An ATV cultivator is a device used to turn soil to help remove rocks and roots, and to add oxygen to the dirt. This device is hauled behind an ATV, or all terrain vehicle, which is an off-road vehicle designed for nimble maneuvering over a variety of terrain. The ATV cultivator is usually attached to the ATV using a hitch system; the ATV will feature a hitch receiver that will accept a tow bar, and the cultivator will have a hitch that secures to the tow bar. The design of the device can vary depending on the user’s needs.
Gardeners and landscapers are most likely to use an ATV cultivator when preparing a parcel of land for planting. The gardener can drive the ATV over a section of land while dragging the ATV cultivator behind the vehicle, effectively turning the soil and aerating it. Sometimes, if the person doing the landscaping needs to uproot sections of grass or plants, the ATV cultivator can be used. This is an effective tool because the tines or wheels of the device can reach deep into the soil to help remove rocks and roots that would otherwise stay in place, affecting the health of plants that are planted after the soil is cultivated.
In some cases, the ATV cultivator will include pneumatic wheels that help guide the unit during use. This design is usually used when serrated wheels are used for cultivating rather than fork-like tines. The serrated wheels will rotate as the ATV drives forward, thereby cutting into the soil and loosening rocks and roots that would otherwise stay stuck in place. The ATV cultivator will usually feature several serrated wheels, and they will be oriented parallel to each other within a metal frame usually made of steel.
Another ATV cultivator design is sometimes known as a tiller, and instead of using serrated wheels, the device will feature long tines that will dig into the soil. As the ATV drives forward, the tines will simply drag behind the vehicle, turning the soil. The tines will be fixed in place, unlike the serrated wheel design. The tines may be set within a cage-like frame similar to that of the serrated wheel design, or they may be mounted on a wide bar with an extension that will fit directly into the ATV’s receiver hitch. This extension will allow the wide bar and tines to be oriented perpendicular to the ATV itself.