Asking for advice on using a rental 3ph tiller for a first-time user

[jgoodma1]

What's the point of tilling if you alreaty did it and the soil you alreaty had on site sucks? Theres not. Just add good soil on what's there.

I have crappy clay with shale rock mixed in. Any time I do any dirt work I grade out the area, smooth out the top like I'm going to put seed down, remove all the rocks by hand. Then top with about 2in of good dirt and seed. No hay, no straw. Just seed and water.

My thinking on this is that I will have a lot of planting beds where I'll be planting shrubs with deeper root systems and I'm trying to get the soil in better shape deeper down, so I'm going to till organic compost into the clay to improve the soil.

 

[Fallon]

After all that, you might want to consider hiring somebody to do the tilling with their equipment. Might be a couple hundred, but the risk to your tractor is eliminated.
Now, if you do rent, raise your 3PH so the tractor and implement PTO stub shaft are level (this will be the shortest length of the drive. Then lift the PTO driveshaft yoke to see if it will the proper length without damaging your tractor. I like about 1" clearance
Buying a PTO driveshaft...well, IMHO, that's not a good idea. As an example, my chipper's driveshaft is pretty short. My snow blower and flail mower drive shafts are much longer...depends on where the implement gearbox is mounted

I'd tend to agree. Or rent a skid steer with a tiller. Your talking about getting your own PTO shaft & clutch. Last I checked pre-supply chain meltdown that was $300 at a minimum, quite likely double that now. You won't be saving any money over renting a whole machine matched to the impliment.

Multiple different attachment methods on the impliment side too. So getting the right PTO shaft can't be done before you identify & inspect the tiller. Annual freeing of the clutch & tightening it back down then adjusting as needed takes me an hour or so.

Every half decent tiller I've seen already came with their own slip clutch anyway.

There are 2 types of people. One that wants to get a job done (often professionals). The other wants to play with their tractor & collect impliments. I fall into both, but the former more so when I do tractoring as my side gig.

Just identify your attitude & goals. Nothing wrong with finding an old worn or not so worn tiller for just a couple jobs. Also mouthing wrong with renting the right machine or hiring the whole thing done.

 

[oosik]

We had a good sized garden and a brand new Troy Bilt horse - 1982. I found out, very quickly, that "breaking" the virgin ground, first, with a mold board plow on the tractor worked best.

Break the ground with the tractor/plow - follow up with the Troy Bilt horse. Breaking the virgin ground with the reverse tine Horse was MORE than just a chore. It was difficult for me and hard on the tiller.

Looking back - I probably tried to go too deep on the first pass with the tiller. I should have gone only an inch or so on the first pass and deeper with subsequent passes.

Whatever - using the tractor and moldboard plow, first, made things go as you see in their advertisements. One hand on the handle and dancing along behind the tiller.

 

[Bobrown14]

First off - the tiller is not a proper tool for breaking new ground.

Even if you want to go no-till you need to break the ground with a different implement like a bottom plow. Then once the soil is turned over you can add in amendments and till those in with the tiller.

For the tiller implement if you're renting you will get a drive shaft with the implement. You need to understand how that shaft works with your tractor. The problem can be the shaft is too long for your tractor. When I bought my tiller I had to shorten BOTH ends of the drive shaft 2".

On the drive shaft I doubt they will let you cut a rental so I'd ask questions about fitment of drive shaft.

For use:
Go as slow as you can I've got shuttle shift never used an HST tranny. I go in 1st gear low and run the rpms up to the PTO speed indicated on my tachometer.

The tiller will have either a clutch driveshaft or a shear pin driveshaft. If you rent one with a shear pin you need to purchase extra pins at the renal shop or at Tractor Supply. IF you rent one with a clutch you need to adjust the clutch plates so they dont slip easily this is something that I have to check every time I use my tiller.

You want to hook up the tiller so its running at the proper height and the feet pointing up slightly and be sure the tiller wont move sideways and hit your rear tires.

You cant break hardpan with a tiller. I have a HD tiller and can break new ground IF its already got plenty of soil organic matter and can easily be broken up. Can test that with a shovel.... red NC clay.... you need a plow to break new ground then rake rocks then till then rack rocks and till some more.

 

[dieselscout80]

Thank you, I was wondering about that. I have an old, beat-up Gannon roll-over box blade that I use on my driveway, but with only 3 remaining scarifiers with no tips and I have not been able to find replacements. The scarifiers are also 3/4" thick. (see attached photos - the photo of the box blade is one like mine. Mine's in bad shape compared to the one in the photo). So, I am going to buy a land plane with scarifiers to replace it to maintain the driveway (800' long). I was wondering about first running around with the land plane with the scarifiers down before tilling. Do you think a land plane with scarifiers would work?

Check Agrisupply I’m sure they have them as my roll-over blade like that has new tips.

 

[old and tired]

My offer to let you use one of my sub-soiler still stands. One goes about 24" and the other one is too big for my tractor but I would guess would fit your Grand L just fine, maybe 30" deep.

 

[jgoodma1]

I'd tend to agree. Or rent a skid steer with a tiller. Your talking about getting your own PTO shaft & clutch. Last I checked pre-supply chain meltdown that was $300 at a minimum, quite likely double that now. You won't be saving any money over renting a whole machine matched to the impliment.

Multiple different attachment methods on the impliment side too. So getting the right PTO shaft can't be done before you identify & inspect the tiller. Annual freeing of the clutch & tightening it back down then adjusting as needed takes me an hour or so.

Every half decent tiller I've seen already came with their own slip clutch anyway.

There are 2 types of people. One that wants to get a job done (often professionals). The other wants to play with their tractor & collect impliments. I fall into both, but the former more so when I do tractoring as my side gig.

Just identify your attitude & goals. Nothing wrong with finding an old worn or not so worn tiller for just a couple jobs. Also mouthing wrong with renting the right machine or hiring the whole thing done.

Thanks for the info and advice and yup, you're right. I have no compelling desire to do the tilling with my tractor, and since this is a one-time project, I think paying someone to do it is indeed the right choice for me. Glad I posted and got that feedback from you and others.

 

[jgoodma1]

Buy their insurance for breakage! PS, I can bring home a subsoiler from the farm next weekend if you want to borrow it.

Sorry, I just saw your generous offer, thanks so much! Let me look at some videos of using a subsoiler and I will get back to you. Plus, my pickup truck is in the transmission shop, so I couldn't pick it up yet. I will get back to you. I greatly appreciate your offer. Would it make sense to use the subsoiler then smooth it out with my roll over box blade without scarifiers? I actually just ran around the yard with it to smooth out the erosion from the past year and I was able to get it quite smooth. Or will I end up with big clods from using the subsoiler?

 

[old and tired]

....Let me look at some videos of using a subsoiler and I will get back to you.....

It will lift the soil a wee bit but will break up the compaction under the top layer of the ground to allow roots to grow easier and allow water to penetrate into the ground more.

Would it make sense to use the subsoiler then smooth it out with my roll over box blade without scarifiers?... Or will I end up with big clods from using the subsoiler?

You'll get a little disturbance on the surface. Is this an open area or do you have lots of roots in the area? (like a clear cut over land with stumps?) Depending on where abouts you call "Raleigh" home, I can drop it off to you. I travel a lot to Rocky Mount, (hwy-64 and some down hwy-70).

 

[old and tired]

What I would recommend, run the sub-soiler then spread lime / fertilizer based on a soil test, then get from the City of Raleigh, Organic Compost ($30/yard; best to pickup with a 5x10 trailer but pickup trucks work) and spread that out to hold moisture, THEN till the area to mix the top layers.

I would not do deep tillage, you gain nothing by chopping up red clay. Add organic matter. I use leaf mulch from the city, 4 yards at a time, twice a year. That's just maintenance for our flower and garden beds.

Our back yard was a gravel driveway with red clay under it... Looks better now, that is sweet potato growing all over the place...