Tiller purchasing advice

[Sarah K.]

Hi everyone,

We're thinking of buying a rototiller, and I was wondering if anyone knows when they usually put them on clearance to make way for the snowblowers. :-) I usually seem to guess late on those kinds of things, and when I get there they're all sold out.

Also if anyone has any thoughts on good/bad brands, that would be great. We've been told that the counter-tine ones are better. My dad has a Craftsman that is about 25 years old and going strong, but I'm guessing that the newer Craftsman tools aren't as good?

Thanks,

Sarah

[TurnerHill]

Originally Posted by Sarah K.

Hi everyone,

We're thinking of buying a rototiller, and I was wondering if anyone knows when they usually put them on clearance to make way for the snowblowers. :-) I usually seem to guess late on those kinds of things, and when I get there they're all sold out.

Also if anyone has any thoughts on good/bad brands, that would be great. We've been told that the counter-tine ones are better. My dad has a Craftsman that is about 25 years old and going strong, but I'm guessing that the newer Craftsman tools aren't as good?

Thanks,

Sarah

I have a craftsman 17" tiller, rear counter-rotating tines. It is a little more than a year old, and gets infrequent but hard use (I rehab houses, and their yards) by hired helper who can be rough on tools. I've had no problems with it.

The old craftsmans used to have briggs and stratton engines, but the new ones are MTD. Of course, I've heard that Briggs is owned by MTD now, also. I don't know for sure that is true.

[TurnerHill]

Oh, forgot to say. I'm not sure about tillers, because I wasn't really looking, but line trimmers and mowers are on sale right now.

[Windy in Kansas]

If you are serious gardeners and are planning on a lifetime investment rather than just a passing fancy then get the best, which I consider to be a two wheeled BCS tractor with an added roto-tiller attachment. They are expensive so if you aren't willing to plan on having the same unit around for a couple of decade you'll probably want something else.

Less serious get a Troy-bilt.

Don't just look to end of summer sales but also speak with rental agencies about whether they replace and sell roto-tillers each year. If possible rent both a BCS and a Troy-bilt and give them both a try. More and more seem to be stocking the BCS to use as rentals.

http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/index.html

[Harry Chickpea]

More info needed. How big a garden, how much use? Primarily for your use or husband? Plan on using it to weed or just to turn the soil at the beginning of the season?

[Darren]

It really depends on how much use and how large an area you're tilling. the little Mantis or Honda tillers are great for smaller areas. For really heavy use and large areas definitely look at a BCS or even go up to a Goldoni with the diesel engine. Both the BCS and Goldoni take attachments such as rakes and balers that smaller tillers cannot. I think you can convert both the BCS and Goldoni into 4WD utility vehicles.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I highly recommend Mantis.

I hated our TroyBilt.

[cbaker]

I have a BCS 10 HP 26" tiller. Bought new Jan. 1980. Has seen a lot of heavy use & I taken good care of it. Have only had to replace normal wear parts, blades & bearings in tiller. Still going strong. Though it was expensive, considering how much I have used it. It was a very good investment. moose

[plowjockey]

I was in Sears this week and they had both tillers and snowblowers in stock, So not sure if they clear them out seasonally anymore..

The tillers, were on sale, though, I think about $100-125 off or so. (Probably could have got the Manager to knock a few $$ off of a snowblower also )


I have a 26 year old Troy built Pony (that runs like new) and a Honda FG110 cultivator. Love these two tools.


Cub Cadets are supposed to be pretty good, but they may be mfg, by the same company that now makes Troy- bilts and Sears - MTD

[DJ in WA]

I rarely use mine anymore - it's parked under some trees. No-till is becoming more popular. Tilling actually destroys good soil structure and introduces more oxygen which burns up organic matter. Ideally one leaves roots in the soil for humus and air/water channels. You also stir up more weed seeds to the top of the ground each time you till. Also, the feeding zone is close to the surface for many plants - tilling takes nutrients deeper than needed.

At the end of the season, I just cut off plants at ground level to leave the roots. Then I cover the rows with a foot of more of manure/bedding which keeps me from walking on the row and compacting the soil. And I have redworms (compost worms) that decompose the manure/bedding over the winter, so nutrients can leach down into the soil. Come planting time, I just remove the manure/bedding/compost, dig a planting trench in the loose soil and plant away. I'll put the manure/compost in a pile and after the crop comes up, I'll put it around the plants to smother weeds and provide nutrients.

This is my first year doing it, but seems to work.

[hotzcatz]

Whatever brand of tiller you decide on, get a rear tine tiller instead of a front tine. When they have the tines in front they try to jump all over the place but they behave a lot better when the tines are in back.

[geo in mi]

After wearing out a set of tines and two gearboxes on an 8 hp Troy-Bilt Horse, I decided to downsize due to arthritis. The Troy Bilt was beating me up on the turns. I bought a Husqvarna 17 inch counter-rotating rear tine tiller a couple of years ago, and I'm still learning how to use it. It is considerably lighter than the Troy Bilt, so it slips around quite a bit and I end up fighting it, wearing me out nearly as much as with the Troy Bilt. There are two types of basic Husqvarnas in that horsepower and price range(about $700) one with large wheels and forged tines, and one with smaller wheels and stamped steel tines. I chose the large wheeled one, but it could use a lower gear ratio on the wheels, because they rotate faster than the tines can till--especially at high motor rpms--and you get a lot of wheel slippage and sliding around. Also, since the wheels track rather narrow for a 17 inch tiller, you will have them slide into the previously tilled soil on one side or the other. You have to use a straddle technique. In my sandy Michigan soil, the lower motor rpm speed seems to help, but I don't know how effective this tiller would be in hard clay or sod. I was in Sears recently, and I would swear the Craftsman is a Husqvarna painted black.

[WisJim]

Buy your tiller from a shop that does maintenance on site, not from a big box store. Try the machine, in a real garden situation, before you buy it. I had always thought that a Troy bilt would be the machine to have, but we bought an Ariens rear tine back in the 1970s. I finally tried out the neighbor's Troybilt a few years ago, and decided that I am glad I hadn't bought one. It was much harder to use than our Ariens machine. I also have a BCS, and my wife doesn't like to use it, but I prefer it. So try out the machines you are thinking of before you buy one.

[ronbre]

i do like the rear tined tiller i have..but if i want to do some general tilling I'll still grab my front tined one and go at it..i think it is just less scarey..as the rear tined is more difficult to control..and I don't have the balance and grip I used to have before getting neuropathy and hip replacement..so if you are strong and able..get a good strong rear tined..if you are old and decripet like me..get a gentle front tined one..

[KayJay]

I have a Craftsman tiller... it works great and it cost less than the other comparable sized/powered tillers did on sale. My only advice is, if you have anything less than really soft ground, don't get one of the real small tillers (I've never used a Mantis, but have used several other similarly sized tillers), they just don't do what they claim.

[Jolly]

Originally Posted by Sarah K.

Hi everyone,

We're thinking of buying a rototiller, and I was wondering if anyone knows when they usually put them on clearance to make way for the snowblowers. :-) I usually seem to guess late on those kinds of things, and when I get there they're all sold out.

Also if anyone has any thoughts on good/bad brands, that would be great. We've been told that the counter-tine ones are better. My dad has a Craftsman that is about 25 years old and going strong, but I'm guessing that the newer Craftsman tools aren't as good?

Thanks,

Sarah

The new Craftsman tillers are basically black Husqvarnas, same by the same folks. Should do fine for most folks, for several years.

If I were going to drop the money for a BCS, I'd rather look at used tractors. Small Kabota tractors are tougher than woodpecker lips and you can find used 20-25hp stuff that can do a lot of stuff around the place...