Gardening

Which Rototiller: Gas or Electric

It can be a lot of hard work to set up and maintain a garden, but fortunately, there is a tool that can be very helpful: rototillers. These are machines that work to loosen the soil up to get the plant beds prepared, and may be used for weeding as well by pulverizing weeds and then burying them. Compared to harrows, rototillers are smaller and able to get the weeding done more delicately without the main plants being disturbed. It can also help to reduce the amount of tree trimming that is needed.

Buying A Rototiller: Electric Or Gas?

Two major types of rototillers are currently available: the electric type and the gas type. Depending on what your preferences and needs are, you can purchase the one that suits your garden the best. To make things even easier for you, we have prepared a brief comparison of the two major types of rototillers.

Pros And Cons Of Gas Rototillers

Pros: 4-stroke gas mini-tiller models are normally powerful enough that they can handle almost any gardening job. Usually, gas-powered tiles perform better compared to electric tillers. This type of rototiller is well-suited for areas under 3,000 square feet. A majority of gas tillers have a 9-10 inch wide swath and are well-suited for tilling within tight spaces. Also, gas tillers are much more portable than electric tillers since they don’t use a power cord.

Cons: A lot more maintenance is required by gas-powered tillers compared to electric ones, and are also a lot noisier. if you don’t like having to maintain equipment or have neighbors who are fussy and enjoy peace and quiet, a gas tiller is not the best option for you. Another disadvantage is that gas tillers are not environmentally-friendly since they use gas as fuel. Compared to electric tillers they tend to also be heavier.

Pros And Cons Of Electric Rototillers

Pros: Electric rototillers are available in two types: battery-powered ones and corded ones. Corded ones are well-suited for average and small gardening tasks. They also do not pollute the environment the way that gas tillers do. Also, electric tillers are lightweight and inexpensive. Corded tilers are low-maintenance and quieter, which is why they are an increasingly popular choice for smaller gardens. When it comes to battery-powered rototillers, they provide the same advantages that corded tillers do, and they are also cordless. However, compared to corded tilers, their output is much lower.

Cons: Compared to gas-powered rototillers, electric rototillers perform less well, and are only well-suited for smaller tilling jobs. Mobility can also be drastically reduced by corded tilers, and the actual cord is annoying since you might cut it accidentally while you are tilling your garden. On a full charge, a battery-powered tiler will only run for around 30 minutes, which can also be a drawback.

Summary

If you have soil that is had to handle, and have land covering a large area and want high performance, then your choice should be a gas-powered rototiller, despite the fact that they are noisy and pollute the environment. That is due to the fact that electric tillers are unable to provide the same performance a majority of the time. If your area to till is smaller and you do not need to have a high-powered tiller, then an electric tiller can do the job. Make sure to get the right kind of rototiller, or you end up being disappointed due to not being able to effectively use it in your garden.

Garden Rototiller Buying Guide – What should I look for?

Whether you’re an average person who has a garden, a Maui roofing contractor who does yard work as a side gig, or a professional with a lawn care business, a garden rototiller will be a costly investment to make. The amount of money you spend on one will definitely be worth it, as a rototiller will make the job of tilling a garden much easier.

Before putting money down on a rototiller, take a look at the following things to consider.

Type

Rototillers come in two main types: electric and gas. Electric rototillers use electricity for power, while gas rototillers use oil and gas. The more environmentally friendly options are electric rototillers. In comparison to gas rototillers, they also weigh less and make less noise. Electric tillers don’t need as much maintenance as gas tillers. The difference in performance between the two tillers is astounding (more information in the next section).

Performance

When it comes to power, gas tiller have more, and thus perform better. Gas tillers are the best option if you need to till hard or rocky land. An electric tiller should be enough if you’re working with a garden that is pretty small, or one that has already been tilled in the past. For large areas of land that are being tilled for the first time or land that is hard and rocky, you should go with a large gas tiller that will have enough power to deal with the land. If you’re looking to keep costs down, you should try renting a large tiller, especially if you only need to a tilling once or twice on the property every year.

Mobility

Gas tillers are a lot more mobile than electric tillers that use a cord because the electric tiller has to be tethered to a power outlet for it to work, limiting the area of land where it can operate. You should avoid using an electric tiller if you desire more mobility, or if you’re worried about cutting the power cord while using the tiller. It’s also possible to damage plants when the cord from an electric tiller is dragged across plants.

Cost

Before you begin looking for a tiller, you should always create a budget, since there are multiple price ranges for tillers on the market. Research is key when finding a good tiller. Just because a tiller is inexpensive, that doesn’t mean that it will be bad, and just because it’s expensive, that doesn’t mean that the tiller will be a high quality tiller.

Weeding

The weeding capacities of tillers can differ in each one. A rototiller that works well with land may not be that great at weeding without causing any harm to plants. It’s best to consider how well a tiller is at weeding if you’re going to use it as a garden weeder.

Add-Ons

Tillers can sometimes have additional functions when add-ons are attached to them. These add-ons enable the tiller to become a trimmer, edger, dethatcher, aerator, and more. These add-ons are a great option because they allow you to get the most from your tiller.

Warranty

A warranty that may cover service, parts, and more will often come with a tiller, but it’s best to confirm if it does and what it can do before buying one. See if the dealer can offer repair services, and check for local service centers if they don’t offer them.

Hopefully you have an idea of what tiller will be right for your garden after seeing these tips. Think carefully about what kind of tiller you need and you and your garden will be fine.

Sun Joe TJ600E Garden Rototiller Review

With the successes in the research and development of electric motors we can now have powerful (high torque) electric motors that are both light and compact as used in the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller.

This has been a huge advantage for garden machinery where previously gas operation was your only option. Today we see highly effective garden machinery that is safely driven by electricity.

Machines like the Sun Joe garden rototiller save a lot of “blood, sweat and tears” in the garden arena. All you have to do is plug them into the power supply, turn them on and they run at the flick of a switch. No setting chokes or pulling cords and hoping the gas engine will power into life.

The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller has four steel blade cutting tines and these are angled slightly to improve the effectiveness of loosening up compact dirt.  Some of you reading this may think that machines like the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller are too small and light to be much good at loosening old turf or compact ground – but the truth is they are quite capable. Obviously the amount they can till in a single pass is limited but apart from this they are capable machines.

The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller tills a 14 inch wide path with each pass and can dig to a depth of 7 inches. So you can see the advantage of this machine over the manual process of either hoeing or shoveling.

The motor behind the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller is 6.5 amps and represents no more worries about flat batteries, empty gas cans or getting the oil:gas mixture right.  Electric powered technology means it is  push button, instant start, smooth running technology – ready at the flick of a switch.

For safety there is a switch designed so that there can be no unexpected startups, and the bioengineered design with separate handles means the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller is both safe and comfortable to use.

The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller has a center of gravity that helps improve its handling and maneuverability, and weighing 17 pounds is heavy enough to do its job but light enough to move around.

Its compact size and ability to fold up means storage space is not an issue.

There is a comprehensive manual, including a 32 point general operations section. The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller  is ETL inspected and approved, and has a two year full warranty.

Of course because of its light weight and compactness the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller can be used as a follow up to weed and “hoe”  flower beds and the vegetable garden.

Sun Joe Garden Rototiller Specifications

• Four angled, steel blade tines
• Bioengineered and well balanced for ease of use.
• Tilling width – 14 inches, Tilling depth up to 7 inches.
• Handle can be folded for easey storage.
• The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller Weighs 17 pounds
• Full 2-year warranty
• Safety switch to stop unexpected startups

Sun Joe Garden Rototiller Review

The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller  is a popular brand of tiller with 68% of users rating it a 5 and followed by 24% rating it a 4,  so 92% of people who use this tiller were happy with its performance.

Users found the assembly of the Sun Joe garden rototiller to be pretty easy and appreciated the detailed manual that has very clear instructions. Most users were surprised with the power of the tiller and those who had done a bit of research liked the wide spacing of the cutting tines. Some users made the helpful comment that it is important to use a heavy duty extension cord to reduce the risk of engine over heating – 12 gauge is good.

Some thought it was a little bit light because penetration into the soil was low.  This may have been due to impatience, however, because others had no problem with the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller digging down and found if you didn’t move too fast and used a forward and back method the tiller worked fine. A lot of users cross-tilled anyway to get a better result all over.

I think that a slower more careful approach to using the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller will pay dividends for the user. You can’t expect any rototiller to do a 100% job if undertaken at a slow walking pace. From comments made it is clear that the user has to judge how the rototiller performs as they progress, and trial and error will tell them how fast they can go and still cultivate to a good depth.

One thing that impressed a lot of the users was the strength of the tines when rocks or stones got stuck in them. The Sun Joe Garden Rototiller would stop automatically and users would then hammer the offending rock out of the tines fearing the worst – but once the rock was dislodged, the tines were undamaged and the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller fired into action once more.

Some thought the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller  would be improved if it had wheels and others were a bit concerned how much soil it threw up.

One reviewer had seven raised beds totaling about 200 ft² and it took her about an hour to till all these beds with her Sun Joe Garden Rototiller. The power was supplied by a small solar system charging two, 115 amp hr RV batteries, and using a 2000 watt inverter and she didn’t find the work strenuous. The reviewer was 68 years young.

In light of what we have read and seen we would strongly recommend the Sun Joe Garden Rototiller.

Precise Tilling With Mini Rototillers

Mini rototillers are tillers that have been designed on a smaller scale than the usual rototillers. They are designed in this way so that that they can serve the purpose of tilling in small spaces and in land that has been cultivated on before. They are available at garden and nursery supply stores. There are two main types of mini rototillers namely electric and gas tillers. Electric tillers are quiet and cause no pollution. However, they produce lesser power when compared to gas tillers.

Mini rototillers can feature attachments that turn them into tools that can be used for many activities in the garden.

These types of rototillers with attachments are beneficial for gardeners who wish to save space and money for they do not have to purchase a number of different tools. Their small sizes make them appealing for several reasons. One of these reasons is that they are easily operated by one person and therefore gardeners to do not have to get assisted by others.

The other reason why the small size of mini rototillers is appealing is that gardeners can use them to work in cramped places. They are able to work on all areas in a garden including the small corners that are hard to reach when a gardener is using a regular rototiller. These rototillers may also feature adjustable tines that allow a gardener to gradually increase depths as he or she works the soil.
The main disadvantage of mini rototillers is that they are not as powerful as full size tillers.

However, this is not a problem in the garden even though it can turn into an issue when one is working in a bigger space. For example, it can be inconvenient to work with this tool in a big garden since it covers less ground.

When using mini rototillers, it is important to take certain precautions since they can lead to serious injuries. The first thing to do is to ensure that you follow all the instructions in the manual that comes with these tools. In this way, you will know how all the features and buttons of the tillers work. When you turn on the tiller, always make sure that you inspect it for wear, tear and damage.

The other thing to do when using mini rototillers is to ensure that you put on the right clothes every time.

Since these tillers always throw debris and dirt when you are working with them, they can cause cuts and abrasions if you do not have protective clothing. The clothes you wear should be long sleeved tops and long pants. You can also put on tall boots in order to reduce the chances that debris will hit your legs. You can also ensure that debris do not hit you by leaving the safety guards intact.

You should also be careful not to overwork your tiller since all mini rototillers are rated for specific types of tasks. If you work them to hard, you may damage them or hurt yourself. If at any one time you find that the tiller is making strange noises or if you smell an unusual odor, you should turn it off immediately and inspect it.

The other important thing to note about using mini rototillers is that you should always ensure that they are properly maintained. You should never neglect them and this will ensure that they will always run efficiently.