Maybe someone else does but I don't know of any tiller designed to work in rocks. Even if you started picking them,if you live in a northern area,the frost will keep pushing them up. 10,000 sq ft is a lot of area. Would cost a lot but the only suggestion I have is to go to raised beds and have topsoil hauled in. 1" minus rock is good for the garden but the larger ones will always be a problem.
Mike

Steve,

I don't know that your rocky situation is suitable for a rototiller or that your budget is sufficient for a tiller that could handle your rocks. I use a mid-tined Merry Tiller and its dual V-belt clutch, triple reduction transmission, very high tine torque and slow tine speed allow me to cope with our rocky soil here in Maine. Some relevant discussion occurred in the which brand of tiller? message thread. If you do a forum search for Merry Tiller you will get a lot of "hits". The top-of-the line Merry Tiller costs about $1500 or more, depending on the engine option and optional equipment, so it may be unsuitable for your budget. I really like my Merry Tiller International model.

MM

Mike, that would be a lot of topsoil for 10,000+ sq ft. There's a rock pile close by where a farmer from earlier days tossed rock pulled from the ground. It would be hard to know this today except by that rock pile monument to his hard work.

The slow tine speed sounds like an important feature for rocky ground, MM. I remember the Merry Tillers from the 1950's. Not sure if that brand is sold here. I am probably not all that far from Mla2ofus - z3 ID. This rocky garden is right on the WA/ID border. I've been told by people from New England that the soil looks quite a bit like what they have to work with.

I'm not sold on the rear tine tillers just in & of themselves. I had a 5 hp front tine before this one and, altho' a younger man, I got a lot of good work out of it. Mid tine may make sense. I see that there is a Merry tiller distributor down in Oregon, ScotsCo. It would be a simple thing to call and ask about a local dealer. Hope there is one - I'll let you know.

It also occurs to me that if they sell to rental places, I might be able to rent one, try it, and maybe even buy it. That could really work out well for the bank account but I'd really like to be all set for the 2008 gardening season.

Thanks for the help.

Steve

We're about 600 mi apart but I know the area you live in. I used to live in NE Wa. There's old homes in that area built of that rock. Go talk to local farmers to see how they deal w/ them.
Mike

I used to work for a couple of those farmers, Mike. A very prosperous one claimed his best soil was in his rockiest ground. Cultivation was a b...., but if he could adequately prepare the soil and get it seeded - that's where his best crops came from. Kinda like life for most of us.

The guy who tills in the Spring is a retired farmer with a little Kubota and a tiller attachment. He does a fairly good job but only get down 6-inches max - some areas less. Wish he could get a chisel plow in there . . .

Steve

Digit, Since you have someone with a real plow - see if you can have him use a rock picker. I've been told that using a plow and rock picker will get rid of a lot of the rocks for you. Also get a tiller that you can turn the tines so that it kicks the rocks out, instead of binding in the tines.

Digit, I used a Cub Cadet on similar sounding soil in Md. I had one mishap in two years where a larger than average rock got stuck between the blades and the frame. This broke the drive chain. i think you could till if your rocks were smaller than the "getting stuck" size. i toyed with modifying it to give more clearance but never did. John