Rear tine tiller

[farmer2009]

Which rear tine garden tiller would you guys recommend?

I was wanting a Troy Bilt Super Bronco but they are out of stock everywhere. Even the Troy Bilt website is out. Then looked at a 17" Husqvarna but with so many complaints I'm shying away from them.

I need something to till between the rows in worked ground for weed control.

 

[tcreeley]

cub cadet from tractor supply -- I have one - works well. This one is the next model up from mine. Looks good. I have a cub cadet snow blower also that always runs well, starts easily. I like their products.
Cub Cadet 250cc, RT 75 Rear-Tine Tiller, Counter-Rotating, 18 in. Till Width, CARB Compliant - Tractor Supply Co.


and

Cub Cadet® 196cc, RT 65 Dual-Direction, Rear-Tine Tiller, 18 in. Till Width, CARB Compliant - Tractor Supply Co.

 

[coobie]

Which rear tine garden tiller would you guys recommend?

I was wanting a Troy Bilt Super Bronco but they are out of stock everywhere. Even the Troy Bilt website is out. Then looked at a 17" Husqvarna but with so many complaints I'm shying away from them.

I need something to till between the rows in worked ground for weed control.

I would try to find a older troy bilt tiller made by garden way inc.If you have deep pockets look at BCS tillers.

 

[jimmyj]

Agree with Coobie with one addition, I have a Honda rear tine tiller. It was expensive but the thing is a bulletproof work machine. It's fantastic.

Edit: How many hours are you going to put on it? If you have a small garden a lower cost one would likely be just fine.

 

[dave1949]

MTD makes a lot of the common brands.

http://www.mtdproducts.com/equipment/company_10500_20500_-1#
Along with Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt and Remington, the MTD family of brands includes MTD®, MTD Gold®, MTD Pro®, Yard-Man®, Yard Machines® and Bolens®. The appeal of each brand lies in its individuality and distinctive appearance. MTD products can be found in all channels of distribution such as home improvement stores, hardware stores, mass retailers, independent dealers and farm supply stores.

I don't know if one branded name is much better than another.

Rear tine tillers are good for heavy ground, large gardens, new gardens, but they are a bit bulky to handle and turn in small areas. I have a Sears rear tine tiller, six years old and no problems but I wish for my bit of use use I had a smaller front tine tiller. My tiller has one travel speed--very slow. It has forward and reverse tine rotation but I almost always use forward. Reverse really digs in deep. The B&S engine is okay. It sips gas. It has always been a bit prone to kicking back when starting so I pull the rope slowly until I find the sweet spot. I pulled the flywheel expecting to find a partially sheared key but it was fine.

 

[HEC]

My dad had market gardens after retirement and I would help him at times . He had 2 of the large troy bilts over the years and I had the large bcs for my own use . The older troy bilts were a very good machine , not so sure about the new ones though , if they are made to the same specs. they could be fine . I will say in my opinion at least, the bcs is a superior tiller . Like already mentioned , how often and the amount of time it is going to be used, could play a big role in how much you may want to spend . The less costly machines do a good job .

 

[MarkF48]

Read this article about tine rotation...... Rear-Tine Tiller Buyer's Guide - How To Pick The Perfect Rear-Tine Tiller
If you're simply tilling up a garden in the Spring or doing rows during the season, forward rotating tines may be more suitable for what you're doing. The reverse rotation tines from what I've read when I was looking for a tiller may be better suited to really hard packed soil or breaking up turf as a landscaper might do. I looked at the dual rotation as potentially having more that could possibly fail. Never read too much good about the Husqvarna tillers.

I got lucky about 10 years ago and found an old Ariens RT5020 on Craigslist for $150 which I still use. Prior to that I had a beast of a Gravely with a rotary plow.

 

[farmer2009]

I have access to a 3pt hitch tiller so that is what preps the garden. I need something to work between rows in season. I grew up with a front tine tiller. As I'm able to handle them my wife isn't if she had to use it. But she can handle the counter rotation rear tines. So that's why we want to go that route. Usage is probably going to be about 20 hours a year or less.

 

[farmer2009]

Oh and budget is $1k or less. Sorry guys but for use I can't justify 3-4k.

 

[motownbrowne]

I'd look for a Troy-bilt Horse on craigslist. Make sure it isn't leaking oil at the seals, and you'll be good to go. We've had one since 1983 and used it for commercial vegetable growing. Bought our 3pt in '95, so it's gotten less use since then, but it's been a very reliable machine. Should be able to find one for $400-700 in decent shape.