Parts of a Tiller – Labeled Rear-Tine Garden Tiller

All 13 parts on the diagram

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Engine and drive 7

Engine A small gasoline engine at the front. It powers both the wheels and the tines.
Wheels Two driven wheels with lugged tires. On a rear-tine tiller they pull the machine along.
Fuel tank It holds the gasoline for the engine. The cap is on top.
Starter handle The grip on the starter rope. A sharp pull spins the engine to start it.
Transmission The gear case behind the engine. It turns the wheels and the tines.
Belt cover The cover over the drive belt and its pulleys. The belt carries power from the engine to the transmission.
Shift lever It selects the gear. Typical positions are forward, neutral and reverse.

Controls and tines 6

Tines Curved steel blades that dig as they turn. They break up and mix the soil.
Handlebar The operator holds it to steer from behind. It carries the throttle and the clutch lever.
Tine shield The cover over the turning tines. It keeps soil and stones from flying up. Some makers call it the tine hood.
Depth stake A bar that drags in the soil behind the tines. Its height sets how deep they dig. Also called a depth regulator or drag bar.
Clutch lever Squeezed against the grip, it sets the wheels and tines turning. Let go and they stop. Some makers call it a clutch bail.
Throttle The lever that sets engine speed. It sits on the handlebar within reach of the grip.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-10-01; a name is kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) A maker's operator's manuals for two rear-tine garden tillers (two brands of one company, counted once), https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7319262 and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7337092 (Its controls and features figure: clutch bail and tine engagement, tines, rear tine shield, wheel, depth regulator, handle; also engine, fuel tank, clutch lever, throttle, transmission, tine shaft, depth stake, belt cover.) (2) A second company's manuals and parts lists for rear-tine tillers (three brands of one company, counted once), https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7245566 and https://archive.org/details/manualzz-id-822472 and https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-658885 (Handlebar, wheel and tine control bail, shift lever, engine, fuel tank, starter handle, depth bar, belt guard and belt cover, tine cover and hood, depth regulator lever, drag stake, transmission, wheels, tines.) (3) A third maker's operator's manual for a rear-tine tiller, https://archive.org/details/manualsonline-id-0d8df095-0dad-4629-bc00-4d45976c97cd (Engine, fuel tank, recoil starter handle, handle, drive control bar, throttle, shift lever, transmission, wheels, tines, tine shield, side shields, depth stake, belt guard.) (4) A fourth maker's owner's manual for a rear-tine tiller, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7281085 (Engine, fuel tank, starter handle, handlebar, clutch lever, throttle, shift lever, transmission, tines, drag bar, belt cover.) (5) A fifth maker's manual for a rear-tine tiller, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7287283 (Engine, fuel tank, handlebar, drive control, throttle, transmission, wheels, tines, tine shield, depth regulator, drag bar, belt cover.) (6) Wikipedia, English edition, Cultivator, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivator (A rotary tiller turns tines to stir and break up the soil; walk-behind tillers with driven wheels.) No maker is named. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; own work, no maker's model copied. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a garden tiller, the walk-behind machine that breaks up soil. This one is a rear-tine tiller: the tines turn behind the wheels. A boat's tiller is its steering arm, labeled on the parts of a sailboat.

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Engine, drive and controls

The engine sits at the front with its fuel tank on top; pulling the starter handle starts it. A belt under the belt cover carries the power to the transmission, which turns the wheels and the tines. The shift lever picks the gear. The operator walks behind and steers by the handlebar: the throttle sets engine speed, and squeezing the clutch lever sets the wheels and tines turning.

Tines and depth

The tines are curved blades on a shaft that dig as they turn. The tine shield covers them. Behind them, the depth stake drags in the soil; setting it higher or lower changes how deep the tines dig.

On a front-tine tiller the tines sit under the engine and pull the machine along, and the wheels behind them only carry it.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a tiller called?

An engine with a fuel tank and starter handle, a transmission, wheels, tines under a tine shield, a depth stake, and a handlebar that carries the throttle and the clutch lever. Many rear-tine tillers also have a shift lever.

What are the blades on a tiller called?

Tines. They are curved steel blades bolted to a shaft that the transmission turns. As they spin they dig into the ground and break up the soil.

What does the depth stake on a tiller do?

It is the bar behind the tines that drags in the soil. The owner's manuals read for this page say that raising or lowering it sets how deep the tines dig. Some makers call it a depth regulator or drag bar.

What is the difference between a rear-tine and a front-tine tiller?

On a rear-tine tiller the engine drives the wheels and the tines turn behind them. On a front-tine tiller the tines are in front under the engine and move the machine forward as they dig.