Petrol front tine tillers
A Petrol Front Tine Tiller
As the name suggests, the tines with their cultivating blades, fitted to the petrol front tine tillers are located at the front, rather like the previous tillers we have encountered.
However, petrol front tine tillers will generally have a broader working width, more power and are designed for larger plots, vegetable gardens and allotments, digging deeper and wider.
They usually have at least two tines, one on each side, with four blades attached to each.
They can come with a variety of enhanced features, including removable outside tines so you can reduce the working width and work between rows.
They will often come with crop protection discs – these are like shields fitted to the ends of the axles, which prevent the blades cutting plants or crops you wish to keep from being shredded.
Petrol front tine tillers are not self-propelled and are moved forward by the tines, just like the smaller tillers.
They use one of two drive systems to operate the rotating blades.
1. Chain Drive
This uses a side belt, driven by the engine, which operates a system of pulleys and chains to drive the rotary blades.
This system is a good, simple and effective drive, with less power than the worm drive but is less prone to damage from collision as the chains take up some of the impact
2. Worm Gear
This uses a worm gear, driven by the engine, which is basically a screw that turns and drives a gear cog, which fits with and interacts with it’s spiral to rotate the blades
This system can produce more torque than a belt and chain system but is prone to damage if it encounters a solid object
Most of these petrol front tine tiller will come with depth gauges so you can adjust your working depth and most have transport wheels, which you move out of the way while working.
There are a number of further features, sported by many of these machines. These are listed below, along with the expected specifications and features.