Tiller Backward or forward rotating tiller?

[Green Acres Homestead]

I am in the process of buying a 6 foot tiller for my L4740. There are tillers that rotate forward and some in a reverse direction. What advantage does one have over the other?

Does any have experience in this matter?

 

[sweettractors]

For someone that likes to have something that his neighbor does not have, the reverse rotation is the way to go. Cost you about 1/3 more than conventional. I really cant tell any difference in performance between the 2. The reverse does not do well in roots or rocks as it trys to suck itself into the root. We do sell both in the Phoenix and First Choice lines and also the Tarter in the forward rotation only style. Ken Sweet

 

[Car Doc]

I am with Ken on this forward is imho just as good and like he says they may have a tendency to get wrapped up in stuff.

That's what I realized while deciding which direction I wanted and plus I didn't want to spend $2600 when a $1700 forward rotation which I bought works just excellent. my 2c

 

[DDT]

I use a RTA since I am in roots / rocks and other debis to often. I have run both. A heavy frame tiller will do a great job foward or reverse rotation. Very rare for me to make two passes with my LP RTA2570. The reverse tiller can have a tine option to keep all the big clods ect under at the bottom of the cut, they do take a little more power to but depending on what your working in and they do a very nice job, it is personal perference.
Now there are times I wish I had a reverse for burying vegitation totaly, but more times I am happy with the forward tine.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Thanks folks. The info provided was most helpful

 

[Snaker]

I used to use the old style front tine walk behind tiller. That tiller would dig as deep as I could handle until I ran out of steam or the blisters got too big. I bought a Sears wheel powered counter-rotating rear tine tiller and found it to be almost worthless on my heavy clay soil. If the soil was moist I could only dig about 2" deep at a pass and the soil would still plug up in front of the tines. Same if the soil was powery dry. Any deeper and the thing would sit and spin. At best I could barely get to a 4" depth. At the end of each pass it would dump a 1/4 wheel barrow worth of soil on the lawn. When I finished tilling, I had to rake a ton of soil back onto the garden.

I now have a 4' John Deere 3 point tiller with forward rotating tines and love it. I'm back to having rocks being my biggest problem.