Earthquake Tillers

Hi Bob,

Below is what I posted on May 11, 2003, hopefully their product has improved since then.

Hi All,

I recently bought a "Earthquake® Front-Tine Rototiller The Badger" at Mennards and I was very please with the first use. The tines, frame, kick plate are much heavier steel than the MTD models and I liked the 5.5 Briggs motor. It worked great, it was smooth, has large rear wheels, good balance, and plenty of power.

I tilled my entire garden without any problems. Then we had a couple of days of rain, after which I mowed the yard and spread the grass clippings in the garden. I decided to till in the grass since I had not planted. The tiller only ran about 8-10 minutes (about 44 ft) before the tine transmission over heated and locked up. The transmission is gear driven (not chain).

The damp dirt apparently holds in the heat more than the drier dirt. And thus I'd have to wait until the dirt was dry to till. I'm sure the damp dirt also increases the load on the tines, but not so much that it should lock up after a few minutes of use.

I don't like the MTD's, and did not want to spend the 600 plus for a new troy built, so I guess I'll just keep watching for a good used one (Troy Built, nothing comes close).

The Badger is going back, I even gave it a second chance with the same results. Just a design flaw I guess. If they came out with a chain driven one, I'd buy it in a second.

Cheers, Jim