What Is a Garden Tiller?
A garden tiller also called a rototiller, is basically a farm plow with a motor. A garden tiller will lift up the soil and break apart dirt and weeds. It also turns over the soil and plants while aerating it. A garden tiller is powered using a gasoline or electric powered engine that powers tilling blades. Anyone who has gardening experience knows how difficult it is to break ground in a garden and to correctly manage and mix the soil over time. Manually tilling a garden is difficult, time-consuming, and hard on backs, especially as we all get older. Gardeners use a tiller in the fall to turn and mix plants into the ground to fertilize the soil and again in the spring to get the soil ready for planting.
After Many Hours of Research, Here Are the Best Garden Tillers of 2018
In the chart below, you will find our top ten rated garden tillers. For a more in-depth review of each model, please click on “Read Review.”
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Product Image |
Product Name |
Rating |
Review |
|---|---|---|---|
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GreenWorks 27072 8 Amp 10-Inch Corded Tiller |
4.3 out of 5 |
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Troy-Bilt TB146 EC 29cc 4-Cycle Cultivator with JumpStart Technology |
4.0 out of 5 |
|
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Remington RM4625 Homestead 25cc 2-Cycle Gas Garden Cultivator with Premium Tines |
4.3 out of 5 |
|
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Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SFTT142 Front Tine Tiller |
3.7 out of 5 |
|
|
Sun Joe TJ603E 16-Inch 12-Amp Electric Tiller and Cultivator |
4.6 out of 5 |
|
|
Earthwise TC70001 11-Inch 8.5-Amp Corded Electric Tiller/Cultivator |
4.6 out of 5 |
|
|
Earthquake MC43 Mini Cultivator Tiller – 43cc 2-Cycle Engine, 5 Year Warranty |
4.3 out of 5 |
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BLACK+DECKER LGC120 20V Lithium Ion Cordless Garden Cultivator/Tiller |
4.1 out of 5 |
|
|
Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Cultivator 7940 Powered by Honda |
4.5 out of 5 |
|
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YARDMAX YT5328 Compact Front Tine Tiller, 79cc |
4.4 out of 5 |
Top Test Best Garden Tillers of 2018
- GreenWorks 27072 8 Amp 10-Inch Corded Tiller
- Troy-Bilt TB146 EC 29cc 4-Cycle Cultivator with JumpStart Technology
- Remington RM4625 Homestead 25cc 2-Cycle Gas Garden Cultivator with Premium Tines
- Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SFTT142 Front Tine Tiller
- Sun Joe TJ603E 16-Inch 12-Amp Electric Tiller and Cultivator
- Earthwise TC70001 11-Inch 8.5-Amp Corded Electric Tiller/Cultivator
- Earthquake MC43 Mini Cultivator Tiller – 43cc 2-Cycle Engine, 5 Year Warranty
- BLACK+DECKER LGC120 20V Lithium Ion Cordless Garden Cultivator/Tiller
- Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Cultivator 7940 Powered by Honda
- YARDMAX YT5328 Compact Front Tine Tiller, 79cc
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Garden Tillers 101
There are two kinds of tiller models: front-tine tillers and rear-tine tillers. A rear-tine tiller can dig deeper than a front-tine tiller. A rear-line tiller is also more expensive. If you need serious gardening done on a large scale, we would suggest purchasing a rear-tine tiller. Additionally, there are electric and gas-operated tillers. Consider the power sources you have near your garden area. If an electric outlet is far away from the garden you will be tilling, you may want to consider purchasing a gasoline-powered tiller. Lithium-ion batteries can be used in place of a tiller with an electric cord. Gas-powered tillers are more durable, but also require more maintenance. Individual tiller models can also greatly vary in price. Think about what your gardening needs are as well as what you are willing to spend and can afford before shopping for your own garden tiller.
Things to Consider When Buying a Garden Tiller
When purchasing a garden tiller, think about the size of your garden, what type or how rough the terrain is in your garden, what needs to be tilled and cultivated, and how big of a tiller you can comfortably handle. Price may also factor into your consideration. The price range varies widely depending on whether the tiller model you purchase is a front-tine, rear-tine tiller, and whether each tiller is gas or electric powered.
Two Different Types of Tillers
The two basic types of tillers are rear-tine tillers and front-tine tillers. As the names suggest, a rear-tine tiller has blades placed behind the wheels while a front-tine tiller has blades placed in front of the wheels. A rear-tine tiller can dig deeper into a garden than the front-tine type of tiller. Also, most rear-tine tillers use counter-rotating tines which give it more power.
Rear-Tine Tillers
Pros
- Can dig deeper
- Produce stronger power
- Easier to handle
Cons
- More expensive
- Large
- Harder to lift and transport
Front-Tine Tillers
Pros
- Relatively inexpensive
- Small
Cons
- Harder to operate
- More difficult to break hard soil and terrain
Common Features of Garden Tillers
All rototillers are made to break through and turn over soil and weeds. They all use blades powered by the engine to break through the ground and terrain.
Best Garden Tiller
After carefully reviewing the top ten tillers on the market, we have picked the Sun Joe TJ603E 16-Inch 12-Amp Tiller and Cultivatorchoice as the best tiller on the market.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Garden Tiller
Before buying a garden tiller, you will want to make sure that you consider three things.
Make Sure That You Can Handle the Tiller Comfortably
Some tillers may look just incredibly big and high-powered. You may watch the video and think, “Wow, I could get done a lot of work very quickly with that big of a tiller.” Consider whether or not you have the strength and stamina to work with and operate the tiller model that you choose. Tillers are heavy and can be difficult to operate. In addition, make sure that you have an appropriate place to store the tiller when not in use. Tillers can be large and bulky and will need plenty of space to store safely.
Make Sure It Has Enough Power to Do the Job
Survey the gardening area where the tiller will be used. Can the tiller you are considering handle the workload required? If the garden space consists of very rough terrain and is a large area to till, then carefully consider what type of tiller has enough power to do the job appropriate to your needs. The purpose of buying the tiller is to have the machine do the hard work, not you. Choose and purchase a garden tiller that will be sturdy enough to handle the job.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Garden Tiller
Think about why you want to buy a garden tiller in the first place. Then ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I want it to be gas or electric powered?
An electrically powered tiller will cost less, but gas will generate more power.
2. Do you want a front-tine or rear-tine tiller?
A rear-tine can dig deeper and generates more power. However, it is also more expensive than a front-tine tiller.
Why a Garden Tiller Can Be a Great Addition to Your Gardening Equipment
A tiller can make all of your gardening jobs so much easier and quicker. Here are a couple of advantages to owning a tiller:
A Tiller Can Work Fertilizer Into the Soil
A tiller forces the fertilizer down deep into the soil where the roots will reach and benefitting the whole plant.
A Tiller Takes Much of the Manual Labor Away that Is Required to Turn the Soil
Simply put, a tiller will make your gardening jobs much easier and quicker to accomplish and save your back from the wear and tear that manually tilling a garden causes. A garden tiller will minimize much of the physical labor required to tilling soil and weeds.
Recommended Bestsellers
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Common Questions
Here are some of the most popular questions about tillers.
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What type or model of garden tiller do I need?
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How much do different types of tillers cost and what can I afford to meet my needs?
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Can I physically handle the size tiller I purchase?
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How big is the gardening area I need to till?
Conclusion
A tiller can make your gardening jobs much easier and complete them in a much shorter amount of time. A tiller can also do the job better than manually tilling the garden because the blades can reach deep down into the soil and weeds, turn it over, and fertilize the dirt at the same time. We hope that this garden tiller review has helped you learn about different kinds of tillers so that when it is the right time for you to purchase your own tiller with the budget that is right for you, it will ultimately best suit your gardening needs and improve the quality and success of your garden over time.
Related Article:
- How to Till a Garden: The Best Techniques for Success
- Everything You Should Know About Tilling Soil
- Cultivating vs. Tilling: How Do They Differ?
- Rototilling the Garden – How to Prepare Your Soil