A Rototiller is the gardening tool for those who want to transform their boring yards into lush green gardens. They make soil soft and moist, allowing the roots to penetrate the ground easily.
Rototillers run on motor and hence they are easier to operate than hand tools which take a lot of time and effort to operate.

Tilling and aerating are similar processes but tilling is done before the plants are sown in the ground to give them room to grow. Aerating is done after the plants start growing to remove weeds and keep the soil full of oxygen.
1. Tilling is the process of loosening the soil to make it suitable for roots of the plants to penetrate the ground.
2. Aerating is a technique to pull out weeds and keeping soil loose enough to keep it oxygenated.
Tillers are used to till the soil and cultivators are used for aerating. Cultivators are smaller in size than tillers so that they don’t harm the plants while aerating and de-weeding the ground.

Both tillers and cultivators are used to improve the soil, but a tiller is used to improve the consistency of the soil for sowing seeds.
The cultivator is used after the plants have grown to de-weed the ground and keep the soil airy. Latter is small to save the plants and their roots from harm.

A spade, trowel or even a hand fork can till a piece of land if one has the time and energy. Plus, lifting and handling these tools involves serious risk to the back health (spine). 
Rototillers with motors are a blessing if you want a perfectly tilled garden with a uniform soil consistency in no time. They can also enrich the soil with fertilizers, compost manure and other additives.

Length and Position of Tines
Tines are the most important feature of any garden tiller as they loosen the soil in the garden. They have to be positioned the right way to ensure that the soil is getting cut properly.
The front-positioned tines are easier to push through loosened soil, whereas, rear-positioned tines cut deep into the soil and are good for a very tough ground.
Electric, Gas, Battery-Operated or Hand-Powered Tiller?
Before buying a tiller, it is very important to consider its power source. If you have a small garden, it is advisable to go for an electric tiller as you will never have to worry about the fuel. Then again, you will have to stay near the power source or might have to invest in a longer power cord if you own a larger piece of land.
Gas tillers are more powerful than electric ones and can till the soil of the toughest grounds easily. They can cut deep through compact patches of dirt, rocks and roots but are harder to push and take a lot of arm strength to operate. They can also be a handful to maintain and consume oil and gas even when not in use. So be sure to fill-in no more than needed fuel. Also, check-out these tips to better maintain your garden tiller.
Battery operated tiller is a great option to avoid the use of electricity (and gas) and are safer too. But they can turn out to be less durable. Therefore, it is advisable to go through the customer reviews before buying one for your garden. Plus, the ones with a Ni-cad Battery will run out soon so, it is better to go for the ones with Lithium-Ion batteries.
For those of you with small gardens that don’t require frequent tilling, hand-powered tiller is a great option. Although they require more physical work to operate, they are perfect for weed removal, loosening soil and are cheaper compared to gas and electric-powered tillers.

Front Tine Tiller
Front-Tine rototiller has two metal prongs protruding from the front of the machine wheels and is directly under the engine. They require a lot of strength to operate and are suitable for land area of less than 1000 sq. feet. They can be quite tough on your back and knees but are a cost-effective option.
Mid-Tined Tiller
Mid-Tined Rototillers are easier to move (compared to front tine) as the engine is placed exactly above the tines, making the tiller more balanced and easy to operate across the garden. Though they are quite pricey as compared to the front-tined tillers but the comfort they offer is worth the price.
Rear Tined Tiller
Rear-Tined Rototillers are available in either counter or standard rotation, and in some, the digging direction can be reversed to make the process of upturning the ground easier. They are a great option for large gardens and are easy to steer and control.

1. If you own a garden which is small and the soil is not very compact, then you can go for front-tined tillers. They will do the job well and won’t cost much.
2. But, if your garden is about a 1000 sq. feet with lumps of dirt for soil, then you should definitely go for a Mid-Tined Tiller which won’t be a burden on your back and knees as they are easy to work with.
3. While for a tough ground which needs serious tilling, a rear-tined tiller will be the best option as they are easy to control and are heavy duty tillers to deal with densely tight rocks and lumps.
Rototillers can have counter-rotating tines which work in opposite direction to the wheels, and forward rotating tines, which work in the same direction as wheels. A counter-rotating tine digs deeper and is tough to the tightly packed ground. Dual Rotating Tines are also available in Rear-Tines Tillers but, even powerful ones are Vertical Dual Rotating Tines, which face downwards and rotate, making them the quietest of all.

The tilling width of a tiller depends on its size and type of tines. The width range varies from 6 inches in a small tiller to up-to 20 inches or greater in a heavy-duty tiller. The rear-tined garden tillers are available in the width range, which varies from 16 to 18 inches.

The Rear-tined tillers have adjustable digging capacity, with an option to change to suit the ground requirements. For a comparatively shallow ground with compact soil, a 6-8-inch depth would do but for a ground which has never undergone tilling before, a 10-inch-deep-digging tiller is the best option.

It is important to have a steady drag bar to keep the rototiller digging at a consistent level. You can adjust it according to your height. A good rototiller will always come with a drag bar to help you keep the ground even and keep the tiller balanced as well.

If the terrain you want to tiller is quite rough and has rocks, then the counterweight can save you from jerks it might experience. The counterweight will ensure that the weight of the tiller has a good balance, stability and the wheels are heavy enough to keep the tiller on the ground.

A garden tiller which you can move smoothly is important. The transmission has to be durable, cast-iron with a bronze gear drive, or seal chain. Also, the ability to go forward or backward, which fastens the tilling process is a result of good transmission.

This depends on your location and the climate of that place. It’s recommended to till any garden when its soil is dry and not wet. If you till on a wet soil you could compact the soil and potentially damage the tines – which makes your task harder.
Tilling at the beginning of the planting season makes the soil consistent and perfect for the roots to penetrate. It also helps to de-root the weeds and mix the decaying matter back into the dirt to keep the ground fertile. Thus, fall is the season to till the garden soil as the leaves shed by trees get tilled along with the soil and it gets enough time to settle before the spring arrives.

A tiller can have either an Electric Motor or a Gas-Powered Motor. The power options for a rototiller are:
1. Electric Powered Tillers
2. Gas Powered Tillers
3. Hand Powered Tillers
4. Solar Powered Tillers

The number of cycles or strokes a tiller engine has is also a feature to look out for. The rototillers come in two variations, 2-cycle and 4-cycle engine. The difference between the two is that the 4-cycle engine is more ecologically efficient, lasts longer and makes the work easier.
While, the 2-cycle engine gets a better power boost, which is better for the soil. They are cheap and lighter versions which might last very long. If you can invest more, then go for the former, 4-cycle engine as the durability will pay off.

The electric engines aren’t powerful enough to support heavy-duty tasks, thus most of the powerful rear-tined tillers are gas-powered. Engines manufactured by Honda, Briggs and Stratton are the best ones in Gas Engines and some generic ones like the ones in Southland’s are also quite durable.

Hand-operated garden tillers come handy to till small areas like back lawns, home gardens etc. Big machines require power to operate unlike hand-operated tillers which can be used anytime, anywhere.
In places where electricity supply is inefficient, the garden can easily be tilled with the aid of hand-operated tillers.
These tillers allow a chance to precisely examine the ground conditions on our own and make the required small changes, if needed. Thus, it allows efficient handling with better precision.
Apart from all that, in today’s tech-savvy world – these tillers allow us to have a little physical exertion which is important as well. It allows us to do something on our own, without any tech-based gadget. Moreover, it increases our chances of being tied to the nature closely.

OHV Engines stand for ‘Overhead Valve’ Engines. A rototiller with OHV Engine has many advantages over a non-OHV Engine. They consume less fuel, provide higher torque, don’t over-heat easily, last longer and most importantly, they are cleaner engines. They are better for environment as they consume less fuel and are less expensive to maintain and operate.

The power of the tiller you need depends on the task you want to use it for. A corded electric tiller is less expensive and is best for your garden or backyard needs. The electric powered motors strength is in amps, the smaller ones range from around 5 to 6 amps while larger ones can be of up to 10 amps. And some can go even up to 12 amps.
Gas-Powered Rototillers are more powerful than electric-powered tillers. Although they are more powerful, but they are less eco-friendly as they cause more pollution and are much louder.

The right blade depends on what you want to do with the tiller. Here are a few you can choose from:
1. Bolo Blade: Goes deep into the soil and is used in the basic tine design
2. Slasher Blade: It cuts through the flowerbeds you think have overgrown.
3. Pick and Chisel: A blade designed specially to deal with the tightly packed ground.

As discussed above, the choice of a garden tiller depends on many factors such as:
1. The task for which you need a tiller.
2. Your expertise with gardening tools.
3. Soil condition and garden/farm size.
For a beginner, the most basic tiller can be beneficial especially if you want to maintain your garden or backyard.