[Cob] tiller cob and other machines

[Copper Harding]

David,

I expect some of what I say might be considered
heresey on this list, however, I'm of the theory that
using machines is great if you pick and choose your
"efficiency".  

So, tiller cob is great.  Use a front tined tiller,
chain drive.  I have a 4 tined one and might have
gotten away with a 2 tined little "mantis"  

I've never chopped my straw for it and haven't yet had
a problem.  I recommend watching how you "stage" your
water, sand, clay.  If you're ordering it in have them
dump near your site and lay the sand and clay right
next to eachother so you can have a mixing area in
between.  That means that you shovel a few shovelfuls
of sand over to the clay pile, spray it down and then
till.  

With only one person putting up cob I can till a batch
of cob that will take me 3 days (or so) to get
through.

Alternatively, if you have a large group of hands to
help you I recommend the method we use at work.  Rent
a tractor with PTO and rent a cattle feed mixer  (they
look like large blenders)  You can put anything in
them and get pounds and pounds of cob out.  But that's
overkill on anything less than 5 hands.  Where you
could continue with a tiller and just keep one person
on mixing duty every day.

Best of luck!!

:)

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