to last including: Honda, Troy-Bilt and Toro. Unless you are using your machine for commercial applications, or in a particularly harsh environment, you should have no trouble finding a mower that fits your needs. The best thing to do is head out to your nearest small engine dealer and chat with them about the nature of your mowing and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

By: Kyson Crowell