Glossary
The words you'll meet when researching a machine, explained without the jargon. Skim it, or use it as a reference while you read our reviews and guides.
- Brushless motor
- A more efficient, longer-lasting electric motor design. On cordless machines it means more work per charge and less to wear out.
- Compaction
- Soil squeezed dense by weight or traffic, which roots and water struggle to penetrate. Heavy clay compacts easily; the right machine and timing help break it up.
- Corded electric
- Mains-powered via a cable. Light, quiet and maintenance-free, with unlimited run time, but tethered to a socket and limited in power. Best for small, close-to-the-house plots.
- Cordless / battery
- Runs on a rechargeable battery. Quiet, clean and easy to start, with freedom to roam; run time and outright power depend on the battery, and a spare pack is often worth having.
- Counter-rotating tines
- Tines that spin backwards relative to travel, found on capable rear-tine machines. They dig aggressively into hard ground rather than walking over it.
- Cultivator
- A lighter machine for stirring the top few centimetres of already-worked soil — ideal for weeding between rows and preparing a seedbed, less suited to breaking new ground.
- Electric start
- A battery and starter motor that start the engine at the push of a button — far easier than a pull-cord, at some extra cost and weight.
- Front-tine tiller
- The tines sit in front of the wheels (or the machine has no driven wheels). Light, affordable and manoeuvrable, but they can skip across hard ground and take more effort to control.
- Grey import
- A machine brought in from outside the official UK supply chain — common for global-market diesel two-wheel tractors. Prices look low, but there is no UK dealer network, so factor in parts and support.
- Honda GX engine
- A widely used family of reliable petrol engines (GX160, GX200, GX340, GX390…) fitted to many tillers and two-wheel tractors. The number roughly tracks engine size and power.
- Mid-tine / mid-mounted
- Tines mounted centrally under the machine, balancing the handling of front-tine designs with better control. Common on mid-range petrol tillers.
- Power take-off (PTO)
- A driven shaft that transfers engine power to an attachment. PTO-driven machines can run implements beyond tillage, which is what separates a true two-wheel tractor from a simple tiller.
- Pull-cord (recoil) start
- Starting a petrol engine by pulling a cord. Reliable and simple, but can be hard work on bigger engines or for anyone with limited grip or shoulder strength.
- Rear-tine tiller
- The tines sit behind driven wheels. Heavier and more expensive, but far more capable on hard or compacted ground because the machine pulls itself along while the tines dig.
- Reverse / inversion tiller (Umkehrfräse)
- A professional rotor that lifts lower soil to the surface and buries surface trash, producing a fine, level seedbed in one pass. Mostly seen on two-wheel tractors.
- Rotary hoe
- On two-wheel tractors, a rotary-hoe attachment performs the tilling. The term also describes the digging action itself — tines rotating on a horizontal shaft.
- Rotavator
- A machine that turns soil with powered rotating blades (tines). "Rotavator" was originally a Howard trademark and is now the everyday UK word for the whole category. You will see it spelled several ways — rotavator, rotovator, rotivator and rotorvator all mean the same machine; the first two are the common forms, the others are widespread misspellings. In the US the same machine is a rototiller.
- Rototiller
- The standard American term for what the UK calls a rotavator — a machine that breaks up soil with powered rotating tines. Also written roto-tiller or shortened to tiller. There is no difference in the machine, only in the word: US listings say rototiller and rear-tine tiller where UK ones say rotavator.
- Tiller
- Broadly the same idea as a rotavator: a machine with rotating tines that breaks up and mixes soil. "Tiller" tends to be used for smaller garden machines; "rotavator" for anything from a garden tiller up. In American usage "tiller" (or rototiller) covers the whole category, including the big rear-tine machines a UK buyer would call a rotavator.
- Tilth
- The crumbly, workable structure of well-cultivated soil. A "fine tilth" is the goal for a seedbed — small, even crumbs rather than clods.
- Tine
- The curved blade that does the digging. Sets of tines bolt onto a rotor; more or wider tines mean a wider cut. Worn or bent tines dig poorly and stress the gearbox.
- Two-wheel tractor
- A walk-behind power unit with a gearbox and power take-off (PTO) that drives interchangeable attachments — a tiller, mower, flail, plough and more. The professional end of the category (Tier A).
- Working depth
- How deep the tines reach. Deeper is better for breaking new ground or a seedbed; shallow passes suit weeding and surface preparation.
- Working width
- How wide a strip the machine cultivates in one pass, in centimetres. Wider covers ground faster but is harder to handle in tight spaces and needs more power.