Garden tiller with extended drag shield

A walk-behind garden tiller comprising, in combination, a horizontal frame, ground-engaging drive wheels mounted adjacent one end of the frame, a tine drive shaft extending transversely to and journalled in a position adjacent the other end of the frame, an engine mounted on said frame, a wheel drive train for coupling the engine to the drive wheels to drive the tiller in the forward direction, a rearwardly projecting handle secured to the frame for manual guidance of the tiller, said tine drive shaft having a set of soil penetrating and cutting tines secured thereto, a tine drive train for coupling the engine to the tine drive shaft, said tine drive train is directed so that the tine drive shaft revolves counter to the direction of the drive wheels whereby said tines cut upwardly through the untilled soil at the working face and in the event of contacting an obstruction tend to move the tiller in a rearward direction by reason of reactive forces acting upon the machine through the tines, a drag shield pivotably mounted rearwardly of said tiller for dragging on and smoothing soil after it is tilled and for providing a protective barrier between the operator and a rear exposure to said tines, said drag shield having a length greater than the vertical distance between its point of mounting on the tiller and the bottom peripheral level of said tines, said drag shield having a lower ground engaging portion that is formed such that during tilling it is dragged along the top of the soil at a substantial angle to the ground level and during rearward tiller movement said lower ground engaging portion is adapted to anchor in the soil to elevate the rear of the tiller about such anchor to reduct tine contact with the soil, and said lower ground engaging portion having a downwardly directed terminal edge shaped to enhance its ability to anchor into the soil during rearward movement of the tiller and to rake and smooth the tilled soil during forward movement of the tiller.