These days most folks decide to have a small garden for various reasons. Finding the right rear tine tiller is crucial when deciding what to do with your garden.
One of them is to help the ecosystem by going green. This is a welcome development; however, using manual tools for gardening could be stressful.
With the advent of technology, there are a dozen ways to help you go green without getting stressed up with farming.
One such is the use of mechanized farming/gardening equipment.
What are mechanized farming types of equipment?
Mechanized farming equipment is an advanced type of machine used in farming that is used to reduce the workload of human activities.
Wikipedia cites mechanized agriculture (the use of mechanized farming types of equipment in agriculture) as “the process of using agricultural machinery to mechanize the work of agriculture, significantly increasing farm worker productivity.
In modern times, powered machinery has replaced many jobs formerly carried out by manual labor or by working animals such as oxen, horses, and mules.”
One example of mechanized types of equipment used in mechanized agriculture is tillering.
What are tillers?
Tillers are put, and mechanized farming tools (machines) are used to prepare the soil for planting.
They are used by farmers and gardeners to disintegrate and break up the hardened surface dirt and incorporate organic materials into the freshly turned soil.
The first tiller models used human or animal power, but modern manufacturers use gas-powered engines to turn the blades or tines. Tillers are also known as soil cultivators.
Do you need a tiller?
If you plan on having your garden or farm soil ready for planting, you do need to have it tilled to disintegrate the hard layer of the ground and introduce organic matters into the freshly turned earth.
While you could get this done manually, a tiller’s task is to get it done without any hard work from your side.
Manually using your spade to get the work done could be stressful and tell on your health.
However, switching your spade for a tiller is a great idea, as it not only fastens the process of turning and preparing the soil or cutting new beds it also significantly helps you save energy and keep your health in check.
So, YES! You do need a tiller for your garden.
There are various tillers, from compact – mini tillers to large garden tillers.
These tillers are further classified into such classes as the Rear tine tillers, pull behind tiller, electric tillers, and the rest.
This article is, however, going to cover the rear tine tiller.
Rear tine tiller reviews
This is a review of a few of the best rear tine tillers available for purchase.
Let’s clear the air on what a rear tine tiller is, and the difference between them and other tillers.
So, what is a rear tine tiller?
A rear tine tiller is a garden or yard tiller which has its blades at the back of the machine.
The rear-tine tillers are different from the front-tine tillers, also just known as garden tillers, which are the more standard tillers.
The significant difference between the front and rear tillers is the location of the blades.
While the front tine tillers have the blades in front of the machine and engine, the rear tillers have theirs at the back of the device, which makes them dig more in-depth as the engine pulls the tines.
Southland SRTT196E Rear Tine Tiller With 196cc Engine
SRTT196E rear tine tiller is touted as a deep-digging tiller. Asides from that, this machine is pretty compact compared to other ‘heavy-duty’ rear tine tillers, making it a good fit if you have gardens with curves and corners.
The Southland SRTT196E has a 4-stroke OHV engine with excellent torque and counter-rotating tines that can cut through hardened soil quickly and effectively.
We’ll be going into that briefly. The Southland tiller’s reverse/forward gear transmission makes it quickly maneuvered, unlike other rear-tine tillers; thus, the tilling process is sped up with this machine.
Overall Features
Being an overhead valve engine, this machine is pretty energy-efficient, quieter, and generally more durable than non-OHV engines.
Interestingly, it’s also a 4-stroke, which increases its efficiency compared to two-cycle machines.
With regards to power, the machine has an impressive 9.6 lb/ft torque, which is good to till the most compact of soils and even areas that have never been cultivated before.
The Southland SRTT196E has counter-rotating tines with widths of 11-inch. The width is pretty good if you have gardens with smaller spaces.
The counter-rotating motion combines with the initial power of the machine to increase the rate at which the soil is turned, making the device aerate the ground more effectively, not minding the composition of the ground. i.e., whether it’s complex or rocky.
With the depth of the Southland SRTT196E reaching 10 inches, it’s significantly better than most tillers within its range, which can only dig up 6 inches.
The Southland machines are balanced on heavy-duty, quality, and solid tires, which measure 13 inches.
The tires would keep the machine stable on all ground types; even over rough and uneven grounds, you are sure your tires won’t be deflating.
PROS
Forward and reverse action gears: Unlike most rear tine tillers with maneuverability issues, the Southland SRTT196E machine comes with forward/reverse gear transmissions that have that covered.
Thanks to the reverse/forward gear, the Southland SRTT196E can move both forward and backward, so you can easily and quickly till the ground and get into upper corners better.
-Deep digger: Thanks to its 10 inches of till depth, the Southland SRTT196E isn’t your average tiller, as it digs a lot deeper than most of the other tillers.
Its digging prowess is a great advantage if you plan on using it on grounds with a lot of clay or very rocky areas.
It also lets you prepare good beds for crops and plants that utilize a lot of spacing to enable their roots to grow down.
–Fits smaller gardens just fine: Unlike most heavy-duty tillers, which have large tilling widths and thus aren’t able to get into smaller spaces like corners very well, the Southland SRTT196E has just about 11 inches, which is a reasonably narrow width. Therefore, you can cover most areas of your garden, even tight corners.
CONS
Has smaller width: While this is an advantage, it’s also considered a disadvantage.
Due to the smaller width when compared with other rear tine tillers, you will need some extra passes to prepare your terrain compared with more extensive machines.
Overall Review
The Southland SRTT196E Rear Tine Tiller is a great tiller, with such advantages as its easy maneuverability, efficiency, and its deep digging capabilities.
This tiller is a great tiller for tough ground both in extensive gardens as well as smaller gardens.
Its fuel efficiency is also a huge plus, even paired with powerful torque.
This machine is ideal for those who are interested in an ‘all-in-one’ heavy-duty tiller, which can get the job done in any terrain without batting an eyelid.
BCS GX240 Honda Rear Tine Tiller
The BCS Tiller GX240 is one powerful rear tine tiller, which has a pretty far-reaching width, a highly revered Honda engine, and a beneficial gear control system.
The BCS GX240 is one tiller with an inclusive tilling width, probably the broadest of rear-engine tillers.
The tilling width is about 20 inches, so you get a feeling of just how broad it’s. With its thick tilling width, the BCS GX240 is an ideal tiller if you are looking to cultivate a large garden or yard.
A highly revered Honda engine powers the BCS GX240 tiller, combined with a capable gearbox that is built to last you for years.
This machine is a professional quality machine and is an ideal tiller for gardeners with vast portions of land or landscaping businesses.
Overall Features
With a notable name in the automobile and machinery industry behind the engine of the BCS GX240 tiller, you can be confident the engine is reliable and very durable.
The machine’s engine is also a 4-stroke engine like its Southland counterpart above, making it far more fuel-efficient and less noisy than most other tillers.
The tiller has a high capacity of 7.9HP, capable of going hard on any kind of soil. It’s primarily a good machine if you have a large project involving breaking down rocky soils and soil which has never been tilled or broken before.
The BCS machine has tines that equate with the same level of impressiveness as the engine. Their widths stretch to about 20-inch while their depth capacity reaches 8-inches, making you rarely skip a spot while the work retains its speed and effectiveness.
These measurements put the BCS GX240 tiller among the market’s widest and deepest rear tillers.
The ring-and-pinion design on the gearbox makes it harness all the torque it can from the machine, thus resulting in a very efficient tiller.
PROS 👍
Forward and reverse action gears: Unlike most rear tine tillers with maneuverability issues, the BCS GX240 prides itself on coming with a forward/reverse gear transmission box that has that covered.
Like the Southland SRTT196E, the BCS machine can move both forward and backward, so you can easily and quickly till the ground and get into the upper corners better.
It can as well find its way around uneven, rocky, and hilly areas without much fuss.
-It’s Powerful: The BCS is one of the most powerful devices available. With its 7.9 HP paired with a lot of torque, this machine’s tines are well prepared for the most tedious of the tilling task assigned to it.
The tines would do fine in any kind of grounds, from soft grounds to dense, rock-filled soils.
-Versatility: The BCS is a very versatile machine, so you can use it for just about any type of tilling job.
-Sturdy machine For tough jobs: The BCS machine is not just powerful; asides from the machine’s strength, the rear tine is designed in such a way it’s best suited for any kind of harsh or hard soil.
With the wheels of the machine situated at the front and the tines placed at the back of the machine, the tines can turn more heavy/hard ground/soil more effectively.
CONS 👎
-Expensive: Well, if you are looking for a budget-friendly tiller, then this isn’t your ideal tiller.
The BCS tiller was designed for professional landscapers and individuals looking for a professional tiller to get the job done.
Its pricing is not in league with other rear tine tillers of comparable parameters. However, the pricing is justified by the tilling width and the powerful and reliable engine. So, generally, it’s a pretty good investment.
Overall Review
The powerful Honda-made engine of the BCS Tiller paired with the solid tines makes this machine an ideal equipment for tilling any “tough to till” soil.
It’s a great machine best suited for professional landscapers and individuals with vast lands or those who just require the professional touch of a rear tiller on their garden or yard.
It, however, is pretty expensive, so if you would be considering going for this, you’d h consider our budget. If, however, you can afford it, it’s probably the best machine you would ever buy for your yard.
Conclusion
The two rear tine tillers reviewed herein are one of the best obtainable in the market these days.
They are also of the best quality material and are suited for any kind of soil structure.
With their 4-stroke engine, you can be assured of a very energy-efficient machine that is also noiseless and won’t require you to wear earplugs.
The Southland machine is best suited for individuals with a small garden, while the BCS machine is ideal for individuals with larger land areas.
