turf stripper

Hi all,
has anyone any experience of these? Just wondering if it would be worth hiring one? Are they easy to use and would cut round circles?

 

Haven't used one but reports are that they can be a bit of a pain. The good ones are quite large and expensive, the 5hp petrol type that I've seen in hire centres got write-ups varying from difficult to use but reasonably effective to worse and slower than a turfing spade. If the soil is light it might be worth hiring one to strip a lawn but expect to tidy up afterwards.

Please let me know how you get on.

 

Thanks Jazid,
Think I'll go for the hard-work option of spade and sweat after all. :eek: Was having a crisis of confidence when faced with how much work I've got to do Popped into a hire place to look at one, put me off as I'm not very tall, not convinced that I'd be very good at keeping control of the thing. Especially with the slope of my garden and the lumps of granite in the soil.
Thanks for confirming that I've made the right decision. 2hours digging today and only managed a small patch. It's going to take a while :eek:

 

Think I'd do the same. Just think of your virtuous hard work as you sit with your feet up at the end of the day!

PS bit excited by the biscuit references..I'm a Waitrose triple nut shortbread fan.