Rotovators, Cultivators, and Tillers?

[geoff]

Could anyone explain, please, the difference between Rotovators, Cultivators, and (mechanised) Tillers? Thanks, Geoff

[Jeanied]

Well as far as I could tell when I looked into this one, a rotovator is just a more powerful cultivator! The rotovators I have seen churn up the ground more deeply than a cultivator - I used to have a petrol cultivator but freecycled it as it was a waste of space and time! Surely tilling is more making the seed bed whilst the other two are more a digging substitute?

[jacob marley]

As i understand it a Rotovator has the engine at the front and the slashers at the back .
A Tiller has the slashers under the engine with a depth peg at the back .
A Cultivator can be what you want it to be i Have a Mantis Tiller that i use for inter row cultivation and also a small Flymo DM with the outer slashers turned in and was hoping to use that for inter row Cultivation hope this ramble helps....jacob

[Norm]

As far as I know, they're all the same thing. The universal name is 'Rotary Tiller'. The other names are simply what the manufacturers want to call them.

[Eco-Chic]

I've got an electric rotovator which cost about £40 and will apparently rotovate the ground to a depth of around 6"-8" in my small back garden.

Thingwees like the Mantis tiller/cultivators are probably for heavy allotment type work.

[PAULW]

A rotavator has wheels that drive it along with the blades behind, a cultivator has no wheels and is driven by the blades and the tiller is usally hand held.

[Bigmallly]

Looks like someone else had the same question.

tillers, rotavators, and cultivators: what's the difference? - GardenBanter.co.uk

[Norm]

Just to give you an idea, this is a Rotavator
Garden Rotavator,Agricultural Rotavator,Garden Rotavator Manufacturer,Agricultural Rotavator Manufacturer,India
but then again, so is this
Gardening Tools Direct: The Handy Electric Garden Cultivator for UK delivery
This is a tiller
Mantis Garden Tools - Mantis Tillers
and so is this
Honda Power Equipment - FG110AT
This is a cultivator
Cordless Garden Cultivator from Black and Decker
but there again, so is this
mini power tiller(HH1WG-80FQ) HH1WG-80FQ power tiller CN;CHO products
It depends on what the manufacturer wants to call it. The words are interchangeable and at the end of the day, it's just a machine to chop up the soil without the gardener breaking their back.(unless you get a big one and decide to lift in up)

[geoff]

Thanks for all your comments. I asked at my local garden machinery/lawnmower repair dealer, and he also says that the three terms are more or less interchangeable. Though Americans tend to use 'tiller' and British 'rotovator' for the same kind of machine

I'll tell you why I'm interested; I have been given an old, circa 1970, rotovator. Basically sound, just needs TLC, I'll let you know more about it when I've poked at it a bit more. Don't know the make, the label has worn off, and even the repair man isn't too sure