Label Type
exhibit signageLabel
Rototiller
SIMAR, Switzerland
1930s
This rototiller is an example of technical advances in “soil scratching” that have helped farmers feed their families since the Neolithic Revolution that took place more than 10,000 years ago and nudged society from hunter-gatherers to agriculturists. It was made in the 1930s by Swiss company Société Industrielle de Machines Agicoles Rotatives (SIMAR).
MOAH’s Model C31 rotary tiller, or “rototiller,” is a gas-powered cultivator that uses rotating blades to pulverize the soil in preparation for seed planting. It clears weeds and breaks up rocks. The operator grips the handles and manually directs the device back and forth through the soil, lifting when making turns, when encountering dangerous objects in the path, or to control the depth of the blades or the two wheels into the soil. Our rototiller has 3 horsepower and a tilling width of 14 inches. The handles can be adjusted side to side to allow the operator to observe the row being tilled.
Rotary tilling can be traced back to the mid-17th century. It started to become popular in the United States in the early part of the 20th century.
Rototillers usually have an adjustable tine behind the blades. This tine comes into contact with soil deep in the ground and thus simultaneously serves as a brake that both retards forward motion and allows for pulverization of the soil. Slow, skillful manipulation of the rototiller improves “tilth,” a fun word that describes the condition of tilled soil and its readiness for sown seeds.
Rototilling is slow, tedious, laborious work, not without danger. A row may need to be tilled multiple times, and the tiller may have to navigate around small boulders or tree roots, being careful to not expose the rotating blades to excessively hard objects. As with other motorized lawn-care products, rototiller operators who stumble or accidentally encounter an unseen object can suffer severe injury if the device suddenly jumps or changes direction and they come into contact with the blades.
Tiller depth usually is four to six inches. Rototiller operators are advised to check the ground’s moisture before starting and to adjust the settings appropriately, with a shallow setting for harder surfaces. Tilling mimics lawn mowing and is performed in parallel rows.
A subculture of rototiller restorers and aficionados exists, and there is a somewhat lively online presence where parts are sought, photos and videos are posted, and the history of assorted manufacturers is discussed. SIMAR rototillers seem to have a mixed reputation among users, and one article describes a model similar to ours as being like the velociraptors seen in the Jurassic Park movies. Restorers comment on the advantages of the rear-mounted design but cite the metric part sizes and reverse-threaded components as disadvantages. One restorer says that the sound of a rototiller in operation is “like a Harley tacked out in first gear.” General descriptions of the machine include “black widow,” “widow maker,” and “wacky.”
The first SIMAR model was made in 1918 in Geneva, Switzerland. SIMAR rototillers were distributed in the United States from 1932 to 1939 only. A surviving advertising brochure from the 1920s proudly refers to the company’s rotary tiller as “The Machine That Is Copied But Never Equaled” and shows an address of a distributor in San Leandro. The last SIMAR tiller seems to have been made in 1978.
