Features:

  • POWERFUL ENGINE: 29cc 4-cycle engine is powerful while producing less noise to handle a variety of tasks.
  • EASY TRANSPORT AND STORAGE: The lightweight design, integrated grab bar, and foldable plow handle make this unit easy to move and store.
  • ADJUSTABLE TILLING WIDTH AND DEPTH: Choose your desired setting—adjust tilling width from 6” to 12” and Dept up to 6”.
  • SIX PATENTED STEEL TINES: Premium soil prep with six 8-point Premium cultivating tines.
  • EASY 2-STEP START: Easy start technology simplifies starting; just prime and pull!
Great Tiller for Smaller Gardens and Small Tilling Tasks

I must admit to a fair amount of excitement when I received this tiller. We had a previous generation Craftsman tiller that was a bit smaller than this one, and we literally used it until it broke. So, when the box arrived I had to open it up and get the tiller set up immediately. Preparation of this tiller is fairly easy. The most difficult thing to do was get the tiller out of the box. Once out, the handle unfolds and screws into place. Insert the wheel support and lock into position. Do NOT lose the locking pin that secures the pin that holds the wheel support bar to the tiller. Our initial setting was the lowest position for the wheel so that we could roll the tiller around. Next, add oil, the entire contents of the bottle included with the tiller. Finally, add gas. Before starting, I raised the wheel to be able to till deeply. I later lowered the wheel to minimum for maximum tilling depth. Starting is a breeze. Push the fuel bulb ten times. Put the ON/OFF switch into on, and start pulling the starter cord. To my surprise, the tiller engine died almost immediately when I pulled the lever on the handle. Another pull on the starter cord and the engine kept going this time. I quickly knocked out 20 or 30 square feet of garden that the significant other wanted tilled. Admittedly, using a small tiller can be a fair amount of work because the tiller works best when pulled backward, and the width is small, so it takes a few passes to complete even a small area. But, smaller tillers, such as this one, are easier to store and maneuver than larger tillers, and typically easier to start. In addition, the tiller tines are allegedly patented for more effective and efficient tilling. Once I finished tilling, stopping the engine is easy, needing just to flip the ON/OFF switch to OFF Note that this tiller includes a 4-cycle engine, so DO NOT mix oil with the gas. One other thing to consider when the tiller is used a final time for a season. We usually put TruFuel in our small engines when we are fairly certain that we have started an engine for the last time until next season. That goes for our snow blower, our lawn mower, weed whackers, leaf blower, and any other small engine. The alcohol that is in most gas dries out in the carburetor valves and causes fuel flow problems, but using TruFuel seems to solve that problem. Admittedly, TruFuel is expensive, but cheaper than a trip to a small engine repair shop. Just be sure to use the correct TruFuel for the engine; i.e., get the 4-cycle or 2-cycle fuel as appropriate to the engine. Note that the handle can fold down for storage. Also, the front of the tiller includes a handle that is useful for maneuvering the tiller. Our assessment of value is average. Several manufacturers make these small tillers, and the prices are similar to each other. Sometimes these tillers go on sale, which helps with the price. Even then, do not look for bargain basement prices on tillers of this size because supply and demand are usually stable. Our overall assessment is five stars. Consider that we have used multiple tillers, all the way from tillers smaller than this tiller all the way up to 8 Hp reverse-tine tillers that eat dirt down to 10 or 12 inches. This tiller performs well for its size and is easy to start. I personally love this smaller tiller for its maneuverability and relatively light weight. With proper care, this tiller should provide many years of use. Enjoy!

Wow! From patch of yard to tilled and ready for garden in no time!

There is a good amount of power packed into this little unit! I only have one previous experience to compare it to and this was way easier than the giant tiller I used previously and just as effective. Setup was a breeze - put the wheels on, add the oil and gas, prime and start 'er up! I thought the wheels were very wobbly and it was a design flaw, but after using this, I think it's supposed to be loose to go with the terrain as you till. At work, the wheels were not a liability. Trying to wheel it back to the shed was a little more interesting - like pulling a drunken pet on a leash. Use was straightforward, but required a lot of pulling backward to get the right amount of depth and soil movement. Once you get the hang of it, it was really quite easy to turn over a 10x30 patch of our yard in prep for planting some veggies. Had to refill the gas tank after about an hour, but it chugged straight through. After its done its days work, the handle folds down and this stores in a very small footprint. I put ours under what is about a 2'x2' shelf about 2' high. Compact and powerful. That's what you need for an occasional use tool that you need to tuck away between uses.

Highly recommend

I have raised garden beds and this piece of equipment is perfect and totally works great. The only negative I have to say about it is that when you start it and you dont have your foot on the back wheel it WILL MOVE ON YOU WITHOUT EVEN HOLDING THE HANDLE. I am not a fan of that kinda dangerous. But easy to use and move and lift.

Lightweight Powerful Tiller

Yes, it's good to be outdoors again! And it's good to be out with the new Craftsman 12-inch 4 cycle tiller! This tiller is just right for my situation... small garden, no storage space :) Yes this Craftsman is sweet, she is good to go right out of the box, just pop on the wheels straighten & tighten the handlebars & you are ready to oil/gas n go! No need to mix oil into the gas for this machine! Put the included oil in the engine 1st off.... then filler up... prime it 10 times, flip the switch to ON & give it a good pull [should take 1-3 pulls] & you are up n running! This machine is pretty lightweight & has good power, vibration is not too bad, it's a bit noisy....not too bad though all things considered. When tilling it is easy to manage, control is simple n easy..... although after using it for extended periods of time your right hand can get a little fatigued.holding in the throttle. Adjusting depth & width is quick & easy.... this is a tiller designed to be both user friendly as well as capable.... not an easy balance to strike.... yet they did a great job IMO. IMO this tiller is best suited for small - medium sized gardens, and those looking for a tiller that is lightweight & easy to move & store .. those who have big gardens & till alot would likely be better off getting something bigger. I personally find this tiller to be "just right" for my situation.... it performed well and because of that I really like it! So I am inclined to give this Craftsman 4 cylinder 12 inch tiller a ..... 5 Star rating as well as a Quality product recommendation :)

Butter!! Extremely satisfied with the experience and results

Butter! That is the best definition I can give this awesome machine. I have only used it for about one hour (almost one full tank). I started with my 3 raised beds (each measure 16’x5’) the soil was very packed from last season from kids and dogs walking on it. I started to try to fluff the dirt by hand but was not making much progress. It took me about 10 minutes each and after I was done the soil was perfect. I then moved on to help my neighbor with his large on ground garden for another 30 minutes or so. His soil was way to packed and full or rocks, however though it took a lot more muscle to get it all tilled, once we were done it was also as fluffy as it could get. So I can attest that it was perfection maneuver around small area like my flower beds and for a larger section as well. So four thumbs up here! When this tiller arrived I was quick to set it up (less than 5 minutes). All you have to do is tie up a couple screws on the handle that comes folded, dump the small container of engine oil in the oil tank, and fill it up the gas tank with high grade gasoline (less than 10% ethanol). I just used the highest grade regular gas that I could find ($3.50 per gallon) or you can buy the $20 ethanol free gallon at a hardware store, but since what caught my attention was the fact that this unite does not require you to mix 2 cycle oil in with gas, or use pre mix gasoline (it is a 4 cycle engine), I just used regular gas and it worked great. Starting the unit is really as simple as they claim. Pump the gas pressurizer into the tank 10 times, and it took me 3 pulls to start it on the first time, after that it took me a single pull!! If you are dealing with good soil, you can get the job done very fast and it is actually surprisingly satisfying to see the dirt getting mixed so easily and being ready to plant right after. It is a bit of an investment at first, but if you have a lot of planting ground to take care of, this is for sure a real back saver and does a much more consistent job than manually with a hoe or rake. Please let me know if you found this helpful by clicking on the “Helpful” button below, and leave a comment below if you have questions or would like to see other pictures and I will do my best to answer it. Cheers. Cass

A great little cultivator/light-tiller

Let's get the value portion of the equation over with. This is a bit expensive. I purchased a tiller last year that had more power for almost half the price... but price isn't everything. What you're mostly paying for here is that fact that it's a 4-stroke, and that's something worth paying extra for. As a four-stroke, it has far less stinky emissions, is a little bit quieter, and uses regular gas - no mixing of gas and oil. So, comparing prices and features, I might rate this one a star less, but as far as four-strokes go, this is a good value and a great little machine (although, admittedly, I've only used it once so far - I'll post updates if anything changes.) I put in the oil (separate, like car's), filled it with gas, primed the pump and started it up. Took about 10 pulls to start it the first time, but the pull isn't hard. There's a switch that's kind of hiding that might be a choke switch, but there appears to be no need to set the choke as with most 2-strokes (and most 4 strokes) which is also nice. There is also no two-position on/off switch to try to remember which way to set it - the switch is spring loaded - you press it only when you want to kill the motor and then it returns to normal "waiting to start" position. So, to start it, press the gas bulb a few times and pull the cord. Easy peasy. We have INCREDIBLY hard, clay soil and I think if I tried to tackle it with this, it probably wouldn't do well - but then it's not supposed to - it's not a full-on tiller. When I used it on moistened clay, it did GREAT, and therefore obviously also did great on cultivating previously processed soil... very fast. My wife was really impressed with it and I think she will never again touch our medium or large tiller as long as she can use this little guy. As long as it's durable, based on our initial break-in job, this is a GREAT little unit.

Compares Favorably with Mantis 2-Cycle Tiller

I now have 3 tillers, a 7 Horse Power Craftsman Rear Tine Tiller, a Mantis 2-Cycle Tiller, and this Craftsman 12-Inch 29cc 4-Cycle Gas Cultivator/Tiller. I am basing my review on a comparison with my Mantis 2 cycle Tiller, because I seldom use the big Craftsman tiller anymore, because it has worked my yard and garden into an excellent tilth condition over the years. The Mantis has been my go to tiller for 3 or 4 years now, because it is light, and does a great job of tilling and stirring my compost pile. The major draw back was it is two cycle - - - so oil must be mixed with the gas, meaning a separate gas can in the garage that ends up being stored for long periods ( Not Fresh Gas ). This Craftsman 12-Inch 4-Cycle Gas Tiller came almost completely ready to use. I just had to position the handle and add the supplied oil and my own fresh gas ( which is the same as my mower uses ). This small Craftsman handles and performs almost the same as my Mantis and DOES NOT need oil mixed into the gas. The Craftsman 12-Inch Cultivator/Tiller has 6 sets of tines and the Mantis has 4 sets of tines - but they both break up the soil and incorporate organic matter about the same. I find I prefer the position of the starter rope on the Mantis to the position of the starter rope on the Craftsman - - - but this may be because I have been using the Mantis for several years and have become accustomed to it. To be honest, I would not have purchased this Craftsman 12-Inch 29cc 4-Cycle Gas Cultivator/Tiller because it is not a big improvement over my Mantis - - - BUT it was a Vine Offering and a chance to have a 4 Cycle Tiller that was small, powerful enough for my current needs, and easy to maneuver. It is a very good small cultivator type tiller and less expensive than the Mantis equivalent.

Powerful little number !

Perfect tiller for my vegetable garden herein Oregon.

Quick assembly, easy to use, works great.

We've been looking at tillers for a while but never picked one up. Boy was that a mistake. We have several small planting areas plus we had a small grub infestation. So we had a bunch of areas that needed some deep cleanup and tilling. Up to now I've been doing all the yard work manually - shovel, rake, repeat. Mix in peat, topsoil, slow release fertilizer, maybe some moisture retaining particles - depending what's going there. First I tilled up the veggie garden. This was an old sandbox with landscaping brick sides, probably 50 square feet. I removed much of the sand then added lots of soil to build it up, tamped it down. Added in top soil and peat, tilled it, tamped down, planted the seeds. Probably spent an hour total on this. Then on to the damages lawn sections - the dead grass was already removed and the lawn treated, but a light tilling helps the seeds take faster. Lowered the wheels all the way for the shallowest tilling. Tilled several small areas, tossed on the seeds, raked in, tamped down, watered. The tiller is a huge time saver and does a much better job than a shovel and rake. One problem I had was finding Ethanol free / low ethanol gas. Took a few minutes in Google maps, but found a couple of stations a few minutes away. I also REALLY like that I don't have to mix the oil and gas - it's a 4 cycle engine. Assemble took about 5 minutes - nothing to it. The oil is included - all you need is the gas. Several primes, a couple of pulls and off you go. A couple of asides: The wheel height adjustment is made by a rod/pin set in various holes, held in place with a hitch pin. I wish they would have used a "safety pin" lynch pin (aka caster lock pin) so the pin can't go missing. I lost it in on the third use. Snagged it on some bushes and did not notice until the wheels popped all the way up. The gas level is clearly visible in the semi-transparent gas tank. The handle feels a little light weight and is provided tension by a thin, visible spring. I greased this up to prevent rusting. When done, hose off the tines. I like to spray some WD40 on them is storing for more than a couple of weeks to prevent any rust.

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