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When it comes to breaking ground for a garden , there is not an wanton solution . You could spare money and drop more meter and drive by using a shovel , or you may spend more money and save time and effort with a rototiller . These machine make out in different shapes and sizes , from battery - powered mini cultivators to expectant rear - tine rototillers powered by gas engines . For intensive in - footing horticulture on a larger scale , the rearward - tine option is the most effective . I latterly tested one of the most popular models , theTroy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT garden tiller .
Troy - Biltinvented the rototiller elbow room back in 1937 and is still one of the well - know brands in the business enterprise . Whether you ’re farm an acre of veggie , flowers , or herb or a few hundred square feet , there ’s a correct - size Troy - Bilt tiller for the Book of Job . The Troy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT garden cultivator is one of the ship’s company ’s small rear - tine models , and it ’s an idealistic option for backyard gardeners . Although it ’s a great simple machine , it ’s not suited for every garden . In the revaluation forwards , I ’ll offer my observance from testing the Troy - Bilt Super Bronco tiller for a month and turn 1,600 square feet of soil . ( There are plenty of reasons it do out on top among several of thebest rototillersI’ve used . )
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
Troy-Bilt Super Bronco CRT Garden Tiller: At a Glance
Rating:4.8/5
SPECS
WHAT WE LIKE
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
Get the Troy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT cultivator at :
What is the Troy-Bilt Super Bronco CRT tiller?
The Troy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT cultivator is one of the most democratic rear - tine rototillers for twist compacted land in large gardens . CRT stands for “ antagonistic - rotate tine , ” which mean that the tines spread out in the opposite direction of the steering wheel . This frame-up allows the machine to dig deeper with less effort than a onward - turn out cultivator or raiser .
The Super Bronco CRT tiller come equip with a 208cc gas engine , 13 - inch gentle wind - fill agricultural tires , and 10 - in bolo - manner tine . It also include a power - turnabout lineament to help with end turning and maneuvering around obstacles . The tiller covers a 16 - inch swath and hit a maximal tilling depth of 6 inches .
I get together the Super Bronco CRT this springtime and quiz it by turn my 1,500 - straight - animal foot veg garden and burst ground on a unexampled 100 - straight - foot flower bed . The mud - based filth and gently slope terrain offer several important performance stop to consider . When garden prep was over , I was pleased with the results . The tiller started easily each meter and did a great job breaking reason and combine the filth . It was easy to operate along the long , square runs . But I also note a few aim issue that , if addressed , could elevate the substance abuser experience .
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
Starting
TheTroy - Bilt Super Bronco CRThas a introductory recoil startle system of rules that works utterly . It started easily , idled swimmingly , and the engine extend quietly ( for a gas - power rototiller ) . When I applied the drive lever tumbler , the political machine moved well without jerky movements or inordinate stochasticity .
The engine typically lead off on the first pull after I ’d set the choke . There was low resistance on the recoil corduroy , which made starting even easier . After I ’d strike the choke coil lever tumbler to the run perspective , the railway locomotive idle very swimmingly disregardless of the accelerator position . When I engage the drive lever to start till , the engine persist in to run fluid , strong , and steady under the load . The on / off switch located on the upper handgrip makes it profligate and convenient to kill the locomotive engine in the event of an emergency .
Handling
The Super Bronco CRT has to be one of the easiest tiller to manoeuvre within its price cooking stove . The railway locomotive weightiness was well balanced ahead of the drive wheel in ordering to provide adequate downward pressure on the tine and take wheel . The curved configuration of the tines also added to the ease of manipulation , since they tend to kick out larger stone rather than “ leap ” over them .
Deep - treaded tyre give the machine well traction and stability in my mildly slosh garden . I did not experience excessive lateral movement as I tilled along the contours . Turning at the course ends was easy enough thanks to the helper of the powered - reverse feature article , which I used to make three - point turns . It tracked very well in square rows , making it easy to till up the larger vegetable plot . However , turning became cumbersome in the confines of the smaller bloom bed .
Another decent lineament was the padded loop handle . For my established garden , the grummet handle design made it easy to control the machine with one hand while I was standing off to the side and out of the freshly till dirt . This is much less doable with tillers that have bike - style handlebar .
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
I did not like that I had to reposition the rack to flip between tilling style and transport mode ; there is no neutral gear . The axle only turns forwards or backward while the engine is running and the battle lever tumbler is activated . In tilling mode , the wheels are fixed to the axle , but in rapture mode , the wheel spin freely around the axle .
Tilling Performance
I really liked this tiller ’s smooth operation and aggressive tilling power . The favorable weight balance , counterrotation , and curved - tine design allowed it to do its thing without transfer extravagant jarring movements to the hustler . It dug deeply and rest unchanging while till . Any rocks I run into , up to about the size of a softball game , were merely deposited at the control surface behind the tines .
One important notation : give up a brand - new garden bed demand some change in mental process . In tightly compact soil , the tire tended to slip one’s mind as the tine try out to dig deeper . I foresee that by raise the depth wager for shallow tilling on the first pass , then bring down the interest for a second , abstruse strait . Double tilling was only necessary in unbroken basis .
Durability
This Troy - Bilt rototiller load down plenitude of tilling power with fewer breakable parts . If the smooth mathematical process in my hard clay filth is an indicant of enduringness , then the Super Bronco CRT checks the box . It easily withstood the challenges of compacted soil , enceinte rocks , and buried Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree roots without stalling out or even bogging down under the tenor .
Compared to other rearward tine tillers on the marketplace , theTroy - Bilt Super Bronco CRThas fewer moving parts . The tines move in one direction , eliminating the need for a complicated contagion and shifter . The choke lever , trammel adjustment , and starter are all straightaway rise on the engine , so there are no cables to maintain or linkages to go bad .
The tubular sword loop topology handgrip may be the light point of this machine . It was sturdy enough for the true runs , but it twisted and flexed somewhat when steering around obstruction , traveling along slope contour or turn at the end of row . After till 1,600 square feet , it showed no sign of wear or permanent terms . However , the twist / flex movement was noticeable during more strenuous maneuvers .
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
Is the Troy-Bilt Super Bronco CRT tiller worth the money?
Priced at just under $ 1,000 , the Troy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT garden cultivator is one of the more expensive rototillers of its kind . Other 16 - inch rear - tine tiller range in Mary Leontyne Price from about $ 700 to $ 1,400 . Engine specifications and tilling dimensions are similar , so what ’s the deviation ? Troy - Bilt ’s simplified design and few superfluous features belie a simple machine that is designed and constructed well than cheaper alternative .
As the original discoverer of the rototiller , Troy - Bilt maintains a plan advantage over other stigma . The Super Bronco ’s weight - forward design and politic railway locomotive surgical operation are both a cut above the tatty competition . Also , Troy - Bilt ’s tine assemblies are adept , chopping heavy soils to a o.k. , loose grain and leaving behind a politic bed alternatively of soil ridge . Less- expensive models may grok the soil , but they require more handwork after tilling .
Should you buy the Troy-Bilt Super Bronco CRT tiller?
The Troy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT tiller is an ideal pick for great garden , but it ’s not the ripe option for everyone . This tiller makes flying work of large garden plots , include heavy mud dirt and sod busting for new garden plots . It works long , straight telephone line with simplicity . It is a overbold choice for spring garden preparation , descend garden cleanup , and crop garden pathway during the time of year . But it is too big for precision culture among young plants . Its weakness is turning , so it becomes too cumbersome to manage in smaller gardens .
If you ask a stalwart , well-situated - to - enjoyment tiller for a midsize or larger garden game that can be till in farsighted , full-strength rows , then the Troy - Bilt Super Bronco CRT tiller could be a great option . It packs plenty of digging power , smooth operation , and a simple design that is built to last .
Meet the Tester
As a 20 - year veteran landscaper , Mark Wolfe now writes and tests products with a focus on mechanically skillful durability and drug user convenience . His big yard provides plenty of opportunities to quiz sinewy horticulture equipment .
Everything You Need for a Lush and Healthy Lawn
Keeping your grass gullible and your plant thriving does n’t just take a green thumb — it starts with the ripe tools and supplies .
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
