Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review

When it comes to homeowner tools, Ryobi is king. It’s certainly hard to ignore the lime green displays full of unique tools when you walk into a Home Depot. With so many options in their lineup, one thing you may miss is their OPE options. With multiple power options, cordless, corded and gas-powered, Ryobi definitely has you covered. A standout in their OPE range is their variety of universal string trimmer attachments. These are designed to be used with a power head or an attachment capable string trimmer and offer a lot of versatility without making your wallet sweat. Today we are going to look at an option most people may not consider for their lawn care needs, a cultivator. These tools are very versatile and offer a lot of benefits for a homeowner. Let’s dig into the finer details on this model in the Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review. 

Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review Overview

What is a cultivator? Well, for all intents and purposes it is a device used to prepare the soil for planting and removing weeds. Several blade-like tines rotate to grab a hold of soil and turn it. This takes hard or compacted soil and preps it for a variety of purposes. While virtually every homeowner can use a cultivator, most haven’t considered adding it to their lineup. From seasonal planting to vegetable gardens or other yard prep, a cultivator alleviates a lot of the labor of traditional rakes and shovels. 

Now I like to keep my reviews interesting here on Tools In Action. I actually asked for this tool for one very specific reason. As you probably have figured out, I am a Mom. If there is one thing I encourage my kids to do, it is to be outside. One of the first small projects we did after purchasing this house was put in a sandbox. We actually filled it with a mix of dirt and sand. After some time, and rain it seemed to resemble concrete more than dirt and sand. Traditionally, fixing this problem involved shovels, hoes, and rakes and was nothing short of back-breaking work.

I knew there had to be a better way to restore the texture kids love playing in. Like a lot of homeowners today, I looked into tools that would change this process up a bit and make it easier to manage. This attachment aims to solve this traditionally labor-intensive process of breaking up the soil by using an attachment on your attachment-capable string trimmer. While sandboxes may not have been on Ryobi’s mind when they added this to their lineup, testing it this way was a great testament to its ability to serve in other ways. Leave it to Ryobi to have thought of everything in their OPE lineup.

Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review Features

The universal attachment is compatible with various manufactures powerheads, such as Toro, Weed-Eater and Troy Bilt. Ryobi offers cordless and gas options in their lineup, and I am testing it using a gas powered head used previously in the Ryobi Brush Cutter Review.

The connection to the power head uses a simple lock button that you depress, slip into the power head and the button will release to secure it. The additional wing nut is tightened for added security.

The included tool hanger cap allows for easy storage of the attachment.

The durable metal gearbox is designed to prolong tool life by providing protection to the inner components.

Ryobi uses four steel lines for durability in use and maximum performance in a variety of conditions.

The steel tines can be adjusted from a 7 to a ten-inch pattern based on the soil you are tilling. This is easily adjusted by changing the positions of the tines installation and is detailed in the manual.

Set-up and changing the tines do not require additional tools which is always a bonus for easy maintenance.

Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review Performance

When I received this tool, I knew I had the ideal use for it. As soon as I could get the rain to stop here in Texas, I set about getting started. Set up was easy and didn’t need additional tools. Ryobi uses cotter pins to secure the tines onto the gear shaft. While I generally prefer other methods, these are fairly common in OPE and are on several parts of my John Deere Mower. Ryobi does an excellent job of including thorough instructions for set-up and use and is always something I notice with Ryobi. The quality of the materials is on par for tools like this. Ryobi uses metal and steel parts almost entirely on this unit, making it durable and solid. The design is simple and uncomplicated, ensuring you get the most out of the unit.

The performance was exactly what I was hoping for. The dirt and sand combo in this sandbox makes for great playing medium but is very difficult to keep soft. This soil was still slightly wet from all the rain we have had here in Texas, but it didn’t stand a chance against this tool.

Before, I used a shovel, hoe, and rake to break the sand and dirt up, which was incredibly labor intensive. This tool took a several-hour job and made it only ten or fifteen minutes. While the unit is definitely heavy when attached to the power-head, it was easily manageable for short periods of time. I would say that was its only real negative, as the weight would make it difficult to use for extended periods of time. Having said that, I don’t think Ryobi had that in mind for this tool. It is designed primarily for small-scale jobs most homeowners will encounter.

I have big plans for this tool. With some drainage issues throughout the property and plans for an expanded garden, this will be an incredible addition to my outdoor lineup. Looking back on a lot of projects I’ve done in the past, this tool would have really alleviated a lot of hard work. It’s ability to break up soil allows ideal weed removal, and preps the soil for planting. We have some areas that need to be re-sodded as well which always goes better when your soil is well prepared. As I plan ahead for some spring projects, this tool will be getting a lot of use!

Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review Value

This attachment clocks in at $89.97 at The Home Depot. For most homeowners buying a full commercial grade tiller or cultivator would make no sense. Even renting one would be costly. While this unit isn’t designed for heavy commercial use, most homeowners don’t need that consistently. Rather, homeowners now have the convenience to pull it out of the garage and complete small jobs. This is exactly Ryobi’s goal in the bulk of their tools.

Ryobi Cultivator Attachment Review Final Thoughts

If you’re a DIY’er you’ve certainly explored Ryobi’s lineup of products. Their claim to fame comes from their homeowner solutions that are cost-effective and produce good results. The Ryobi Cultivator is no exception to their lineup of unique and dependable tools. The one gripe I have is that is weight can make it slightly cumbersome, but for the bulk of my uses, it’s still doable. To take a costly and otherwise prohibitive machine and scale it down to suit more users is brilliant. Ryobi did an amazing job at pairing quality that will provide the average homeowner dependable and lasting use.