earthtoolsbcs.com sells them. I presume they have parts for them, but I would make sure you can readily get parts before getting something as rare in the U.S. as a Grillo.

Grillo is built in Italy by former BCS people. Apart from the g*d awful green paint, they are very similar and share some attachments like the sweeper although an adapter is needed.
They do have an interesting quirk. Unlike the BCS, the attachment runs backward when the tractor is in reverse. Their brush hog is far better than BCS as it has flails on a horizontal shaft which clean to ground level.

What will be the use of the tiller? Are you planning on breaking in 4 acres of land for a garden? Will the tiller be used to cultivate the 4 acres on a regular basis? Is so, look towards some tractor 3 point hitch mounted unit, not a walk behind.

I may not be understanding your post correctly, but if this is untilled soil, it will be hard on you, especially using a walk behind tiller. Additionally, 4 acres is a lot of garden for any walk behind.

Martha,

I agree with JTC. A 4-acre garden is a lot of work for any walk-behind tractor/tiller. If your land is reasonably level, you should consider a small riding tractor with a 3-point hitch.

MM

MaineMan and JTC and all; thankyou for your interest and commentary! I neglected to mention that we do have an old Case field tractor and 6 ft rotovator which does all the hard work of breaking up and tilling the soil making nice fluffy beds for planting. We need a walk behind rototiller to cultivate our sweet corn rows and in between plantings where we are not able to take our tractor. I'll be interested in hearing which tiller you think would be right for us. We are not planting and cultivating the whole 4 acres at any one time, mabe half at most.

I'd also check out Barreto. The are made in Oregon and are the preferred tiller in the rental industry. It is a monster machine and is all hydraulically controlled. You might be able to find a used one from a United Rental or other rental yard. I've never used one, but the local rental center near me has six. I'm in the market for a larger tiller myself and have looked at most of the major brands. The BCS is a very nice machine indeed, but really does not compare to the Barreto in terms of shear size or weight which are important in walk behind tillers. Might want to rent one and see how it performs for you.
Link to the manufacturer:
http://www.barretomfg.com

Yes, I certainly do as I have a new G85. I really hate disinformation, so let me help you with at least this model. First of all if you want to get the accurate history of BCS and Grillo call up Earth Tools and speak to Joel, the owner, who is 37 and has been in his family business since he was 12.

Briefly Grillo has been making walk-behind tillers from their beginnings where BCS was making sickle mowers. BCS decided that they wanted to explore expanding their line diversty and contacted Grillo, who was equally interested in adding sickle mowers to their line. They actually partnered up for a period, but eventually went their own ways but still have friendly ties with each other.

Another words, Grillo was never made by BCS, ever, nor was it owned by BCS. They began as separate companies from the "get go" and are still separate except for the instance mentioned above.

Grillo has been making fine tillers for a very long time and they basically have not changed for years. However, BCS is predicting to have some majour revamping of their tiller lines soon. They have already discontinued their 710 model that was replaced by the 712.

The Grillo tillers in this country are powered by different power plants than in the European market. I opted for the Vanguard/Briggs & Stratton 7.5hp engine. It is actually made in Japan by Mitsubishi and is a dead ringer for a Honda. The pull start even feels the same nas a Honda. From what I have heard and read, it is just about as good and has the same longevity as the Honda, but it is at least $400 less expensive.

The only reason that you might opt for the 9hp Honda rather than the 7.5hp Vanguard is if you might want to use some of the PTO accessories. Also, you will find that the Grillo is less expensive than similar BCS tillers.

Finally, the Grillo is very safe as well. I have no idea who told someone that the tiller tines rotate backwards when the Grillo is in reverse. You can't even engage the tiller tines whilst the tractor is running in reverse! As for the G*d awful green, I think that is a matter of taste. I happen to really like that bright neon green. It isn't the same old boring RED garden shop junk and it certainly doesn't look it.

I decided to get the Grillo after my old 26 year old Econo-Horse Troy-Built died. I would recommend a Grillo to anyone and everyone that could see fit to afford one. I really started out to purchase a BCS, but thanks to the honesty and integrity of Joel DuFour, at Earth Tools, I am so glad to have found the Grillo line.

I hope this has helped and developed a more accurate representation of Grillo tractors and impliments, as well as any confusion regarding BCS as well.

Regards

I was referring to the front mount broom attachment running in reverse when the machine is backed up. The Grillo pto runs off the transmission output shaft, BCS takes it off the input. You are right, the tiller attachment is locked out in reverse.

How do people find these posts that are over a year old? By the way, I stumbled upon a lightly used BCS 830 tiller not long after this was originally posted and have been very impressed with it ever since.

They find these things just like I did. They are interested in an item and do a web search. I happen to have used Google. When I saw this hit I clicked on it and read the comments. I then joined this forum and made my posting. Quite an easy answer to your query.

Tomatomaniac makes a good point. These forum messages aren't just visible to members of GardenWeb, but to everyone on the planet via search engines such as Google. When you post a message here you might be exposing your comments to a much wider audience than you might suppose.

MM

I'm starting a farm business in Washington and I have been looking at the Grillo 131 and also at the Goldoni 14 Lux 140. I need a powerful motor to drive the reciprocating spader I want. I also would ask about bio-diesel alternatives or if these diesels are convertable to bio-diesel. We grew Heirloom tomatos last year and found market for them at high end resturants. We also have a local grocer interested. I'm excited that people are again becoming concerned about sustainable practices and that many health minded people are joining in the effort to produce quality food that doesn't hurt the land.

I recently read an interesting article on biodiesel.According to it, a separate diesel tank is required for startup before switching. The engine needs to be switched back to straight diesel and run to flush the system before shutdown. Apparently, the bio fuel is hard on system components. A bulky system such as this would not be very practical on a walk behind unit.

Hey Canguy,

You're talking about diesel engine running on straight vegetable oil, not bio diesel. BioDiesel has the glycerin removed, making it more flowable than veggie oil. It still gels below 40 degrees and needs to be blended with No. 2 diesel then.

I am the owner of two Grillo's.I bought the first which is a Grillo 125 with a sickle bar mower attached as we have a small Fermette in the centre of France where we will be retiring to. We had a problem clearing the ground which is very fertile and every thing grows like nothing on earth, the machine is old but is superb it does the job very well. After finding out about the machine I found that there are all sorts of attachments so I bought the Rotary Tiller which is very good and have only used once on a friends garden which she wanted to turn from grass to a vegetable patch, it did the job quickly and with ease. The second machine is a 1986 Grillo mountain 4 rotary mower which has a 4speed gearbox the use of 3rd and 4th are not advisable unless you can sprint both forwards and in reverse, this machine has been well used before we got it but with a bit of TLC there is years of life left in it and a think Grillo still support both machines with spares. The Machine is not just a mower or rotovater but a power source that can be adapted to drive all sorts of implements such as pumps, snow blowers, snow ploughs,my current project is to get it to power a log splitter. Here in the UK Grilloagrigarden Ltd are the people to talk to and their sales manager John Priestley is very helpful. If you are looking for a good robust workhorse I can recommend the Grillo any day.