Patent ID: 6860334

Claim:
A walk-behind tiller comprising: a body having a forward end and a rear end; an axle mounted on the rear end of the body; a pair of left and right travel wheels mounted to apposite ends of the axle for undergoing rotation about a rotational axis to cause the walk-behind tiller to undergo travelling along a around surface; a tilling device mounted on the body forwardly of the left and right travel wheels for undergoing a first movement operation in which the tilling device travels along or makes a turn on the around surface while the tilling device is disposed in spaced-apart relation to the around surface, a second movement operation in which the tilling device tills the ground, and a third movement operation in which the tilling device is maintained generally horizontal to the ground surface; and a handle having left and right proximal portions extending upwardly from the rear end of the body, left and right horizontal grips extending rearwardly from respective ones of the proximal portions and configured to be gripped by an operator to maintain the tilling device generally horizontal to the ground surface during the third movement operation, left and right rising portions extending upwardly from respective ones of the left and right horizontal grips in a direction generally orthogonal to the proximal portions and configured to be tilted forwardly and downwardly by the operator during the second movement operation to cause the tilling device to till the ground, and a cross portion disposed between upper ends of the left and right rising portions and configured to be gripped and depressed by the operator to produce a downward force tending to lift the tilling device upward about the rotational axis to maintain the tilling device in spaced-apart relation to the ground surface.