Are you looking to expand your garden into new weedy or rocky terrain? You’re thinking of using a rototiller but you want it to start easily. You don’t want to use a pull cord over and over while you till up a new patch. So you’re wondering and was I, are there any rototillers made with push-button starts?
The short answer is yes, there are a variety of rototillers that have easy or push-button start without using pull cords.
Here’s a list of electric tillers. All-electric tillers have easy push-button electric starts.
- Sun Joe TJ600E 16-Inch 12-Amp Electric Tiller and Cultivator (see review below)
- Mantis 3550 Electric Tiller/Cultivator (see review below)
- Earthwise TC70016 16-Inch 13.5-Amp Corded Electric Tiller (see review below)
Here’s a list of current gas models with push-button starts:
- Husqvarna DRT900E 17″ Dual Rotating Rear Tine Tiller With Electric Start (see review below)
- Troy-Bilt 250cc Pony Electric Start Tiller
- BCS 722 8 HP Honda With Electric Start
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Our Top Picks
Best Overall Push Button Start Electric Tiller for Gardens Close To The House – Earthwise TC70016 16-Inch 13.5-Amp Corded Electric Tiller/Cultivator
No products found.
What We Like
- Easy to start
- Low amps doesn’t heat up the extension cords or the engine
- Comfortable single piece handle
- Wheels prevent the tiller from digging too deep
- Can till 400 square feet in under an hour
- Best digging capability for the price
- Quiet
- No smoke from a gas engine
- Lightweight
- Easy to assemble and start tilling
What We Don’t Like
- Can’t till through strong roots. Must be removed manually.
- Weeds get caught in tines
- Can’t use in rain
Best Push Button Start Tiller For the Price – Sun Joe TJ600E Joe 14-Inch 6.5 Amp Electric Tiller/Cultivator
No products found.
What We Like
- Easy to start – no more pull starts
- Makes garden tilling easy
- Wheel-less design let’s you dig deeper
- No more gas engine maintenance issues
What We Don’t Like
- Wheel-less design puts more strain on back and arms
- Can’t use in rain
Premium Push Button Start Tiller – Mantis 7250-00-03 Electric Tiller
No products found.
What We Like
- Easy to start
- Ease of use outweighs the negatives of using extension cords
- Premium tines and motor
- Wheels keep you from digging too deep
- Wheels take the stress off your lower back and arms when using
- Very fast tine speed
- Super quiet
- Great replacement for an older gas-powered Mantis. Many parts will work in both.
- Easy to clear when tines get clogged
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
- Can’t use in rain
Best 17″ Rear Tine Gas Tiller w Electric Start – Husqvarna DRT900E 17″ Dual Rotating Rear Tine Tiller, Electric Start
There aren’t a ton of gas tillers that use an electric start on the market. The best we found was by one of our favorite brands, Husqvarna.
The Husqvarna DRT900E 17″ Dual Rotating Rear Tine Tiller has an electric start as well as the following things we like and don’t like:
- Easy push button electric start
- Can be used in the rain
- Rear tine so it can tear up tough sod and rockier soils
- Long lasting
- Cheaper than other rear tine gas tillers on Amazon
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive compared to all-electric tillers
- Somewhat hard to find. You can buy one online here (no affiliation) though it may be better to check your local Home Depot and Lowes to see if they have a rental.
- Big, heavy, and harder to maneuver
How To Choose The Best Push Button Start Tiller For You
Our top picks above were all-electric. In general, I found that electric tillers were easier to use. Thus their lightweight and ease outweighed the annoyance of lugging around extension cords.
Still, if you have a garden that’s far from the house I’d consider renting an electric start gas model like those listed in the beginning of the article.
Gas or Electric Tiller, Which Is Best?
Why choose gas? I recommend you rent a gas unit for the following reasons (gas units tend to be far more expensive than electric so renting is best):
- Your garden is far from electrical outlets or it would be a huge pain to lug around all the extension cords.
- You already have a gas tiller or a neighbor does
- Heavier weight makes them better for getting through roots and tough weeds
- Better for blending dense high clay soils
- Better for larger plots. By our estimates you can cultivate about 400 square feet an hour with an electric tiller. Higher powered gas models will go even faster.
Reasons to use an electric cultivator or tiller:
- Lighter weight
- Quieter
- No gas smells on clothes or working around exhaust
- Can still cultivate 400 square feet an hour
- Easy to start and operate
- Cheaper than gas models
Cultivator Versus Tiller, What’s the Difference?
Cultivators are used on prepared soil to break up larger chunks of tilled soil. Use a cultivator to prep last year’s garden. These aren’t to be used on the fresh lawn.
Tillers are more powerful. Use a tiller to convert the lawn into a garden or to tear through roots and thick weeds.
What’s The Best CC Engineer for Electric Start Gas Tillers?
This depends on what you are tilling. Use a higher CC engine to till larger garden plots or to turn lots of lawns into garden soil. You can also use high CC engines on weedier yards.
Since those jobs are relatively rare it’s best to borrow or rent one of these when needed.
Annual prepping of soil is best done with lower cc engines or our favorite electric tillers.
What’s the Best AMP Power for Electric Tillers?
Higher amp tillers in the 13 AMP and 13.5 AMP range are best for tilling lawn into a new garden or cutting through thick weeds, high clay soils, and even some roots.
Lower amp tillers in the 8.5 AMP range are great for preparing last year’s garden for this year’s planting. They draw less power through the electric cords and are lighter on your fuse panel.
Should I Use a Rear Tine or Front Tine Garden Tiller?
Use a front tine tiller in crowded spaces to easily get around rocks, bushes, and other obstacles.
Use rear tine tillers for large open spaces when you need to till a lot of ground.
Why and When To Use a Battery Powered Tiller
Black and Decker offers a lightweight battery-powered cultivator
