Should I get a front-tine or rear-tine tiller?

Garden tillers come in two main varieties – front-tine and rear-tine. While they both turn over soil, their specific applications are different.

Generally, you’ll need a rear-tine tiller for deeply turning tightly-packed or rocky soil in a large garden. You can use a front-tine tiller for cultivating – turning over relatively soft soil in gardens and flower beds to loosen top layers for planting.

Deciding whether you need a rear- or front-tine tiller can be a little more complicated depending on your exact situation.

We’ll describe each type of tiller and its applications. That information should help you decide which type is best for your home.

Rear-tine tiller

Rear-tine tillers are large, heavy machines designed to deeply turn over soil in a large garden area. Here are some common characteristics of rear-tine tillers.

• Uses one or more gears to drive the tiller wheels.

• Wheels operate independently from tines. You can drive the tiller with tines stopped.

• Designed for tilling in a straight line so it doesn’t turn well when tilling.

Front-tine tiller

Most front-tine tillers are light and easy to maneuver. Here are some common design features of front-tine tillers.

• Driven by tine rotation when tilling. Wheels roll freely and aren’t driven by the engine.

• Lightweight and easy to turn when tilling.

• Electric versions are available.

How to choose which type of tiller is right for you

You’ll want to choose a rear-tine tiller when you have a large garden and you want to deeply till the soil before planting. You may also need a rear-tine tiller to turn over hard-packed or rocky soil. A front-tine tiller won’t be able to break up hard-packed and rocky soil very well.

Be prepared to invest more money when choosing a rear-tine tiller. You’ll also need a significant amount of storage space for a rear-tine tiller.

Choose a front-tine tiller when you have a small garden or when you want to cultivate flower beds for planting.

Front-tine tillers are available in many different sizes. Pick the size that’s right for your gardening needs. Choose an electric tiller if you want a lightweight model for light cultivating.

Getting the right type of tiller will help make your gardening chores easier. You’ll be able to cultivate soil so your plants grow healthy.

When your tiller isn’t working like it should, visit our Tiller DIY Repair Help page to find troubleshooting advice to fix the problem.