Manufacturers Of Tillers – Part 2
May 1, 2026 in Articles, Machinery
Following on from part 1, here are the details of seven more garden tillers which were sold during the 1950s to the ’90s.
Part 1 can be found here
All the clickable picture links in the text are photos in the VHGMC gallery pages – no external link
MTD/Lawnflite
In the early 1980s, several domestic cultivators made by MTD, branded Lawnflite, were imported by Barrus Ltd.
The model 320, as shown in the image, was said to be designed specifically for tough European conditions. It had a 5 hp recoil-start Briggs & Stratton engine and a three step chain reduction drive with one forward gear.
The 320 also had removable transport wheels, dead-mans clutch, and a swinging 7″ adjustable depth bar. The working width was 26″ with 13″ tines. In 1982 it was £345.
A smaller cultivator was the model 030. This had a 3 hp B&S engine, 10″ tines with a 18″ working width, and a single-speed 3-step chain reduction drive. It had folding handles but the wheels were not detachable. It could easily fold up and be put in a car boot. Here is a picture. In 1982 it was £256.
Qualcast / Atco
In the late 1970s, Qualcast had two Cultimatic tillers: the Super and the De Luxe. Later, these can also be found liveried as ATCO with green paintwork.
The Cultimatic Super was powered by a 98cc Suffolk engine (as shown in the picture), while the De Luxe had a 4 hp Briggs & Stratton engine.
They could have two speeds, and the De Luxe gained reverse drive.
The Cultimatics came with heavy-duty slasher rotor blades, but could have ridger, fine rotor, and hoe attachments.
In the mid-1980s, when Wolseley Webb (who produced the Merry Tiller) was acquired by the Birmid-Qualcast company, they were able to examine the Merry Tiller designs for new models. These included the Merry Tiller Cadet, which served as the basis for the Qualcast Cultimatic B66; it was fitted with a Suffolk 114cc four-stroke engine.
Snapper
In the late 1970s and in the 1980s, Saxon Industries imported Snapper tillers into the UK.
There appear to be four main models: The front-tined 301T and 501T as in the picture, and the rear-tined R5001 and R8001.
The 301T had a 3 hp Briggs & Stratton engine, while the 501T was 5 hp, but they were essentially the same machines. Both had recoil start engines and a single forward speed. The working width was 26″ with a 10″ depth.
Optional attachments included harrows, dozer blades, plough, extension tines, and heavy-duty tyres to replace the standard 10″ wheels. The base 301T with 3 hp was £375 in 1985.
The rear-tined R5001 and R8001 only varied in B&S engine size of 5 hp and 8 hp respectively. They were wheel rather than blade propelled, and had four forward plus one reverse gears. The working width was 20″ with an 8″ depth. They also had reverse tine rotation for hard ground conditions.
MEP
P and E Garden Machinery imported the Italian-made MEP (Merazzini Ernesto, based in Parabiago, Italy) cultivators into the UK in the 1980s.
These yellow-painted tillers, which were equipped with standard transport wheels, were avaialable in two models: the Cricket 3.5, and the Cricket 5 as in the picture.
Both machines had the same working credentials of a 9″-21″ working width and a 6″ depth. But the Cricket 3.5 had a 3.5 hp Tecumseh engine, while the Cricket 5 had a 5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. Both had recoil start.
Landmaster
Several Landmaster cultivators were popular for the domestic vegetable garden in the 1960s and ’70s.
The smaller Gardenmaster – here is a picture of different models – had a varied range from the 1950s. These two-wheel tillers, with differing designs depending on the model number, all featured a shaft-driven out-front tiller assembly, which could be equipped with additional items such as rotary and cylinder mowers, as well as a flexible drive for accessories like a hedge trimmer. The E10 model was a mains-electric version and was developed from the L88 Super design.
The mid-1960s Landmaster Mo’dig was a similar idea to the Gardenmaster – here is a picture. Again, it had multiple attachments for use as a cultivator, mower, rake, and weeder.
Landmaster produced more traditional cultivators along the Merry Tiller theme, as shown in the above image of the model L120. These included the L120/130/140/150, and the Lion. Here is a picture of the Landmaster L150 fitted with a Briggs & Stratton engine.
The Lion model was touted as a general purpose cultivator and two-wheeled tractor. Many attachments were available. As a cultivator it had three pairs of slasher tines giving a 33″ working width. Drive wheels could be fitted in place of the tines, this made it a two-wheel tractor that could be attached to a trailer, or power a shredder. It was fitted with either a 7 hp 4-stroke or 6 hp 2-stroke engine, with two forward and one reverse gears. Here is a picture of the Lion.
Roper
The American brand Roper had tillers to complement their range of 1980s domestic mowing equipment.
Two popular 5 hp models were the front-tined RF550 and the rear-tined RT150. Briggs & Stratton engines powered both; they also had chain-driven transmissions and reverse gears, but otherwise were completely different machines.
The front-tined RF550 – as in the picture – had 13″ tines which gave a 26″ working width. It had 8″ solid tyres, and folding and adjustable handles.
Surprisingly, the rear-tined RT150 gave less performance; it had 12″ tines with just a 17″ working width. Its handles did not fold, but it did have more substantial tyres, which were 13″ pneumatic, and side shields and a front counter weight. Here is a picture of the RT150.
John Deere
Alongside a range of mowers and lawn tractors, John Deere also sold the model 624 tiller in the UK in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. It was £385 in 1980.
The 624, as in the picture, had a recoil-start 6 hp Tecumseh engine. It had one forward gear plus reverse.
The 2″ wide heat-treated tines had a 13″ to 24″ working width and a 7″ depth. Optional tine extensions increased the width to 34″.
A lesser model was the 324, with a 2 hp Briggs and Stratton engine. It had a 16″ working width and a 7″ depth. This model remains elusive in the UK.
Additional Models
Other tiller models from this era include, but are certainly not limited to, examples from AL-KO (Farmer 300 range), Ariens, Ferrari, Gilson, Honda, Iseki, Kubota, Mac Garda, Masport (Rota-Hoe. 1970s) with Morrison Industries LTD (Mini Hoe. 1980s), Solo, Via LTD (Belvoir and Burghley models), and many others.
