3 point tillers can be difficult to use --- for a rookie.

[SARG]

I got a 60" tiller along with a tractor I recently bought and A neighbor thought it would be nice to have a melon garden for his grandkids. So off I go a mile away to see if we could create one. We live on hilltop country and the soil is full of stones and I really think it is too early with the ground being very wet. Not to mention that the area he wanted this "garden" to be also is the area his sump pump drains.
The 4 wd tractor did not get stuck but at certain points the tires were in mud about 18" deep and we learned that the deeper the tractor goes ..... the deeper the tiller drops ..... and in hill country you really want to stay shallow so you don't hit any clay.
At one point the clutch in the pto shaft started smoking and the clutch grit was all over the top of the tiller. I suspect that took some life out of the plates.

We tore up a lot of ground but decided to postpone the adventure until after memorial day to give the ground a chance to dry. I guess the new rule will be if the tractor sinks it's not a good place to use the rototiller.

 

[Grandad4]

I got a 60" tiller along with a tractor I recently bought and A neighbor thought it would be nice to have a melon garden for his grandkids. So off I go a mile away to see if we could create one. We live on hilltop country and the soil is full of stones and I really think it is too early with the ground being very wet. Not to mention that the area he wanted this "garden" to be also is the area his sump pump drains.
The 4 wd tractor did not get stuck but at certain points the tires were in mud about 18" deep and we learned that the deeper the tractor goes ..... the deeper the tiller drops ..... and in hill country you really want to stay shallow so you don't hit any clay.
At one point the clutch in the pto shaft started smoking and the clutch grit was all over the top of the tiller. I suspect that took some life out of the plates.

We tore up a lot of ground but decided to postpone the adventure until after memorial day to give the ground a chance to dry. I guess the new rule will be if the tractor sinks it's not a good place to use the rototiller.

It gets a whole bunch better under the right conditions. Wait til it's dry enough to work the ground. .. you'd have the same issues with a plow or disc. Rocks are always a problem. It helps if you have enough horsepower that you can run the tiller at low rpm. That way you can avoid thrashing everything so much when you encounter a rock. With new ground make multiple passes, starting shallow and going deeper with each pass. You get an A for effort. .. good luck on the next round.

 

[zionview]

If you have a moldboard plow or something resembling primary tillage helps the tiller, too, after the ground dries some. Loose ground will lengthen the life of your tiller. Not much you can do about rocks but pick them and build a road or a wall!

 

[Ed of all trades]

I run my 5' king kutter at around 1500 to 1700 rpm and it works well. 2500 is the rpm's to turn my pto at 540, and I only have 18.something Horse power.

 

[nybirdman]

Yes wait until it dries some.I have been using my tiller for about ten years in the rock strewn Northern NY.Make sure you service you slip clutch every year and leave your discharge flap wide open.
Even doing that we pick up a rock every once in a while.
I am lucky my ground dries fast and we are 95% done with our ten acres of food plots and garden.

 

[coobie]

I got a 60" tiller along with a tractor I recently bought and A neighbor thought it would be nice to have a melon garden for his grandkids. So off I go a mile away to see if we could create one. We live on hilltop country and the soil is full of stones and I really think it is too early with the ground being very wet. Not to mention that the area he wanted this "garden" to be also is the area his sump pump drains.
The 4 wd tractor did not get stuck but at certain points the tires were in mud about 18" deep and we learned that the deeper the tractor goes ..... the deeper the tiller drops ..... and in hill country you really want to stay shallow so you don't hit any clay.
At one point the clutch in the pto shaft started smoking and the clutch grit was all over the top of the tiller. I suspect that took some life out of the plates.

We tore up a lot of ground but decided to postpone the adventure until after memorial day to give the ground a chance to dry. I guess the new rule will be if the tractor sinks it's not a good place to use the rototiller.

I love my 6ft. rear tiller but like you where I live we have lots of rocks.I ended buying a 7 shank ripper to work up some of my ground and then go back over it with my york rake.The rocks just beat the snot out of my tiller.

 

[Spindifferent]

Here's my process on new ground:

First pass: subsoiler down to 18-24 inches
Second pass: ripper down to 8-9 inches
Third pass: tiller down to 5-6 inches

You may want to add a "pick up all the surface rocks" step at the very beginning.

Enjoy!

 

[flusher]

If you have a moldboard plow or something resembling primary tillage helps the tiller, too, after the ground dries some. Loose ground will lengthen the life of your tiller. Not much you can do about rocks but pick them and build a road or a wall!

Right on. When I put in the landscaping for my new house 10 years ago, I used a $150 middle buster plow from Tractor Supply to break up the soil before hitting it with my 48" wide $350 RS1200 Yanmar rototiller. Made the job much easier than trying to do it all with the rototiller.

 

[nybirdman]

Here's my process on new ground:

First pass: subsoiler down to 18-24 inches
Second pass: ripper down to 8-9 inches
Third pass: tiller down to 5-6 inches

You may want to add a "pick up all the surface rocks" step at the very beginning.

Enjoy!

Our land has been in service since the 1850's,we are still picking rocks!We have a "stone quarry" five miles away that is about 500ft.deep and they haven't run out of rock yet.