A tiller is a gasoline-powered machine with a greater working width than a cultivator, making it a good option for heavier jobs. Tillers are more powerful than cultivators and have larger, heavy-duty tines that work the soil.

Front-tine tillers can perform general garden maintenance such as weeding, soil preparation and composting in small or medium gardens. A small tiller like this has tines that help move the machine while digging into the soil. Some have the option to engage the tines in forward or reverse.

Rear-tine tillers have engine-driven wheels. These machines are best for larger planting areas. They can have forward-rotating tines that perform well in existing beds for cultivating, weeding and working in compost or old vegetation. Rear-tine tillers can also have counter-rotating tines that turn in the opposite direction of the wheels. Counter-rotating tines have more torque for breaking up new ground and can dig deeper into the soil. Some rear-tine tillers offer dual-rotating tines so you can select forward or counter rotation to match the work you need to do.