Southland SRTT196E Rear Tine Tiller with 196cc, 4 Cycle, 9.6 foot-pound, OHV Engine

I was looking to buy a tiller to start a homestead at my property in Western New York. I did lots of research and what I came up with was either a Husqvarna or this Southland. Honestly it came down to reveiws and word of mouth in the end. I had a close friend that had a Husqvarna and although they liked it stated it had some issues. So I decided to go with the Southland and I am so very very happy I did. I have used it to till up two areas that come close to 2000 square feet in total size. The Southland tiller cant be stopped its a true beast, tearing up rocky hard packed soil like butter, and even chewing through very large tree roots like it was going out of style. I dont have a single complaint so far I would absolutely recomend this tiller to anyone that was looking for one. If your looking for a super strong, reliable, well built, workhorse than the Southland SRT196E is your tiller.

This tiller is a beast!! With that said, I just have to say this is a fantastic addition to my yard equipment arsenal. It chewed through my 5 yr old, grass sod like it had already been tilled. The fact that it doesn't have free wheel mobility, without pulling the main wheel pin (which buy the way holds the wheel on the unit) is a no brainer. You have forward power and reverse power, which is plenty slow enough to maneuver. The forward and reverse levers work like a throttle the farther you depress the quicker it goes, which isn't that fast. Of course you have to tilt the tiller up so the tines don't hit stuff, but with the motor up front it is well balance. Very basic assembly all cables attached put it together in about 15-20 min. Very good price. This unit has pretty much every thing on it that you would find on a tiller for 8 hundred to a 1000 dollars, only difference would be size if tines and width of cut. This has to be one of my best scores.

Blended and the soil to fine compost with really expected effort from the tillee but the tiller really made mincemeat out of just barely disced yard. Once you learn not to fight the machine and till only the level soil( not edges of tilled garden, do those middle areas (6-12 inches wide) on the next pass) u find the tilling easier. The tiller just finished a 100x26 ft garden and did not miss a beat. I am pleased with the purchase, arrived appropriately with a lift gate and assembly was not difficult.

So far I love this thing. I had used two tillers in the recent past, a 16" craftsman and a 20" Husqavarna. This puts both to shame. Fired up on the first pull and is a monster. Very pleased. Now to see if it lasts.

Very capable tiller. Digs deep. Pulls through wet soil. Operates as described. Chinese engine seems as reliable and powerful as Briggs. Simple to assemble. Best used on flat soil. No complaints.

So far so good. The tiller tills great but when I got it out of the box the nuts and bolts was everywhere. Lucky for me they where all their. I would give it five stars but the metal that protects your feet from the tins has a dent. To me it's a bad design because it hits the depth bracket and I can't see a way to stop it. Other than that it's fine and I hope to have it for a long time.

I ordered this based on reviews. So far it's been ok.First order I placed, the unit came damaged in shipping...damaged/dented gas tank which I didn't notice until the shipper left (you have to be home to sign for the unit)Amazon was easy to work with and they replaced the unit no problem...just took another week.The unit was easy to assemble and started up no problem. I needed a 1/2" and 9/16" wrench and ratchet...that's it.The tiller is hard to control. The tiller dives off easily into the softer soil you just tilled in adjacent row and wheels spin so you need a little muscle to move it to get it back on track. It's not the best tracking thru uneven terrain...I had mounds built for my vine plants and it had difficulty.I'm sure on flat and level it will do fine....but it's a workout for sure tilling the garden.Another downside is that there is one gear for everything.

On the whole this tiller works well. The wheels however, are not good quality. You cannot change an inner tube manually without the wheels bending. Also, the edges are not rounded at all, so while not sharp, the edges are keen enough to cut and tear the rubber and bead of the tire when using mounting irons to get the tire onto the wheel.