Rebuilding the heavier old machine might still be a savings over buying the little lightweight one. The new, larger ones start around $750.

That's a great idea, retilling an area several times over the course of a couple of weeks. (That's the kind of thing that makes me want to slap my forehead and say "Duh!"--I haven't had access to a tiller for long enough to think of that--I most often have slowly but surely hand dug garden plots and simply pulled out all of the weeds and roots, so that once over was all it needed.) I'm putting in a new long strip beside my driveway because the dogs have taken over the old spot in the back yard).

Bermuda grass is the plague of every gardener who comes across it. It creeps into your garden, buries its roots deep and breaks off when you try to pull it out (that's why so many of us can be found bent over in our yards a few hours after a good rain, pulling out the Bermuda as fast as we can!) This or this is as close as I can find to the posture--it kills your back after a while. A search for yard art figures didn't come up with the type I've seen on occasion, a plywood cutout of the posterior of a plump gardener, bent over weeding. I should get one of those!

SRS