How to Operate a Lawn Tiller

A lawn or garden tiller helps cultivate and prepare soil for planting.

A lawn tiller, also known as a garden tiller or rotary tiller, is a tool that uses a set of blades to break up soil. Lawn tillers can save you hours of labor by crumbling clumps of compacted dirt and preparing your soil for planting a garden or lawn. Lawn tillers may also be used to mix in soil amendments such as fertilizer or compost. Lawn tillers can be bought or rented at most home-improvement stores.

Instructions

1. Mow the area you plan to till to eliminate large weeds and long blades of grass. These can clog the blades of a lawn tiller. Water the area if the soil is very compacted or if it is clay.

2. Inspect the area for any large roots or rocks that could dangerously disrupt the path of the tiller. Dispose of any you find and make sure that children and pets are nowhere near where you are tilling.

3. Remove the pin from the shaft behind the wheels of the tiller and put it in the hole on the handle. Move the throttle to the "Run" or "Start" position and yank the pull-cord to start the motor.

4. Grasp both handles of the tiller in a strong grip and squeeze the clutch lever with your left hand. This will cause the blades of the tiller to begin cutting into the ground. Propel the tiller forward, keeping the blades in the soil.

5. Let go of the clutch lever to stop the tiller blades. At the end of a row, let go of the clutch lever, then push the handle down to remove the blades from the soil once they've stopped. Roll the tiller to the start of the next row and squeeze the clutch lever to restart the blades.

6. Clean the tiller blades with water after you finish tilling. Do not spray water on or near the engine while it is hot.

Tips & Warnings

• Change the oil in your lawn tiller at least once a year.

• Don't store your tiller in direct sunlight.

• Never tape down or otherwise disable a tiller's operator-presence control, which prevents the blades from working if you're not operating the tiller.

• Keep your feet and hands away from the tiller blades.

References

• LSU AgCenter: Rotary Tiller Safety and Maintenance
• Rototiller Site: How To Use A Rototiller