Confessions of a tiller tinker: one collector's passion for garden grinders.

Farm Collector, April, 2003 by Zuck, Charlie

I was two years into a 20-year mortgage and didn't have a lot of extra cash in 1977, but I needed an inexpensive tiller to work my 5,000-square-foot garden. One day, I saw an advertisement for a 5-hp tiller on the board at work for only $75, and it was just what I needed.

Its enormous size and large, two-stroke engine surprised me when I set eyes on the machine. The price was right and it ran well, so I bought my first Rototiller: a 1947 Graham-Paige Model B1-6, better known as a Frazer Rototiller.

After a few minor repairs--including new tines--I tilled my garden. The machine's sound, especially when tilling deeply with a wide-open throttle, is unique. The engine doesn't have a governor, so the operator must be careful not to give it too much...