For the initial tilling, it might make more sense to have it done by somebody with a big machine?
Something similar to the link-
http://corvallis.craigslist.org/grd/575990379.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

rbig,

If there are rocks in your soil, that is going to be a problem, especially for rear-tined tillers. Any tiller that has a high tine speed, including the little Mantis tillers, is affected badly by an encounter with a rock.

Our soil has quite a few rocks, so I use a mid-tined Merry Tiller with a triple reduction transmission and a dual V-belt clutch for controllable low tine speed and extra high tine torque. By feathering the clutch, I can just roll out some surprisingly big rocks. But even an encounter with a large rock doesn't hurt me or the tiller. I just shut the Merry Tiller down and dig the rock out with hand tools.

I have quite an extensive rock pile that I have dug out of our garden over the years. This property slopes, so I am going to use those rocks as the base for an extension to our main garden terrace.

Somehow our soil seems to "hatch" some new rocks each year. Maybe the soil heaving that occurs during our cold Maine winters has something to do with that.

MM

+1 on hiring the initial tilling. Depending on what your soil is like will determine what your "maintenance" tiller would be like. If you are unsure, look around your community for other gardeners. They will be able to help you determine the size and type of tiller you'll need to maintain a garden the size you are thinking of.

Buying a tiller probably isn`t the best solution for a church. Who will use and maintain it? One person or everyone?.....afterall, who rightfully owns it? I can see problems and misuse brewing on the horizon.

I`d hire out the initial soil prep to someone with a real tractor and 3ph tiller or plow and then annually rent a tiller for the seasonal soil prep. This will save you from storing and maintaining the machine as well as the initial cash outlay. Roto tillers have a tendency to sit around alot.

I also care for the property at my church about 10 acres.
I would rent a large tiller (7-10 hp) preferably rear tine, for breaking the ground up. The trick is to set the depth shallow for the first time over progresively getting deeper until you get to full depth. I would want a few people following to pick up or dig out rocks you find. A smaller one would do for the rest of the season. If you are doing rows a 3-5 hp would probably due and could also be used in flower beds etc. around the church. You would probably want to rent the large one each spring to get it started.