Scheppach MTP560

Where the MTP560 sits in the Scheppach range

Scheppach's MTP petrol tillers run from the MTP470 at 48 cm to the MTP1100 at 110 cm, with the MTE380 electric below them. The MTP560 is the cheapest petrol model on our pages, at an indicative £130–200, and it pairs a 150 cc four-stroke rated at 3.7 PS with a width that adjusts from 36 to 56 cm. Oddly, the narrower MTP470 carries the bigger 5.7 hp engine and costs a little more, at roughly £180–260.

That makes the choice inside the range less obvious than the model numbers suggest. The MTP560 trades power for width and price; the MTP470 trades width for power. When shopping online, also note the MTP570 SE: Scheppach lists it with the same 3.7 PS, the same 36–56 cm adjustable width and the same 24 blades, so read the listing carefully and compare the actual price rather than assuming the higher number means a bigger machine.

What 150 cc and 24 blades mean in practice

The MTP560 works with 24 hoe blades of 260 mm diameter, and Scheppach gives a working depth of up to 130 mm. That is a shallow, bed-preparation depth: enough to loosen a worked vegetable bed, mix in compost and knock down weeds, not enough to bury turf or open a plot that has never been dug. The 36 cm setting is the one for paths between rows and narrow beds; 56 cm is for open ground.

The drive is as simple as it gets, with a clutch lever and a forward gear. With a 150 cc engine and front tines doing the pulling, the machine relies on soil that the blades can enter easily. On hard ground it will skip and shake, which is where the vibration complaint comes from. Keep it on ground that has been dug before and it behaves far better.

Who it suits and who should skip it

It suits someone with established beds who wants a petrol tiller for a few sessions a year and does not want to spend dealer-machine money. At 30.8 kg gross it is light enough to lift into a car, and the adjustable transport wheel makes moving it around the garden easy. Skip it if you are starting from grass or compacted clay, if you will use it every week through the season, or if vibration and noise in the hands bother you. Our best budget rotavator guide sets it against the other low-cost options.

Buying online and the first season

The MTP560 is mainly sold online in the UK, which keeps the price down but means nobody prepares it for you. Before the first start, check the oil with the dipstick and top it up to the mark, and check it again before every session after that. Scheppach specifies a spark plug tightening torque of 25–30 Nm, which is worth knowing because an over-tightened plug in a small engine is a common and avoidable repair.

Used budget tillers are worth very little, so a second-hand MTP560 only makes sense at a clear discount to a new one. Look at the blades for bending and heavy wear, make sure the clutch lever pulls and returns cleanly, and start it from cold. A machine that shakes noticeably more than expected at idle may have loose blade bolts or a bent tine shaft.