Nice. My brother in law is giving me his soon as he cleans out his shed . Almost new. Looks perfect for what I need- prepping a few flower beds and putting in a lettuce patch. Thank you for the demonstration.
Your going to love it. Much easier to use this tiller than to do it by hand lol. A tip is to water the area that you plan to till a few hours before to help softened the soil some to make the job quicker
I bought another one a couple months ago. Each garden is around 25x50 and 25x15. I dig in deep walking forward until I reach the end of the row, then slowly walk back. Hills up rows and lines them up perfectly.
@@gabec2494that’s waaay to much garden for a small machine like that. You need a rear tine gas tiller. No wonder the gear box went on you. You killed it from overwork.😢
Sooo glad you made tbis video! I bought this tiller several years ago & it's still in the box because I was intimidated to use it! I'm now to going to attempt to do the same to my yard as you did in the video. Thanks!!!
I've had this about four months and have found it to be an aggressive and powerful rig. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxjo0FLo5z3Y_qUcT3vSlOqpMaMdFjvsXa I've used several others in the past and the Sun Joe surpasses these, easily. I note that several people have commented that it bounces on rocky and compacted soil. I believe that would be the case with all tillers - the ground does need to be "broken", either with a larger tractor type unit or with a shovel, and rocks need to be removed. I'm living on a Pike silt loam here in the midwest and the Sun Joe turns my garden to bug dust in two quick passes. I use a technique where I do a short 2 foot run then pull it back and let it go over it again.
Thank you for your review! Based on other videos I’ve watched, I wasn’t sure if I could control it as they seem very “jumpy.” Lifting & walking backwards seems so much better, I’m sold!!! Purchased one today! 🙂
A lot of rototilling videos show the operator walking FORWARD, but usually the tires are in front and the tines in the rear. I bought this same SunJoe tiller and it does work a lot easier walking backwards.
I think your suppose to let the machine do the work and slowly walk forward. I found it was easier to walk backwards and help the blades dig in. But I guess it depends on the dirt and this tiller is more for softer gardening dirt. My lawn hasn't been taken care off in years so it's hard packed dirt. The Sun Joe tiller sure made it easy to loosen up the dirt
I bought one also when I finally lost compression on a Troy Built 4 cyl cultivator. I get tired of working on gas engines and thought I'd try an electric 13.5 amp cultivator. First of all, it does not work as well as the Troy Built. It is much lighter and doesn't dig in as well. I'd say I work maybe 2-3 times harder breaking new ground with it than before. These are cultivators not tillers. To till a yard that big or a large or multiple gardens, the other poster is correct, it take a rear tined tiller. I'm in my 70's and pulling this through dirt eventually wears me out as the strength in my hand and fingers finally gives out trying to hang on and pull. I've always had a very strong grip, but you lose some of that with age. I don't care for front tined tillers either. I remember two that I used many years ago that also beat you up. But they do work more efficiently than these cultivators. These electrics are cultivators, meaning that you use them after the garden is in and all the ground has been turned already and you go over it to keep the weeds down by uprooting them between the plants or rows. Maybe someone young and energetic and persistent can use one of these and turn a whole yard, but here in Central Illinois the dirt is more compacted and many of the weeds and grasses have massive, spreading roots and runners. You really need to go deeper than these electrics can reach. But, once you do get your garden all tilled, next year will be easier. I miss my Troy Built 4 cycle gas and I thought it worked better than a Mantis I rented once. If you want to get the job done quickly and easily, get a rear tinned tiller and a smaller cultivator to go with it.
Thanks for the info. Being a 1st time home owner and actually working on a yard I'm still new to all these lawn tools. I borrowed this machine from my brother in law. Probably the wrong tool for the job, but I was able to do my whole small yard. Did take some work, but was able to complete in 1 day. We have clay here and with the kids riding their bike it becomes compacted fast. I think next time if I ever need to do my yard again I would try the bigger cultivator with the powered wheels. Should be much easier and faster :)
How long can you run the tiller at one time, I noticed after 10 to 15 minutes the aluminum drive casing got extremely hot to the touch, I'm limiting my tilling sessions accordingly with rest periods between sessions to allow gears to cool off. I prepped my garden spot (after reading reviews) from a few yrs back by using a shovel on the entire plot, turning it all over with big clay chunks with grass, when I got my tiller today I was surprised how powerful this little guy is. My last gas powered tiller died 3 yrs ago and at 71 I don't have the umph to manhandle big gassers any more.
It's funny you mention that about the drive casing cuz I saw someone in a comment say they got through believe it's something like 3 years and four Garden maintenances before the drive box blew sounds like it might be a weak point on this, but in that case if you know it that's super handy cuz maybe you could get way more time out of it if you just gave it a little rest here and there in between
Have you tested the nutrients in your soil? I tried for years to get my lawn to grow w/o success until I tested & treated. My ph was 8.0, yours maybe low. You want 6.5-7.0. My nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were barely detectable. To lower my ph I use Cesco Solutions Ammonium Sulfate. You can use pellets but they are slower acting. For NPK I use a bag fertilizer that isn't slow acting, there a are many. Thanks for your video & happy gardening.
Thanks. I've been watching a lot of lawn care videos lately and my lawn I'm sure is missing a lot of nutrients. I should get the soil tested soon. I was able to get new grass to grow, but it didn't last long. I miss being able to walk on nice soft grass barefoot.
If your cord is overheating from use.. then maybe you need a electric power cord with a thicker gauge wire at least a 12/3 100 ft. SJTW 15 Amp, 125-Volt 1875-Watt
My yard where I used this didn't have much grass beside dried up bermuda grass. The Sunjoe had no issues tearing up that. Under my Avocado tree I have St Augustine grass, but since that section is growing nice and clean I didn't touch up on that. I think the Sunjoe might work harder since those are much thicker with long runners
I only grew grass on part of my yard, but left the side curb area dirt. It came out pretty nice, but California is in a drought again so I didn't keep up with watering my lawn lately
That looks like my yard now! I hate it! Weeds intertwined with grass but mostly just....WEEDS!!! I've tried weed killer, pulling them, digging them out with a shovel. It's a constant battle! So now I'm going to do what you did in this vid. I'm going to take a tiller to it Does anyone have any suggestions for a good tiller that's under $200?
Yup that was how my yard was. I would recommend maybe renting a decent machine from Homedepot to make the job easier, or maybe hire some local guys to till up your whole yard. The Sunjoe is a little small for the job, but you could use it in your garden later on.
Thanks for the video. I thought this was supposed to come with a 100' cord. Did you just use your own b/c you had it handy or does it not come with a 100' cord after all?
I actually borrowed this from my brother-in-law. But I don’t believe it comes with any extension cords. You have to use your own and the max length they recommend is 100ft.
@@Funcentric I didn’t know it didn’t come with a cord either. I’m waiting on Amazon to deliver mines today. That’s kind of disappointing. I thought I would be able to start my garden today before my husband got home. Certain places he didn’t want me to till and I’m gonna do it away. I know he’ll like what I do. He thinks I’m gonna mess up the yard. I’ll have to wait on him now 😭
@@AshleyAshleyAshley395 Haha! Yeah, i guess with the price, we shouldn't really have expected a cord. I guess the company also knows people have different needs for length. Good luck with your project...and with your husband!
Have you developed any tips or tricks to making the whole experience a little "smoother?" I guess dragging backwards would be the best way when putting more force into going deeper?
Yeah dragging backwards seems to let the machine dig more into the ground. But it takes a coupke passes to get deeper. Pushing tends to make the machine jump. But I think it depends on the dirt. My lawn hasn't been taken care of in years so its full of old grass and crab grass, and hard dried up dirt.. I think this tiller is more for softer soil like gardens and damp dirt.
@@tonytypes OK, thanks. Yeah, mine is mostly clay.. Not TOO hard/compacted at the surface but my biggest problem might come from roots of a tree I have recently removed/grinded down. I've found its roots in ever corner of my backyard so far! 😕
I have a yard full of weeds and was considering this. But was wondering should I spray weed killer on them first to kill them.then use this machine? Then replant the grass? Just wondering what steps to take that would be most efficient.
The weeds won't make a difference in what the machine can or can't do it will rip them up. They will just still be in the soil after you rip it up. Does that make sense? You could do what this person did is till the first 3 or 4 inches. Take everything up, that way you're getting the weeds and roots and then do a plethora of grass seed. That's my two cents
Late reply, but it should work. Maybe a little big for the job. I saw there are other nice cordless battery powered cultivators from Ryobi that should be perfect for what you have
Sorry for the late reply. A heavy duty 10-12 gauge extension is recommended if your planning to use more than 100ft. For 50ft a 14 garage extension should be more than enough
Not sure what is considered hard dirt. I'm in southern California and the dirt here to me is hard when dry. But I think in other states like Arizona dirt is really hard with rocks. I don't think this tiller will work well in that kind of dirt. Maybe of the yard/garden is small it should work fine. Just take it easy and watering the dirt before tilling helps
high traffic area. soil is compacted. need to dig deeper down an put in some drainage channels with gravel. enrich soil with peat moss and whatever else. or it's just going to keep compacting over time.
Yup. Being a first time homeowner and actually trying to work on my lawn I didn't know much. I thought dirt was just dirt. I didn't know the difference between compacted dirt vs a normal lawn. No wonder grass never grew in many spots of my yard no matter how much I water or put grass seeds. But after watching a lot of lawn care videos I've learned a lot.
I have a yard full of weeds and was considering this. But was wondering should I spray weed killer on them first to kill them.then use this machine? Then replant the grass? Just wondering what steps to take that would be most efficient.
Haha instructions on how to put undesired additional forces on things… cord only gets in way if your going backwards IMO… tbh that’s done a terrible job it’s ment to till the soil not shave the grass 😂😂😂😂😂
Nice. My brother in law is giving me his soon as he cleans out his shed . Almost new. Looks perfect for what I need- prepping a few flower beds and putting in a lettuce patch. Thank you for the demonstration.
Your going to love it. Much easier to use this tiller than to do it by hand lol. A tip is to water the area that you plan to till a few hours before to help softened the soil some to make the job quicker
@@tonytypes 😁👍
Got 3 years and 4 gardens maintained before I blew my gearbox. Worth every penny for sure.
That's awesome.
I bought another one a couple months ago. Each garden is around 25x50 and 25x15. I dig in deep walking forward until I reach the end of the row, then slowly walk back. Hills up rows and lines them up perfectly.
@@gabec2494that’s waaay to much garden for a small machine like that. You need a rear tine gas tiller. No wonder the gear box went on you. You killed it from overwork.😢
This thing only appears useful for the most basic, small areas. I appreciate your taking the time to review this before I purchased one.
Yeah pretty good huh?
YT is so awesome, isn’t it!
Sooo glad you made tbis video! I bought this tiller several years ago & it's still in the box because I was intimidated to use it! I'm now to going to attempt to do the same to my yard as you did in the video. Thanks!!!
Thank you. I was looking at this tiller online & because of your video, I am going to purchase this tiller.
Awesome glad that the video was helpful. It's a great little tiller that works.
Mine should be here tomorrow. This will be my 2nd and you can’t beat it.
First. Timer here! This video is perfect Perfect. About to do this in a small section of my yard in about 30mins.
I've had this about four months and have found it to be an aggressive and powerful rig. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxjo0FLo5z3Y_qUcT3vSlOqpMaMdFjvsXa I've used several others in the past and the Sun Joe surpasses these, easily. I note that several people have commented that it bounces on rocky and compacted soil. I believe that would be the case with all tillers - the ground does need to be "broken", either with a larger tractor type unit or with a shovel, and rocks need to be removed. I'm living on a Pike silt loam here in the midwest and the Sun Joe turns my garden to bug dust in two quick passes. I use a technique where I do a short 2 foot run then pull it back and let it go over it again.
Great video thank you!! I will be using mines for the first time tomorrow.
Thank you for your review! Based on other videos I’ve watched, I wasn’t sure if I could control it as they seem very “jumpy.” Lifting & walking backwards seems so much better, I’m sold!!! Purchased one today! 🙂
Good review. Very helpful. Shoes how it works and what to expect during and after. Good job having your son video tape while doing the tilling.
Thank you for sharing and showing me how to use this tiller
I'm very much a beginner! I have a smaller version. This is how I'm learning.
Awesome! Very good demo
Thanks so much Tony! Perfect video!!
Excellent video. Just ordered one. Thanks.
Great review!Thank you!
A lot of rototilling videos show the operator walking FORWARD, but usually the tires are in front and the tines in the rear. I bought this same SunJoe tiller and it does work a lot easier walking backwards.
I think your suppose to let the machine do the work and slowly walk forward. I found it was easier to walk backwards and help the blades dig in. But I guess it depends on the dirt and this tiller is more for softer gardening dirt. My lawn hasn't been taken care off in years so it's hard packed dirt. The Sun Joe tiller sure made it easy to loosen up the dirt
thanks for the review! this is awesome
I bought one also when I finally lost compression on a Troy Built 4 cyl cultivator. I get tired of working on gas engines and thought I'd try an electric 13.5 amp cultivator. First of all, it does not work as well as the Troy Built. It is much lighter and doesn't dig in as well. I'd say I work maybe 2-3 times harder breaking new ground with it than before. These are cultivators not tillers. To till a yard that big or a large or multiple gardens, the other poster is correct, it take a rear tined tiller. I'm in my 70's and pulling this through dirt eventually wears me out as the strength in my hand and fingers finally gives out trying to hang on and pull. I've always had a very strong grip, but you lose some of that with age. I don't care for front tined tillers either. I remember two that I used many years ago that also beat you up. But they do work more efficiently than these cultivators. These electrics are cultivators, meaning that you use them after the garden is in and all the ground has been turned already and you go over it to keep the weeds down by uprooting them between the plants or rows. Maybe someone young and energetic and persistent can use one of these and turn a whole yard, but here in Central Illinois the dirt is more compacted and many of the weeds and grasses have massive, spreading roots and runners. You really need to go deeper than these electrics can reach. But, once you do get your garden all tilled, next year will be easier. I miss my Troy Built 4 cycle gas and I thought it worked better than a Mantis I rented once. If you want to get the job done quickly and easily, get a rear tinned tiller and a smaller cultivator to go with it.
Thanks for the info. Being a 1st time home owner and actually working on a yard I'm still new to all these lawn tools. I borrowed this machine from my brother in law. Probably the wrong tool for the job, but I was able to do my whole small yard. Did take some work, but was able to complete in 1 day. We have clay here and with the kids riding their bike it becomes compacted fast. I think next time if I ever need to do my yard again I would try the bigger cultivator with the powered wheels. Should be much easier and faster :)
Great video, thank you for this!👍🏽
Thanks for the review :)
wow it really scratched the surface , awesome. ty i wont be buying an electric tiller now .
How long can you run the tiller at one time, I noticed after 10 to 15 minutes the aluminum drive casing got extremely hot to the touch, I'm limiting my tilling sessions accordingly with rest periods between sessions to allow gears to cool off. I prepped my garden spot (after reading reviews) from a few yrs back by using a shovel on the entire plot, turning it all over with big clay chunks with grass, when I got my tiller today I was surprised how powerful this little guy is. My last gas powered tiller died 3 yrs ago and at 71 I don't have the umph to manhandle big gassers any more.
It's funny you mention that about the drive casing cuz I saw someone in a comment say they got through believe it's something like 3 years and four Garden maintenances before the drive box blew sounds like it might be a weak point on this, but in that case if you know it that's super handy cuz maybe you could get way more time out of it if you just gave it a little rest here and there in between
@@ANARCHYTOORDERMy thoughts as well.
Have you tested the nutrients in your soil? I tried for years to get my lawn to grow w/o success until I tested & treated. My ph was 8.0, yours maybe low. You want 6.5-7.0. My nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were barely detectable. To lower my ph I use Cesco Solutions Ammonium Sulfate. You can use pellets but they are slower acting. For NPK I use a bag fertilizer that isn't slow acting, there a are many.
Thanks for your video & happy gardening.
Thanks. I've been watching a lot of lawn care videos lately and my lawn I'm sure is missing a lot of nutrients. I should get the soil tested soon. I was able to get new grass to grow, but it didn't last long. I miss being able to walk on nice soft grass barefoot.
You can't kill crabgrass, it's not dead. Just not green (yet). It turns brown in the winter
Nice video thanks bro
If your cord is overheating from use.. then maybe you need a electric power cord with a thicker gauge wire at least a 12/3 100 ft. SJTW 15 Amp, 125-Volt 1875-Watt
Can this tiller till soil 2' down?
Thanks for sharing 👍
I wanted to see how it does in grass. I take a hand rake to clean the grass from the tines. Thank you
My yard where I used this didn't have much grass beside dried up bermuda grass. The Sunjoe had no issues tearing up that. Under my Avocado tree I have St Augustine grass, but since that section is growing nice and clean I didn't touch up on that. I think the Sunjoe might work harder since those are much thicker with long runners
Any update on how the yard looks. Did you grow any grass.
I only grew grass on part of my yard, but left the side curb area dirt. It came out pretty nice, but California is in a drought again so I didn't keep up with watering my lawn lately
I just got one for small garden and maybe level ground for above pool
That looks like my yard now!
I hate it! Weeds intertwined with grass but mostly just....WEEDS!!!
I've tried weed killer, pulling them, digging them out with a shovel.
It's a constant battle!
So now I'm going to do what you did in this vid.
I'm going to take a tiller to it
Does anyone have any suggestions for a good tiller that's under $200?
Yup that was how my yard was. I would recommend maybe renting a decent machine from Homedepot to make the job easier, or maybe hire some local guys to till up your whole yard. The Sunjoe is a little small for the job, but you could use it in your garden later on.
Thanks for the video. I thought this was supposed to come with a 100' cord. Did you just use your own b/c you had it handy or does it not come with a 100' cord after all?
I actually borrowed this from my brother-in-law. But I don’t believe it comes with any extension cords. You have to use your own and the max length they recommend is 100ft.
@@tonytypes ohhhh, I see. Got it. I thought it came with the cord itself. Okay, looks like I need to order a cord.
@@Funcentric I didn’t know it didn’t come with a cord either. I’m waiting on Amazon to deliver mines today. That’s kind of disappointing. I thought I would be able to start my garden today before my husband got home. Certain places he didn’t want me to till and I’m gonna do it away. I know he’ll like what I do. He thinks I’m gonna mess up the yard. I’ll have to wait on him now 😭
@@AshleyAshleyAshley395 Haha! Yeah, i guess with the price, we shouldn't really have expected a cord. I guess the company also knows people have different needs for length. Good luck with your project...and with your husband!
Have you developed any tips or tricks to making the whole experience a little "smoother?"
I guess dragging backwards would be the best way when putting more force into going deeper?
Yeah dragging backwards seems to let the machine dig more into the ground. But it takes a coupke passes to get deeper. Pushing tends to make the machine jump. But I think it depends on the dirt. My lawn hasn't been taken care of in years so its full of old grass and crab grass, and hard dried up dirt.. I think this tiller is more for softer soil like gardens and damp dirt.
@@tonytypes OK, thanks. Yeah, mine is mostly clay.. Not TOO hard/compacted at the surface but my biggest problem might come from roots of a tree I have recently removed/grinded down. I've found its roots in ever corner of my backyard so far! 😕
Yeah. Don’t be a wussy…
I have a yard full of weeds and was considering this.
But was wondering should I spray weed killer on them first to kill them.then use this machine?
Then replant the grass?
Just wondering what steps to take that would be most efficient.
The weeds won't make a difference in what the machine can or can't do it will rip them up. They will just still be in the soil after you rip it up. Does that make sense?
You could do what this person did is till the first 3 or 4 inches. Take everything up, that way you're getting the weeds and roots and then do a plethora of grass seed. That's my two cents
Can this be used to turn up the soil in my planter?
My planter is is 8 ft x3 feet x 10 inches in height.
Late reply, but it should work. Maybe a little big for the job. I saw there are other nice cordless battery powered cultivators from Ryobi that should be perfect for what you have
somebody help please!!!!!
what's the best extension cord for these tiller????????
Sorry for the late reply. A heavy duty 10-12 gauge extension is recommended if your planning to use more than 100ft. For 50ft a 14 garage extension should be more than enough
Have you used it with hard dirt?
Not sure what is considered hard dirt. I'm in southern California and the dirt here to me is hard when dry. But I think in other states like Arizona dirt is really hard with rocks. I don't think this tiller will work well in that kind of dirt. Maybe of the yard/garden is small it should work fine. Just take it easy and watering the dirt before tilling helps
Is that Bermuda grass
you should have used a dethatcher
Ear protection highly recommended.
yeah and moving your car ,lol
high traffic area. soil is compacted. need to dig deeper down an put in some drainage channels with gravel. enrich soil with peat moss and whatever else. or it's just going to keep compacting over time.
Yup. Being a first time homeowner and actually trying to work on my lawn I didn't know much. I thought dirt was just dirt. I didn't know the difference between compacted dirt vs a normal lawn. No wonder grass never grew in many spots of my yard no matter how much I water or put grass seeds. But after watching a lot of lawn care videos I've learned a lot.
Omg! I could’ve bought one instead of renting a crappy rototiller from HD
How much is yr machine, Malaysia ringgit…….? Do u all deliver to Malaysia or u have any. Branches please W.app
I just got mine off of Amazon and it was about $100 in the US
Its not a bud- din, its a but- ton
Lol sorry grew up in the southern state 😅
DO NOT GO CORDLESS!!!! They won't get anything done
but he's damaging the roots of that tree with blossoms in front of him!
No not really. The rose bush is not affected at all as the old roots grow all over in the ground
It's not going that deep
Actually you could have sprayed out the weeds, applied a high nitrogen fertilizer and enjoyed the Bermuda grass you just tilled up.
What do you recommend to spray out weeds?
I have a yard full of weeds and was considering this.
But was wondering should I spray weed killer on them first to kill them.then use this machine?
Then replant the grass?
Just wondering what steps to take that would be most efficient.
Learn to use a tiller. You don't pull them backwards
Works either direction.
Haha instructions on how to put undesired additional forces on things… cord only gets in way if your going backwards IMO… tbh that’s done a terrible job it’s ment to till the soil not shave the grass 😂😂😂😂😂
talks to much had to skip 3 mins ahead
Lol sorry I do tend to talk way too much than.
I disagree, I thought that you did an awesome job explaining this & I loved your son’s input 😊