what's your preferred way to remove grass from tiller tines?

[elf]

Anyone got a favorite way or tool they use to remove the long grass and roots that wind around rototiller tines when tilling newground? Seems I spent more time under the tiller than behind it today.

 

[beavis]

sharp knife

 

[Ridgerunner]

For your specific question, I agree. A knife if I can't just pull them off by hand.

New ground can be tough. My tiller is not as strong as some (A Cub Cadet), so I usually turn the ground with a shovel, which buries a lot of the grass and weeds and gets them out of the way, plus it adds organic matter. Then, before those dirt clods of clay I always create have time to dry and bake rock hard, I run the tiller over it to break them up and level the ground out. With my tiller and soils, I get less frustrated using this system than just trying to bust it up with the tiller. Turning it with a shovel is not fast or easy, but neither is using a tiller. Your soils type or other conditions may be different and tilling may be your best option, but I thought I'd just mention this one.

Good luck. Either way, you won't be needing ot go to the gym anytime soon.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I use a very sharp putty knife and a little hammer. I tap the knife through the main parts just cutting them in half and then can cut the little peices off after I get the majority out of the way.

 

[elf]

ok, I'll try that! And also looking for my sharper knife. And needlenose pliers. Seems like there'd be some kind of palm-sized mini-bush ax hook thing sold for this purpose somewhere. I know hand digging is prob. best, but I'm a scrawny 55 yr. old elfwoman with all warranties off, so I'm into tools. Preferably with keys.

 

[hoodat]

ok, I'll try that! And also looking for my sharper knife. And needlenose pliers. Seems like there'd be some kind of palm-sized mini-bush ax hook thing sold for this purpose somewhere. I know hand digging is prob. best, but I'm a scrawny 55 yr. old elfwoman with all warranties off, so I'm into tools. Preferably with keys.

In Oklahome I cleaned barns for the manure and sometimes plastic baler twine would sneak in with the manure. You think grass is tough, try getting that stuff off the tines.

 

[patandchickens]

Long pointy stick, kind of curved. It lives in the garage, propped next to the other (more flattened) stick that DH uses to clean the lawnmower

Pat

 

[ducks4you]

I agree with Pat about the stick. IF you can finish the tilling job, THEN wait to clean the tines, do that, because it will all dry out and will be easier to clean up. ALSO, if your tiller goes backwards, then doing that will often remove some of the stuff that gets stuck. Honestly, though, the BEST thing to do is to mow before you break up soil, and/or prepare the soil by digging some of it with a shovel first, AND try hard NOT to till where you have laid down compost, because it WILL clog your tines! Take it from the duck, who almost ALWAYS learns lessons the hard way!!