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Is it worth the purchase to buy a tiller or just rent one? I am just wondering as we are new to home ownership and have never had space to put in a garden let alone till the ground.

How big is your garden going to be? What is the price of a rental? Are you going to till it in the spring & fall? If you do rent, you will have to reserve it a couple weeks in advance and make sure you get it all tlled that day.

I recommend first you rent one, if only for a day. Tillers sound nice but I remember 15 years ago they took more strength than my father decided it was worth. I'm not so sure about if the technology has progressed, but renting for a day would let you know if the purchase was worth it.

There are two types of walk behind tillers. Rear tine, counter rotating does an excellent job of pulverizing the ground as well as being easier to control, especially if tilling new ground. You can usually guide these with one hand. For maintenance work in the garden, they are a little tougher since the tines are usually covered with a shield that is not adjustable in width. These are good for hard/soft soil.

I've found the front tine models are good for running through the garden after its planted to chop up weeds and loosen the soil. These are easily adjusted for width. If you use this kind for new ground and it isn't a soft soil, get ready for a workout. It'll be like riding a bucking bronco! :laughing:

I actually own both as my garden is 75ft x 50ft.

bret said:

Is it worth the purchase to buy a tiller or just rent one? I am just wondering as we are new to home ownership and have never had space to put in a garden let alone till the ground.

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Back in '89 I bought my first tiller, a Rally (MTD) 5 hp Briggs powered front tine. The only thing I have used it for is tilling my garden plot, which is now a 28 by 46 foot size. It cost me $300 plus tax when new, and aside from two replacement belts, three air filters, five spark plugs, an an annual oil change, it has required nothing further. If you are serious about gardening, buy your own, because with minimal care it will last forever. I am 60 years old and with the depth stake and wheels properly set I can still break hard ground with my front tiner, without a lot of effort. For preparing new ground, they till much deeper and dig out rocks much better than a more costly rear tine. If I had decent soil rather than the hardpack clay mid-Michigan has, I'd go with the rear tine models.

If itｴs only for occasional use I would rent one. But if you wonna use it more often, I would buy a tiller.

Iｴm not sure, what to recommend. I never have worked with the rear tine tillers which are offered in USA and the front tine are ok so far, if it comes to prepared soil.

The prob by the for me by the rear tine is, that they are not multifunctional and also a front tine should be. Fortake is, that they are awfully cheap in USA compared to Germany, if it comes to a quality product with B&S, Honda or Kawasaki engine.

Mac 624 said:

If itｴs only for occasional use I would rent one. But if you wonna use it more often, I would buy a tiller.

Iｴm not sure, what to recommend. I never have worked with the rear tine tillers which are offered in USA and the front tine are ok so far, if it comes to prepared soil.

The prob by the for me by the rear tine is, that they are not multifunctional and also a front tine should be. Fortake is, that they are awfully cheap in USA compared to Germany, if it comes to a quality product with B&S, Honda or Kawasaki engine.

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That is one of the funniest yet coolest pictures I have ever seen! Who would have thought to turn the tiller into a wagon puller?? Thats awesome! :thumbsup:

You may not believe it but in some parts of Europe, i. E. Germany, Austria or Switzerland it is not uncommon to use tillers for pulling.

http://www.agria.de/anbaugeraete/index.php?navi=1&static=1&changelang=en

http://en.koeppl.com/

http://www.agria-freunde-untergriesheim.de/

http://www.holderfreunde.de/galarie/158.html

If it works do not fix it.

And yes, if its not something you plan on doing for tons of work just rent, its easier in the long run. What I am hoping to do within the next week or so is lay down the plans for our new garden, then rent, do all the work and take it back. Right now we do not have the storage for one anyhoo.

cren said:

If it works do not fix it.

And yes, if its not something you plan on doing for tons of work just rent, its easier in the long run. What I am hoping to do within the next week or so is lay down the plans for our new garden, then rent, do all the work and take it back. Right now we do not have the storage for one anyhoo.

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Can I provide a bit of advice that may save you a lot of work in the long run?? If you are converting an area of grass, pasture, etc to a garden plot, either remove the top layer of vegetation (a LOT of work with a shovel) or use Roundup, or another broad spectrum grass and weed killer, to kill the vegetation before you till it under. Otherwise you will always have the disagreeable task of getting rid of the weeds, quackgrass, etc. that always seems to sprout in an area of bare ground.

Its worth it if you really need it. Are you going to do a ton of large jobs or a few smaller ones? Its always worth it if you really need it you just need to decide if the need can justify the price to pay.

We bit the bullet and bought a $700 tiller this year. Is it something we'll ever fully reap the $700 from? Maybe, but either way it's nice to have at our disposal when we need it. I plan on having the hubby use it to make me new flower beds as well as garden plots.

Several years ago I tilled gardens for people that is why I have a 430 JD I have a 48" tiller for it and I tilled a garden for what it would cost to rent one.

People who owned a front tine tiller would even call me because they are a man killer trying to break sod.

If you decide to buy get a rear tine 1000 times better than a front tine tiller.

I rent a Ventrac Tiller. I am right down the street from the rental place and I can rent it for an hour (takes me about 10-20minutes) and putting in a new garden this year I didn't worry about killing or removing the sod :thumbsup:

EDIT: Hope you enjoy your new tiller!

Mac 624 said:

If itｴs only for occasional use I would rent one. But if you wonna use it more often, I would buy a tiller.

Iｴm not sure, what to recommend. I never have worked with the rear tine tillers which are offered in USA and the front tine are ok so far, if it comes to prepared soil.

The prob by the for me by the rear tine is, that they are not multifunctional and also a front tine should be. Fortake is, that they are awfully cheap in USA compared to Germany, if it comes to a quality product with B&S, Honda or Kawasaki engine.

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Mac, that is one sweet setup you got there :thumbsup: That tiller looks like it will get the job done. And the cart rig reminds me of a horse-drawn wagon, with reins :smile: I'd love to build that setup.

ps - that is one MAN-SIZED brush pile!

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Love the photos! Nice!

Don't write off a good used tiller either. I got a 1976 Troy-Bilt Horse that is a real rugged workhorse. I got mine for $50 becuase it had a blown engine. I spent $230 on a brand new Briggs and Stratton engine and now I have a great machine that will till circles around anything new under $2,000. It doesn't look pretty but it's a beast and replacing the engine was a piece of cake and took about 30 minutes start to finish. I just had to make sure the bolt holes and shaft were right but it is a very common size and there were about 20 motors that would have worked. Harbor Freight carries their Chinese ones that go on sale for $99 several times a year.

There are also lots of good old tillers out there that don't need repair. They are almost like exercise equipment, people buy them then find out it's harder work than they think so they collect dust for years until they get sick of tripping over them and sell them cheap.

Also, if you have the time you can offset the cost by doing a few local tilling jobs. I did that and it paid for itself in one season. I had one big tilling job 5 minutes from me that I got $200 for 4 hours of tilling. Just some food fgor thought, best of luck and don't forget to check back to let us know how you make out (pics are appreciated :smile.

P.S. Mac, those are great looking machines, what brand are those?