When you start shopping for a small garden tiller, you may notice a lot of terms and phrases you don't quite recognize at first. Tillers come with their own terminology and many unique features, with some models boasting about their 'counterweights'. In simple terms, a counterweight is basically a safety feature of certain small garden tiller models, usually those with rear tine designs. The counterweight is installed on these machines in order to balance them out and prevent them from jerking around during use. So, if you are investing in a rear tine tiller and want to make sure you have the safest possible user experience, it can be wise to buy a model with a counterweight.