Back Injury = Digging Dilema Pt2

[Snadger]

One thing that all of us forget is that gardening is just as strenuous as running but you wouldn't dream of doing a marathon without warming up first so why try and dig a lottie

Is that what the tea pot's for NIc?!

[nick the grief]

Ohhh Yessss

[Alice]

Your back and your health comes first Snadger. I don't dig because I can't. I use containers and raised beds. That could be an idea for you.

[Snadger]

Your back and your health comes first Snadger. I don't dig because I can't. I use containers and raised beds. That could be an idea for you.

My OH is in a similar position to you Alice having had lower back surgery and now requiring upper back surgery.
I am an advocate of the no-dig philosophy,not because I can't dig, but because it makes sense and gives a better end result!
I am very careful with my back, even though my job entails a lot of very physical manual labour. I am well versed in kinetic's and won't compromise my back in any way.

[Peter]

Advice as requested.

Hope this helps, though it may go on a bit.

There are two types of rotovator available these days.
I fell qualified to comment as have two prolapsed discs in my back and I own and use each type.
Each has it's merits and demerits.
However most of Type one and all of Type two will need a van or a trailer to move from home to plot and are too valuable or stealable to leave in a site shed.

Type one.
This is the typical affordable (new) type, it has two or four rotors, these rotate forwards, as the wheels of a car going forwards. Control is typically achieved via a metal skid behind the rotors. To dig down, one presses the handles down to press/dig the skid into the ground. This is counter-intuitive and takes a bit of getting used to, you have to balance the forward motion "pull" of the rotors against lifting them so high that they do not cut any new crumbs from the solid. Lifting the handles puts the weight back on the digging rotors, but if you have got into a rut then you may have to lift the handles quite a bit and push to get out, imagine getting it up a good kerb. The knack is to use the skid as a multi-direction pivot and to nibble at the edge of any rut and then balance the machine as you eat away the edge of the rut and dig a ramp out.

Due to the rotation the balance of the machine rocks around, especially if you are using just two rotors as only one blade is in contact with the ground. Believe me on this. Put it on a hard surface and take a look, it will sit on two blades, but imagine them turning and you can see it will sit on one blade, fall onto the next, lever itself up, fall onto the next, etc, rocking from side to side as it goes. Four rotors improves the balance as it rocks less, it will still bounce off each blade onto the next though.

The Merry Tiller is a good second hand buy, especially the later ones. See http://www.allotment.org.uk/articles..._Rotovator.php for a better guide to useing this style of machine and see http://www.merrytiller.co.uk/ for details of this make/models.

Merry Tiller has a clutch and throttle, speed can also be adjusted (engine dead) by changing the pulley wheel pairing used.

Merits.
1/. Rotors are indestructible, imagine four blokes with good old mattocks chipping away.
2/. Will dig into the solid undug hertfordshire clay, provided it is not pottery class damp.
3/. Affordable.

Demerits.
1/. Wobbles and lurches un-predictably.
2/. Can dig ruts or scoots over the surface until you get the knack.
3/. Despite the handlebars offering "walk beside the dug bit" you cannot do this as it will start to crab and controlling it is ten times more difficult and needs ten times the muscle effort.
4/. Slower rotor speed means a coarser tilth.

Type two.
Power-driven wheels at the front and four rotors under a protective hood at the rear, also has a depth skid but musch less substantial than the MT type. Clutch and throttle, plus, usually, two forward, one reverse and rotor on/off selection. Available from hire shops and new but very expensive, the Camon brand is the most seen new, but Italian two-wheeled tractors are also available, secondhand the best known is the Howard.
The best compromise machine (in my opinion) is the Howard 350, 18" digging width, will fit through a shed door, adjusts in all sorts of ways and available frequently on e-bay, caveat emptor, at reasonable price typically the new price of MT type.
Howard GEM often available on ebay, but beware, these are huge machines, one will fill a transit van and weighs 500lb.
This type has one main fault, if the ground is too hard then the rotors combine with the drive wheels and launch you to the far horizon. You have to set it for a shallow digging depth, lean on the handlebars and aim to rotovate a 2" depth, then repeat as needed. To control the launch you have to lift the handlebars to lift the rotors off the ground, however this is difficult if it has surprised you, you and it are /-00 and heading to _-00 then _ -00, (get the picture?) and your leaning weight is taking weight off the wheels and putting it on the rotors amking it worse. Hard to lift when leaning/falling. So stay alert and lift in time, as well as ensuring you are not so ambitious in depth control that the skid might as well be removed.
One of my 350's has a kill switch plumbed in, this could be modified to a pull-out thingy on a cord like the new Camon dead-mans-handle mechanism.

Merits.
1/. Drive it to work.
2/. Shunt back and forth in tight spots.
3/. Absolutely minces soil, leaves it like pastry crumbs.
4/. Powerful and robust.
5/. Does not wobble.
6/. Easy to do the "don't walk on the dug bit" thing as it pulls itself along.
7/. Higher rotor speed means finer tilth.

Demerits.
1/. Complex, more to go wrong than an MT.
2/. Cannot cope with solid hard soil.
3/. Rotors are much thinner and do wear due to higher speed than type one.
4/. Launching tendancy.
5/. In easily dug soil it can rarely start to fall over sideways when one wheel is in the dug and on on the un-dug.

Oddity.
The Mantis, this is a Type one with a very high rotor speed, but is so light that control is easy, not very wide dig but my elderly plot neighbour does ten rod with his. Now available with Honda 4-stroke.

Overall points.
Before buying remember these are large, expensive, heavy, dirty, hard, oily rusty, bulky and heavy items. Nearness to plot or possession of a good strong and stable car towable trailer recommended.
To dig timing and weather are key factors, the soil water content and soil type are vital factors. I'm on clay, try it too wet it wont dig just clogs, try it too dry it wont dig, just bounces or launches.
Type one is : better on dry hard soil, cheaper, smaller and (Mantis aside) harder to control plus leaves a coarser tilth.
Type two is : more expensive, bigger, easier to control and gives a finer tilth.

If you have the space and wallet get one of each type and an american spade, as both types dig better through clods than solid.

A Mantis or one of the diddy Honda's are car-boot transportable, easy to store, control, lift.

Try before you buy.

Hiring a Camon for a day is £ reasonable.

A different magazine did a trial a few months ago.

Try and find an owner nearby who is willing to let you watch or try his machine in motion or who would even do your plot for suitable recompense.

Do please come back to me for further info if needed and my blog has some before-n-after shots of both types on my plot.

I'll shut up now.

[Peter]

......

I suggest getting someone to cover the allotment with something (old carpet, plastic etc.) and concentrate on getting your back better over winter with plenty of physio, Pilates and breast stroke swimming!

Absolutely the worst possible swimming stroke you could possibly choose. Well pehaps not, you could have said Butterfly!

Please for you own health, do NOT do breast-stroke if you have a back injury, the leg motion in this stroke is liable to do more damage.

Swim by all means as the body is supported and movement controlled, but use crawl or doggy paddle as they do not involve a convulsive movement.

[Marge]

Erm... my physio and doc told me to do breast stroke for sciatica because it was the most gentle. Also it creates a similar stretch to the 'cobra' exercise which I had to do loads of.

I tried back stroke and it hurt like hell, and front crawl was even worse because it twisted the spine so much.

Clearly take proper medical advice before doing any swimming

[WiZeR]

Peter, many thanks for that info. It has really helped. We have a rotorvator on the site and I think it is of the MT type as you described.

I am hoping to get the site rotorvated over xmas, but help is prving elusive. I might try to rope the allotment secretary in

I'm also going to lay out my cardboard, but I think all the muck has been used up onsite.

[nick the grief]

Type one.
This is the typical affordable (new) type, it has two or four rotors, these rotate forwards, as the wheels of a car going forwards. Control is typically achieved via a metal skid behind the rotors. To dig down, one presses the handles down to press/dig the skid into the ground. This is counter-intuitive and takes a bit of getting used to, you have to balance the forward motion "pull" of the rotors against lifting them so high that they do not cut any new crumbs from the solid. Lifting the handles puts the weight back on the digging rotors, but if you have got into a rut then you may have to lift the handles quite a bit and push to get out, imagine getting it up a good kerb. The knack is to use the skid as a multi-direction pivot and to nibble at the edge of any rut and then balance the machine as you eat away the edge of the rut and dig a ramp out.

Due to the rotation the balance of the machine rocks around, especially if you are using just two rotors as only one blade is in contact with the ground. Believe me on this. Put it on a hard surface and take a look, it will sit on two blades, but imagine them turning and you can see it will sit on one blade, fall onto the next, lever itself up, fall onto the next, etc, rocking from side to side as it goes. Four rotors improves the balance as it rocks less, it will still bounce off each blade onto the next though.

The Merry Tiller is a good second hand buy, especially the later ones. See http://www.allotment.org.uk/articles..._Rotovator.php for a better guide to useing this style of machine and see http://www.merrytiller.co.uk/ for details of this make/models.

Merry Tiller has a clutch and throttle, speed can also be adjusted (engine dead) by changing the pulley wheel pairing used.

Merits.
1/. Rotors are indestructible, imagine four blokes with good old mattocks chipping away.
2/. Will dig into the solid undug hertfordshire clay, provided it is not pottery class damp.
3/. Affordable.

Demerits.
1/. Wobbles and lurches un-predictably.
2/. Can dig ruts or scoots over the surface until you get the knack.
3/. Despite the handlebars offering "walk beside the dug bit" you cannot do this as it will start to crab and controlling it is ten times more difficult and needs ten times the muscle effort.
4/. Slower rotor speed means a coarser tilth.

Type two.
Power-driven wheels at the front and four rotors under a protective hood at the rear, also has a depth skid but musch less substantial than the MT type. Clutch and throttle, plus, usually, two forward, one reverse and rotor on/off selection. Available from hire shops and new but very expensive, the Camon brand is the most seen new, but Italian two-wheeled tractors are also available, secondhand the best known is the Howard.
The best compromise machine (in my opinion) is the Howard 350, 18" digging width, will fit through a shed door, adjusts in all sorts of ways and available frequently on e-bay, caveat emptor, at reasonable price typically the new price of MT type.
Howard GEM often available on ebay, but beware, these are huge machines, one will fill a transit van and weighs 500lb.
This type has one main fault, if the ground is too hard then the rotors combine with the drive wheels and launch you to the far horizon. You have to set it for a shallow digging depth, lean on the handlebars and aim to rotovate a 2" depth, then repeat as needed. To control the launch you have to lift the handlebars to lift the rotors off the ground, however this is difficult if it has surprised you, you and it are /-00 and heading to _-00 then _ -00, (get the picture?) and your leaning weight is taking weight off the wheels and putting it on the rotors amking it worse. Hard to lift when leaning/falling. So stay alert and lift in time, as well as ensuring you are not so ambitious in depth control that the skid might as well be removed.
One of my 350's has a kill switch plumbed in, this could be modified to a pull-out thingy on a cord like the new Camon dead-mans-handle mechanism.

Merits.
1/. Drive it to work.
2/. Shunt back and forth in tight spots.
3/. Absolutely minces soil, leaves it like pastry crumbs.
4/. Powerful and robust.
5/. Does not wobble.
6/. Easy to do the "don't walk on the dug bit" thing as it pulls itself along.
7/. Higher rotor speed means finer tilth.

Demerits.
1/. Complex, more to go wrong than an MT.
2/. Cannot cope with solid hard soil.
3/. Rotors are much thinner and do wear due to higher speed than type one.
4/. Launching tendancy.
5/. In easily dug soil it can rarely start to fall over sideways when one wheel is in the dug and on on the un-dug.

Oddity.
The Mantis, this is a Type one with a very high rotor speed, but is so light that control is easy, not very wide dig but my elderly plot neighbour does ten rod with his. Now available with Honda 4-stroke.

Overall points.
Before buying remember these are large, expensive, heavy, dirty, hard, oily rusty, bulky and heavy items. Nearness to plot or possession of a good strong and stable car towable trailer recommended.
To dig timing and weather are key factors, the soil water content and soil type are vital factors. I'm on clay, try it too wet it wont dig just clogs, try it too dry it wont dig, just bounces or launches.
Type one is : better on dry hard soil, cheaper, smaller and (Mantis aside) harder to control plus leaves a coarser tilth.
Type two is : more expensive, bigger, easier to control and gives a finer tilth.

If you have the space and wallet get one of each type and an american spade, as both types dig better through clods than solid.

A Mantis or one of the diddy Honda's are car-boot transportable, easy to store, control, lift.

Try before you buy.

Hiring a Camon for a day is £ reasonable.

A different magazine did a trial a few months ago.

Try and find an owner nearby who is willing to let you watch or try his machine in motion or who would even do your plot for suitable recompense.

Well done peter. I have to admit I thought you typed "Hire a Cannon for a day" I though bloody hell that must be hard ground Then I re-read it

[Stroppy scotte]

With regard to swimming. Try whichever stroke is more comfortable for you. As a rule if your back doesn't like bending, crawl is better; if twisting is a problem, breaststroke is better. Whichever, start slowly and build up gradually.

[Alice]

Absolutely brilliant Supersprout. Great looking lottie. And thanks for all that information. I don't dig either (can't) and am always looking for ways to improve the method so thanks again.

[andrewo]

Supersprout, good looking site, great work - I too have spinal damage and I unable to bend etc - I had to give up my site but wish I could have kept it on. Your site is inspiring. On another matter, rotivators do sound great but they do pull on the lower back and spine still and can cause damage. I too go for the no dig method, mulch like crazy and manure with manure every 3 years and use comfrey feed, chicken pellets and shredded comfrey every season. I then cover the beds in my garden over winter with plastic or if I have time plant green manures. I too found my disability a blessing, I have re-evaluated what I need and now have to be more creative in how I approacj gardening BUT I do come up with some great solutions.

[nick the grief]

........ BUT I do come up with some great solutions.

I think the phrase is Neccesity is the Mother of Invention Andrew