Ryobi Expand-It Cultivator Review

The Ryobi Expand-It Cultivator is a cultivator attachment for any universal attachment style power head. You may have often heard these called tillers before. It has tines that rotate to break up soil. They’re often used to prepare a site for a garden, but can also be used to loosen soil for removal for borders, pavers, etc.

Specifications

• Universal Attachment Capable

• 7”-10” Adjustable Tilling Width (optimize to soil type)

• 4 Heavy-Duty Steel Tines

• Large Shield to Stop Debris

• 10” Tilling Depth

Design

Unless you’re a fairly serious gardener or really into your landscaping, it probably make sense to buy a dedicated cultivator and have yet another engine to maintain. But as an attachment that is under $90 and doesn’t add any maintenance, it’s probably worth your while to pick one up next time you need to break some soil.

All you need is a universal power head and this cultivator is ready to work. Just slide the attachment into the power head making sure to line up the spring loaded detent, and tighten the wing nut on the power head shaft. Breaking the tool down for storage is just as easy. Loosen the wing nut, push the detent, and the two pieces slide apart. As a bonus, Ryobi attachments include an attachment hanger that slips over the universal port to keep it clean and easily store the attachment.

One of the things I really like about this Ryobi Expand-It Cultivator is how it can be adapted to different soil types. It includes four tines and the manual shows you how to arrange them based on whether you have hard, loamy, or rocky soil. If you’re working in rocky soil then the working width is going to be 7”, but that still beats a shovel every time in my book. And installing, removing, changing the tines is tool free.

The gear box appears to be cast aluminum and sealed well, so it will stand up well to the abuse that a tiller takes - especially in the rocky clay we have here in Memphis. Same goes for the steel tines. I ran tested this in the rockiest soil my yard has to offer and they only suffered the expected scratches, no denting or deforming.

Performance

Paired up with the Ryobi 40v Universal Power Head, the Ryobi Expand-It Cultivator chugged its way through my soil wherever I tried it. The unit is heavy enough that I didn’t have to push it into the earth, but it is light enough to get a bit bouncy when the soil was rocky. However, it still ate it’s way down.

In some of my neglected garden beds that have become compacted and rather root laden, it did a great job cutting through the roots and turning the soil over.

Final Thoughts

To be clear, this is not a 300lb earth eating monster - it is a hand held cultivator. If you’re looking for an inexpensive no maintenance tool for maintaining garden beds, removing sod, establishing small beds, and generally breaking soil for small projects - you’ll be happy with this tool. I am.