A garden tiller saves energy and time and is therefore a real help when it comes to your own greenery. When renting, however, you should pay attention to a few important aspects in order to actually benefit from their use.
In a nutshell
- Depending on the individual requirements, the ideal garden tiller is designed and dimensioned in completely different ways
- there are devices with combustion engines or electric motors of different performance classes
- large working widths increase the area coverage, but are unwieldy in cramped conditions
- different providers offer rental equipment at different conditions
Vendors & Prices
Tillers are available for hire from a variety of hardware stores and online retailers. The following table is intended to give you an overview of the different costs that you will incur with the provider of your choice.
| providers | Tariffs/Conditions | Technical information about the device | Vendor Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| OBI | 4 hours: €52.00 1 day: €65.00 1 WE: €97.50 (Fri 12:00 - Mon 12:00) 1 week: €162.50 Deposit: €250.00 | Working width: 50 cm Milling depth: 10 - 15 cm Weight: 90kg Fuel: Aspen 4 stroke Power: 5.5 hp Transport dimensions: 151x61x106 cm | - Return uncleaned possible (25 € cleaning fee) - all prices plus 10% liability exemption fee - if petrol or similar is required: purchase in the market, money back for the remainder upon delivery |
| bright way | 4 hours: €52.00 1 day: €65.00 1 WE: €97.50 (Fri 12:00 - Mon 12:00) 1 week: €162.50 Deposit: €250.00 | Working width: 50 cm | |
| bauhaus | 4 hours: €54.59 1 day: €81.88 1 WE: 122.82 € (Fri 1:00 p.m. - Mon 10:00 a.m.) from 7 days: savings rate €33.14/day Deposit: €200.00 | Working width: 50 cm Power: 4kW Engine type: 4-stroke regular gasoline Weight: 43.10 kg | - Devices are always returned cleaned/emptied/with a full tank of fuel, otherwise the deposit will be retained/invoiced - Delivery and collection of the rental item possible for a fee - Return of unused consumables |
| Boel's Rental | 1.5 hp: 2.80 € / day from 5 rental days 5.5 hp: €41.50 / day from 5 rental days 6 hp: €54.85 / day from 5 rental days 16 hp: 86.45 € / day from 5 rental days | vary by model | - All prices plus costs for maintenance, fuel, grinding, wear and tear, transport, cleaning, accessories, environmental taxes, surcharges for indemnification, fire/theft regulations - Price information often only on request, chargeable telephone number |
| Rentas | 1 day: 40 to 58 € 1 week: 140 to 203 € | vary by model | - Prices vary greatly depending on location - mainly represented in northern and western Germany - Security Deposit |
| erento.com | 1 day: 48 - 60 € 2 days: 108 - 132 € 3 days: €157.50 - €180 1 WE: 98 - 122.50 € 1 week: 190 - 310 € | vary by model | - Individuals/small businesses: sometimes cheaper - Offer does not cover all of Germany - individual deposit and rental conditions - partial delivery/pickup possible for a surcharge - Prices vary greatly seasonally and regionally |
Regional conditions
In many cities there are also local suppliers where you can rent tillers. We hope that the selection we have made will help you.
| city | Tariffs/Conditions | Technical data for the device | Vendors & Notices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 1 day (up to 8 hours): €101.15 from 5 days per rental day: €89.25 from 20 days per rental day: €71.25 | Working width: 51 cm Power: 9.5 kW / 13 hp Weight: 252kg 6 liter - petrol engine | KTG Baumaschinen GmbH - Delivery and collection costs calculated according to expenditure - Consumables not included in the price - Uncleaned return possible, additional costs for cleaning depending on the effort |
| Hamburg | 1 day: €70.00 | Detlev Offen e.K. - Machine & equipment rental Hamburg - Uncleaned return possible, cleaning fee 25 € - Deposit (usually 250 €) in advance, rental payment upon return - Price calculation (with TP = daily price for up to 24 hours) - WE short (Sat 8-Mo 10) = TP x 1.5 / WE long (Fri 7-Mo 10) = TP x 2 |
|
| Munich | 1 day: €79.00 (half €59.00) | vary by model | Agricultural and garden technology Spindler GmbH |
Your requirements
In order to actually make the right decision when renting, it is extremely important in advance what exactly you need the tiller for. Because based on your actual needs, you can select the device parameters so that they fit as best as possible and promise the best possible work success. Pay attention to the following aspects of the area of application:
- Working objective (development of beds, loosening of soil, removal of old growth, etc.)
- Size of the area to be processed
- Soil conditions (loose, loamy, rocky)
- Cutting the work surface (rectangular, strongly curved, etc.)
- Any planting to be worked under (foundation, lawn, etc.)
- availability of electricity
- Transport options (trailer, trunk)
When purchasing and using a garden tiller, there are a few things to consider.
Device properties at a glance
Once you know what you want to use your milling machine for, you can make the right choice when renting it based on the following characteristics:
power
Probably the most obvious parameter of a garden tiller is its performance, more precisely the performance of the drive unit in kW or - to use the old expression - in HP. When renting, pay attention to the following connections to the drive power:
- more power, higher working speed
- higher performance, higher device dimensions and weight due to a larger unit
- higher performance, higher demands on operation, handling and transport (due to weight, dimensions and working speed)
- more power, larger working width possible via appropriate tool attachments (for devices with interchangeable tools)
working width
The wider the tool of a garden tiller is built, the higher the achievable area performance. That means the area that can be processed per hour or day increases. However, wider is not always better, as the following dependencies clearly show:
- higher working width, lower maneuverability and manageability
- wider hoe, higher device weight necessary for good penetration into the ground
- wider tool, higher engine power required
- wider heel, safer footing on bumps and slopes of the terrain
Tip: Many devices can be equipped with interchangeable tool attachments, i.e. with different working widths. Such a configuration allows you to use wide hoes for the area, but at the same time switch to narrower attachments for edges and small plots.
design type
The typical garden tiller consists of a motor with handles and a drive axle that can be flexibly equipped. Depending on your needs, you can finely mill, coarse hoes or even put on wheels, for example to draw furrows in your plant bed with an attached ploughshare. However, there are also devices with a permanent, mostly driven wheel axle, which are supplemented by separate work attachments such as milling or hoeing. The typical properties of these devices are as follows:
- high dead weight due to more complex construction
- usually higher engine power for double load wheel drive and tool drive
- generally mostly larger type with larger working width
- safer stand due to tool and drive than stand area
- Better adjustable working depth due to the drive axle as a fixed point
drive
Probably the most noticeable difference when you have to weigh between several tillers when renting is the drive:
petrol engines
Filling the engine with fuel
The drive units that have been known and established for decades are internal combustion engines that used to work as two-stroke engines with an oil-petrol mixture, but today mostly require commercially available petrol as smooth-running four-stroke engines. The main characteristics of this type of drive are:
- high power-to-weight ratio (power per unit weight)
- Despite modern technology, high noise and exhaust emissions
- Location-independent use thanks to the fuel tank
- established and available through all performance classes
electric motors
Reaching for the electric motor is far newer and sometimes more modern. Although it is also a power-generating unit, the properties differ significantly from those of the combustion engine:
- high torque even with low engine power
- low-emission to almost zero-emission
- high dead weight when powered by battery
- wired no location-independent use possible without an external power supply
- typical for small to medium device and power dimensions
frequently asked Questions
Why should I rent a tiller at all?Of course, you can also buy these quite expensive devices. However, they are only needed for a few days per garden year, so that renting them is a much cheaper alternative. In addition to the high purchase price, there is also no maintenance and upkeep required.
Does fuel consumption play a role in the selection of equipment?Of course, a larger engine uses more fuel or electricity than a smaller one. However, all typical motor tillers move within a comparatively narrow framework, so that the energy or fuel costs are usually not the deciding factor in the selection.
Electric or petrol engine, which tiller is better?With regard to the performance characteristics, both devices can be used sensibly. Instead, keep the availability of electricity and the cost of storing fuel in mind when making your selection. If you have to buy extra canisters etc. for the petrol supply, an electric motor saves this effort. If there is no power supply for the device or battery, a petrol engine is recommended.