Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 09:08 pm
Cultivator Vs Tiller. What’s the Difference?
What is the distinction between cultivators, tillers and rotavators? Is there anyone out there who is not confused with the respective definitions? It seems that most retailers consider cultivator to be a standard term for rotavators and tillers. They frequently list tillers/rotators in brochures/websites under cultivators.
This is very confusing. And by the way, a rotavator will be like a rototiller (USA). Some phrases are hung up in geography so that it can be difficult to understand what is known.
Husqvarna, on the other hand, makes a bold statement that a garden tiller also breaks up hard, compacted dirt. Gardeners use a garden tiller such as the Husqvarna T300RH gas-powered tiller to combine already loosened dirt. It stirs in fertilizer or compost, but based on Husqvarna, it’s not a tiller. So what are the facts?
Some people refer to a tiller as a tool that turns over and combines the dirt already loosened. Another definition states that a cultivator is normally more hand-pushed. They also make the assumption that cultivators do not have wheels. The cultivator is pushed with the tines. Many small cultivators have wheels that you use to carry the machine with bedding.
Based on the Collins English Dictionary, a rotavator is a system of rotating blades that divide dirt. If this is a true description, a rotavator using tines are not rotavators, but tillers or perhaps just a cultivator.
I’ve also read that cultivators don’t turn the soil as heavy as a rotavator, that you just use them to remove weeds. Another notion is that cultivators are a bit smaller than tillers and easier to maneuver, they do exactly the same job, it just comes down to the dimensions. Many refer to these small machines as tillers.
The more I try to define these phrases in my head, I think it depends on where you live and what you grew up with. Would we say a rototiller is a rotavator? Some cultivators tear up the soil with spring tines and also use rotary blades to rotate the soil. Where I grew up using a rototiller, it is used to turn loose soil. You use a plow to turn stubborn dirt, then use a tiller to turn it on and off. A tiller can have spring-loaded blades/tips/tines or rotavators with threatening teeth or discs.
For this column, I accept that a cultivator is a standard term for a machine that works the soil to prepare it for planting and seeding. A rotavator is a system or part of a machine that rotates tines to turn the soil. A garden tiller or tiny farm tiller does exactly the same thing. A tiller can have the rotating tiller facing the wheels, then we call it a front tine tiller. With the tiller supporting the wheels, it is a rear tine tiller. A tine is that part that is forced into the soil to break it up, it can be turned or carried through the soil. The tines are the points of an instrument, a rake, a grapple, etc.
I’ve also read that cultivators don’t turn the soil as heavy as a rotavator, that you just use them to get rid of weeds. Another notion is that cultivators are a little smaller than tillers and easier to maneuver, they do exactly the same job, it just comes down to the dimensions. Many refer to these small machines as tillers.
The more I try to define these phrases in my head, I think it depends on where you live and what you grew up with. Would we say a rototiller is a rotavator? Some cultivators tear up the soil with spring tines and also use rotary blades to rotate the soil. Where I grew up using a rototiller, it is used to turn loose soil. You use a plow to turn stubborn dirt, then use a tiller to turn it on and off. A tiller can have spring-loaded blades/tips/tines or rotavators with threatening teeth or discs.
For this column, I accept that a cultivator is a standard term for a machine that works the soil to prepare it for planting and seeding. A rotavator is a system or part of a machine that rotates tines to turn the soil. A garden tiller or tiny farm tiller does exactly the same thing. A tiller can have the rotating tiller facing the wheels, then we call it a front tine tiller. With the tiller supporting the wheels, it is a rear tine tiller. A tine is that part that is forced into the soil to break it up, it can be turned or carried through the soil. Tines are the tips of an implement, rake, grapple, etc.
A spring tine tiller is a good example of one that you tow behind a tractor or garden tractor. They have spring tines that dig into the ground when you drag them. All of these spring tine tillers are largely 4.6 m and up, used for farming and towed behind a tractor.
In short, you use some type of power to push or carry or slide the tines through the soil. This activity divides and prepares the soil for farming and planting.
Our focus in this guide is the rototiller, rototiller or rotary cultivator used in the backyard or on a small farm. Machines driven by either power, batteries, gasoline or diesel. It is a machine to walk behind or you drive. You hook the tug behind the cultivator supporting a two-wheeled tractor or garden tractor and an engine powers the tiller.
Before we talk about the many tillers on the market, let’s consider the variations in the way they use tines.
The standard forward rotating tines turn in exactly the same way as the wheels. All of these are great for tilling soil up to five inches deep.
The counter-rotating tines turn in the opposite direction as the wheels. This makes them stronger as they brighten up the dirt like a garden fork. Counter-rotating tines do a fantastic job of dividing harder soils, using clay material.
The double rotation of the tines means that the tiller offers both alternatives, the tines can turn both instructions.
The double rotation vertical tines point backwards and rotate on a vertical axis, like an egg beater. This is a very efficient alternative that reduces the tilt of the skipping stooks.
Types Of Tillers
Electric Tiller or Motor Tiller
Some electric tillers are front tine tillers with tines before the wheels and some do not have wheels. These tillers have special qualities that made me register them individually as a special type. Some salesmen look at them as garden cultivators and are quick to tell you that they are not tillers.
These machines are small, light and also for the small garden where a cable and extension can reach the areas you want to cultivate. Surprisingly strong, these tillers can break up compacted dirt and work deep into the garden soil. The Mantis 7250-00-03 three-speed electric tiller using an auger drive is just one of these models. Electric tillers similar to this one offer the advantage of saving you a lot of maintenance costs. You don’t have to deal with gas and maintenance issues. It keeps noise levels to a minimum and at first it’s always easy.
The compact size of an electric tiller allows you to plow closer to round obstacles and in small spaces. Mantis has positioned the motor directly above the tines to add weight to the downhill action. They cost much less than the usual gasoline tiller in size and power. Mantis tillers are easy to operate, easy to maintain and less expensive than many tillers.
Electric tillers are light but strong, and the instant torque of an electric motor allows it to break up compacted dirt. It can be used to get any kind of nourishing soil such as flower bedding and plant spots. It will work well in beds and is powerful enough to divide and dig new ones.
Electric tillers like the Mantis corded electric version are also available as a battery-powered arrangement. Both configurations have two rates so you can select the rate that best suits the land you are cultivating.
It is possible to turn the tines with this version to turn them into an electric washing machine. In this orientation, the curved tines do not cut into the soil but disperse the dirt, making it effective in turning weeds to the ground. It increases the flexibility of the drawbar.
Mantis has mounted the electric motor vertically in addition to the drawbar so that it directly constrains it via a worm gearbox. It fixes the weight of this meeting within the tiller; it improves its steering activity and simplifies the design of their power transmission. The gearbox drives the shaft of this bar right and eliminates the need for belts and pulleys. It reduces the parts used and reduces maintenance requirements. It’s really a dusty environment in the middle of the business so you don’t need dust and dirt impacting the working components. I think this is a great layout if implemented correctly.
This system is quiet and you don’t need to be satisfied with gasoline fumes. When you buy it after using it, you wash it and inspect it for loose parts.Mantis offers a lifetime warranty that the steel teeth will not break. In case it does, they can replace it for free.
You can plow about 20 cm deep with all Mantis 7250-00-03 three-speed electric tiller and its path is 30 cm wide.
An attachment that matches a small tiller is an edger or trimmer attachment. This is a hardened spring steel spiked blade with a wheel that attaches to the tiller. You can use it to trim grass on sidewalks and driveways. It cuts clean, crisp edges around paths, flower beds and bushes.
Front Tine Tillers
Front tine tillers are great for breaking up reasonably hard soil and loosening dirt. We use them to dig small to medium sized gardens and prepare the soil with compost and fertilizer.
Front tine tillers offer excellent visibility of the tiller activity, allowing you to get close to obstacles and in tight spaces. Their tines are placed before the wheels, with the engine mounted just above the tines. They cost much less than a rear tine tiller of comparable size and power. 1 example of a front tine tiller with a gas engine is your Champion Power Equipment 100379 56 cm tiller.
Front tine tillers do not have push wheels, only transport wheels. They make it easy to push the tiller where you need it. When you use it to cultivate the soil, you use the brakes to control the thickness of the tines. On some versions, you spread the wheels when plowing. The cutting action of this tiller stipulates forward drive and reduces the attempt to push the tiller forward. Turned turf and stone allow the tiller to jump around a bit, but you can control it so it doesn’t cause a critical problem.
Some front tines can change the direction of rotation of the tines or you can rotate the tines on others. This makes the tiller more effective at eliminating weeds, as it lifts the roots, pulling them out. It breaks up a hardened crust from underneath, helped by the leverage of those wheels.
Instead of turning the tines on the point of allowing them to push the sharp end into the ground, the better still happens. It is therefore less powerful for breaking the crust or weeding.
Unlike the 2-speed choice on electric versions, you use the controller on gasoline versions to control the flow. You set the engine throttle lever to a speed that provides the engine with enough power, but you also allow it to run at the slowest speed possible. When you reach the highest desired working depth, you can increase the rate of fence movements.
Some tiller brands offer you interchangeable blades in different shapes to match soil types. You also find that some provide a furrower that produces plant pops, trenches and ditches a few inches deep. It has the advantage of forming a uniform thickness directly from the tilled soil.
Some have removable outer tines so you can reduce the working width. This is useful once you work between the pops. We could even match crop protection discs in one. They look like little shields installed in the shaft centerline of the tiller. They protect crops that you don’t need to injure with the tiller tines. Another accessory could be axle extensions to generate a wider cut.
The drive system that pushes the tiller fluctuates by style. Some use a belt system, controlled by two levers, to select forward or counter-rotating tines. The drive system may incorporate a chain drive to rotate the axle and tiller tines.
Auger drive methods do not use chains or straps, but just the right aisle of driven pork that extends to push the axle. It has the advantage that the entire drive system is included and creates more open torque to the tine axle.
It is essential that you keep gasoline engines frequently and make sure the gas lines are apparent, otherwise it will be difficult to get started. They use two-stroke engines and four-stroke engines. With the two-stroke engine, you have the added difficulty of mixing the oil and gas. On some brands that an electric starter is accessible, either as an accessory that you use or as an accessory. On some versions, they provide adjustable control handles that allow you to maneuver the tines up and down and side to side. It offers more control in the tilling process. The extra width of front tine gas tillers means you make fewer movements to prepare the soil.
The front tine tiller is ideal for turning dirt in medium and large gardens. You can use it to mix compost and loosen dirt that helps water reach plant roots.
Rear Tiller
Rear-tine tillers are larger, thicker and harder to push and avoid than front-tine tillers. All of these tillers are excellent machines for your job that you need to do when starting a brand new garden plot. Rear tine tillers are a little more efficient than main tine tillers. Gasoline rear tine tillers are self-propelled, some with 2 or three rates. They have powerful gasoline engines that drive both the tines and the wheels. They use larger, heavy-duty wheels with pneumatic tires and handles for excellent traction. The tiller supports the wheels with a shield inside the tiller axle protecting the operator.
Southland SRTT196E Rear Tine Tiller
These are heavier, more durable machines that you can use to handle heavier soils and ground. Even for dividing once uncultivated land like lawns, with its strong action, it turns dirt into cultivated beds or a functional vegetable garden. Search engines fluctuate from under 200cc to 270cc in size. The powerful engines allow them to cultivate a path up to 51 cm wide.
The tilling depth is between 15 cm and 25 cm deep. Many rear tine tillers have counter-rotating tines to loosen hard or rocky soils. The counter-rotating tines rotate in the opposite direction to the wheels, with the curved part of these blades sweeping down toward the ground. Instead of using the curved blades cutting into the ground the best. The counter-rotating tines allow the tiller to dig deeper and divide the soil more efficiently.
This counter-rotation weeps the soil in front. The tines cut through the turf once, creating a finer tilth, perfect for planting. Some gasoline-powered rear tine tillers have tines that rotate in both directions, offering greater versatility in maintenance, which includes lighter soil care.
Among the few dual-rotation tillers on the market is the Husqvarna TR317D. It’s a heavy-duty frame and a sealed transmission using a 17 cm working depth.
You’ll encounter rear tine tiller attachments like a furrow cutter, used to plant furrows and beds that lift effortlessly. Plus, it holds corn, wheat, potatoes and more. Another attachment worth mentioning is the aerator. These attachments look like spiked discs that replace the tines. Their purpose is to reduce soil compaction and let water and air in. It stimulates the effortless absorption of water, nutrients and oxygen into the soil and a healthy lawn.
Towing behind the bar
I’m going to focus on the towed tiller with rotating tines, not spring tines. There are two forms of towed rotary tillers to choose from. Either a PTO in the tractor or a PTO with its own engine.
The Agri-Fab 45-0308 tow hitch (see below) is one example. It is a powerful Briggs & Stratton engine that will power through almost any soil condition. The Agri-Fab is 91 cm wide and the tines turn forward to cut the soil from top to bottom. The tiller can be adjusted to place the 1.5″ tines in a 14 cm depth. This version has six heavy-duty, double-benefit steel tines that are 28 cm long. The operator controls used to raise and lower the tiller are conveniently closed to support the operator. The international pin hitch attaches to 12 HP lawn and garden tractors. No additional equipment is required.
Since the engine does not need electricity for a forward thrust, it uses its full capacity to turn the tines. Therefore, it is possible to create the towed tiller wider and it could cut deeper than many garden tillers. Conversely, the tiller with its own tractor is larger, it is certainly for open spaces, in which it is used to cultivate large areas.
It will manage any arable soil. The tines are a little more widely set aside so that the stones do not easily get stuck between them.
The tugs behind the tillers do not have selectable rates. If desired, it may be possible to adjust the engine speed to run a little slower. There is a constraint that gasoline engines eliminate power when you reduce the rate, but the usable range is wide enough.
When choosing a tug behind a tiller, keep in mind that the space you’ll be towing can cause significant wear and tear on your wheels. It must have the capacity to withstand the terrain you want to farm.
Maintaining a tiller behind a tiller is exactly the same as for any gas-powered tiller. You need to run the engine dry before you store the tiller. Another job would be to support the engine according to the normal maintenance schedule and this requires regular gas and oil refills. Keep in mind that it is essential to read all the manufacturer’s instructions and follow them carefully. You must wash and sharpen the teeth between applications. Be sure you have enough storage space with this fairly large tiller. Towing behind tillers can take up more space than the garden tractor.
Vertical Tine Tiller
The Bronco Axis Vertical Tine Tiller Model No. 21A-70M8711 has a sleek, fast-paced operation unlike other flat-tine tillers. It is two perpendicular shaft tines that work together like an eggbeater, rotating in opposite directions. They have mounted the tines vertically so that it is possible to let them pierce the soil. You then move through the soil like any other tiller, but even through the thickness of the soil. This driven counter-rotating motion minimizes vibration, banging or skipping.
The Bronco has a one-handed operation; you walk on solid ground to one side but backwards, not on freshly tilled ground. As one user reported, the tiller creates a seedbed in one pass. He cautioned that it didn’t work before as quickly as the traditional tiller, but the 1-pass activity makes it more effective. If you have a lot of weeds, you may need to make another pass.
Many consumers report that it removes clods and uneven dirt in flower beds and generates smooth dirt ready for planting or chipping.This system seems very powerful, it’s one speed forward and one speed backward thanks to its 33 cm farm mode tires. It is a working width of 115 cm and its own working depth, it is flexible up to 17 cm.
The maintenance sounds like most other tillers. I detect that the drive elements are quite well shielded, and this only exposes the tines in the dirt. Cleaning the tines is just as important, however, and you’ll need to check the rigidity of the screws and bolts. You will need to visually inspect the equipment for damage after each episode and during maintenance.