Einhell GC-MT 3036 Petrol Mini-Tiller

Brilliant Machine My only gripe is the instruction book is not clear enough. I am 69 and my first rotavator so wasn't sure how to use but very pleased.

Much Liked Second time I used it a bolt came out and broke the engine plinth. I replaced the bolt. I removed the engine to re-fit the drive belt. Only 6-bolts to remove from engine to chassis. I found this machine very easy to repair.

A good solid tool and I would certainly recommend this machine.

Great Well Made Rotavator. I found the assembly instructions OK and mainly followed the pictures. Assembly took about 1 hour including unpacking.

I have only just got around to using it, hence the late review, but I found it really good. I does tend to run away with you if you let it as the motor is quite powerful, but I am 64 so not as fit as I have been, and I am delighted how quickly it broke down a bed about 200 square metres ready for grass seed. It took about 1 hour in all but by hand would have taken a couple of days.

Great well built machine that starts on the button. 11/10

Good Machine Well Built It arrived boxed with easy assembly. It has a tough design and started right away. It dug a good depth of soil.

A Powerful Beast at a Very Reasonable Price This is a powerful machine and represents excellent value for money. It started first time and chewed up the ground very easily. Be aware that it is heavy to manoeuvre and is not too keen on slopes.

It is very solidly built. Described as 'German engineered', it was actually made in China, according to the box. Not that this is a problem. I guess the design and specs were produced in Germany. It certainly has German solidity.

My only complaints are to do with assembly. The English instructions are very unclear - among the worst I have come across and the diagrams/photos do not help. I was was able to make educated guesses as, fortunately, I have owned a number of petrol driven machines, but anybody new to them could well struggle, although I'm sure that the nice people at MowDirect would be able to help.

A few particular points on assembly etc. which might help others trying to get their machine going:-

1. The clip to fit the depth stop is not fit for purpose, as supplied. It is far too stiff and tight. Some judicious use of a hammer and heavyweight screwdriver will open the clip up a little, and it will then be possible to fit it to the machine, but, even so, a hammer/screwdriver/pliers will still be required to remove it to change the depth stop position.
2. The holes in the holder for the steering handles did not easily marry up with the threaded holes in engine unit and, to me, the bolts supplied to fit these parts together are not of very good quality. As a result, it would be easy to strip the thread from the bolts - I nearly did - so don't try to screw the bolts home until you are really confident that everything is lined up correctly.
3. The spanners supplied for assembly are barely adequate. Circular/ socket spanners make things a lot easier.
4. The throttle lever assembly is not explained. It was a matter of trial and error to see how these bits of plastic went together. Once they were married up so that they looked like the illustration, they needed to be dismantled again to put the end of the throttle cable in to the hole in the lever - best done with the lever turned to the 'off' position.
5. It is necessary to fiddle with the clutch cable adjuster to get the correct 'bite' on the clutch. I was only able to do this, once I had started up the engine, so I began with the adjuster in the middle and a fair bit of slack in the clutch cable, so that I could be sure that the clutch would not try to engage as soon as I started the machine.
6. A litre of engine oil was included in the parcel, which was a nice touch. However, there was no indication of roughly how much oil should be added. Once again it was trial and error and adding cold oil (which does not flow well) and checking the dipstick was a tedious business. In the end, I put in too much oil and had to drain a little off, once the engine had run for a few minutes, and the oil was warm.
7. Don't let the machine rest too much on one side, once the oil has been added. I did, while checking that the bolts were secure and some oil obviously got into the 'system', with the result that I had some trouble starting the engine again. However, it eventually started and now starts again first time, every time!

The reservations I have about assembly etc, do not detract from the fact that this is a very good and substantial machine and I expect it will give me many years of service.

Finally, full credit to MowDirect. Helpful with my initial enquiry, an informative website, easy online ordering, next day delivery and competitive prices, I am a very satisfied customer.

Superb Rotavator Now in my 5th year of use and second set of rota tines, it has never failed to start. It has cultivated my 12 pole allotment without fail, the engine sits directly over the tines enabling you to achieve maximum depth and balance. Drop the rear sprag to its lowest position and you will wonder how you managed without it.

Well Priced Work Horse Good: Easy to use. Starts first time every time. Good little work Horse and does what is says on the Tin

Poor: Started to blow oil from where the plastic filler tube meets the metal (an O ring had blown as the Fit was poor.) Once replaced and held together with some tape soon was tearing up the ground agan. Dread to think how long it would have taken by hand.

Fully recommended for the price and performance.

Really Good Value for Money I bought this to dig over a 10m2 allotment. I am reasonably bright but found assembling this baffling - however I say the same thing any time I assemble flat-pack furniture so I may just be incompetent. The instructions may just as well be written in Hindi, and there is no relationship between the numbers on the diagrams, and the numbers on the packets the bits come in. However there is a video on YouTube showing how to assemble it which was a lifesaver. The machine is identical to one from a different brand, so with some detective work you should be able to find the video.

Some tips:

1. It is really heavy and awkward to lift into a car. If you don't want to scratch your car, cover the engine and blades with a thick blanket or something as you lift it in.
2. If you are clearing a plot that has tall weeds like couch grass, strim it right down to the ground first, and rake the weeds away. This thing really hates weeds, string, metal pegs, wire, anything that can get caught in the motor and stop it turning. You'll save a lot of grief if you clear the plot first, pulling stuff out of the tines is a nightmare. When you hear a noise like a dying pig, its time to stop the machine and clear out the tines.
3. I couldn't get it started at first - make sure the petrol tap is on, and experiment with putting the speed lever (gears) in different positions as you pull the cord.
4. The first time I used it I took off down the allotment at an alarming speed; set it to slow. The handle which I thought was at a bad angle for pushing is actually at a good angle for pulling, which is what you want to do. You are basically trying to restrain the thing from moving too quickly rather than push it along.
5. It seemed to leak petrol when I put it on its side, which was annoying. Before you put it in the car, make sure the petrol cap is on properly and the petrol tap is off.

Overall I recommend this machine; I believe that once tamed, it is a friend for life.

Powerful Machine at a Bargain Price! As per others with this machine, assembly instructions could be better and the rear depth rod clip simply wont fit so needs replacing with some wire to hold it in place. Having said that, it starts first pull every time and after warming up runs smoothly and is very fuel efficient.

We bought the machine to "mince up" a huge pile of soil from a previously dug pond to turn it back into use after 10 years of settling. The pile was 4 feet high and mostly solid clay with added weeds. The machine is half way through the pile (est 25t) and it returns it to fine topsoil with ease. It's quite addictive, the mix produced could be used on Gardener's World! We are laying the product to make a large lawn and already the mix has grass growing in abundance.

It really is impressive. Very powerful and strong and I am sure will till for years. The belt drive slips when any large stones are encountered to save the cutters and the squeal is a perfect alarm to allow one to clear the obstruction.

All in all, a BARGAIN!!! Give it some hard work ASAP!

Beautifully Made and Astonishing Value for Money Really solid engineering and well finished. Assembly instructions were the best I have ever encountered - diagrams, photographs and written in proper English.

The tools supplied are good too. Of course it started first pull of the cord.

The only niggle is the R clip for altering the depth of the drag bar. It's almost impossible to shift by hand, but easy if you have a suitable tapered drift to ease it out. How this tiller can be produced for the price amazes me.

Poor performance - keeps stalling The tiller was a pain to assemble, the instructions aren't very clear and pictures poor. The tiller starts first time but stalls every minute.

MowDirect replaced the tiller and the replacement is just as bad, stalling every few minutes. You then have to leave it 1/2 hour to restart. They have offered to send another but I have run out of patience

Very good value, strong and robust. A robust machine, easy to start, appears to be able to tackle heavy soils well. Best when soil dug over first in autumn.

Assembly was OK, only need to fit handles, transport wheel and depth skid and add clutch and throttle to handles. All the main working parts come complete. Need to follow coloured sheet and notes in book.

The depth pin is too strong and I have replaced it with a loop of thick wire for easy adjustment. The plastic transport wheel is ok but a rubber one would be easier to push. I am very pleased with it and for the cost I think it is very good value.

Excellent Machine and Excellent Price Excellent price, excellent machine, excellent delivery, excellent customer service.

Only wish the instruction manual had a chapter written in English, the assembly would have been a lot easier and I would not have spent so long attempting to solve the dreaded throttle problem!!!!!!!!

Good machine Delivery was first class and very quick. Assembly instructions were not the best, especially the throttle assembly. Once assembled the machine started at the very first pull, very impressive. In work performance is very good on both clay and alluvial soils and provided a good tilth for cultivation. Would recommend to anyone.

Does the job for an excellent price Overall very happy with the mini-tiller. I needed a technically-minded neighbour to fathom the instructions which he did with no problems. The R-clip which holds the spring has fallen off a couple of times which is a bit of a worry if it decides to come off in the middle of the allotment. But, apart from those minor quibbles, it's a sturdy machine and does a first class job.

Excellent I think this is one of the best products I have ever used; well worth the money good on fuel consumption. Easy to put together and very good allround.

Great value for money Negatives:
1. Although some tools were supplied for assembly they did not fit all the nuts and bolts, so additional spanners were needed.
2. The R-clip fastener for the depth control is too strong to adjust by hand and needs pliers or similar.
3. There is no facility to rotate the handles to one side when working near obstructions such as fences and walls.

Positives:
1. The build quality seems good.
2. The engine starts easily and is fairly quiet.
3. The belt drive slips and squeals if the blades hit a major obstruction, so there is less chance of inadvertently breaking a tine.

Despite a few minor quibbles, this machine represents remarkable value for money and performed very well on my fairly heavy clay soil, producing a fine tilth quite quickly.

Powerful and robust The assembly instructions could have been a little clearer at times, but it was fairly easy to put together. Started first time and rapidly churned through the heavy clay soil of a new bed, readily mixing in compost until a granular consistency was achieved. Powerful and robust - a solid piece of German engineering - and simple to use. No reverse gear, so it needs to be pulled backwards fairly hard or stopped when executing 180 degree turns. The dead man's handle clutch stops the rotating hoes instantly. All in all a great piece of kit for the price.