DIY tiller tines

[RitchElbe]

I've done a search with no results int he forums. So I'm asking here. As anyone fab'ed their own tiller tines.
I'm running a HOWSE 54" 3pt tiller. After 16 years they are down to the nub. Recently learned they are
neigh impossible to get from HOWSE due to their legal battles at the moment.. also learned the ones out there
are china made un tempered metal. SO in doing the math I can actually make them for under $50. Question I have
is " As anyone made their own but using serrations or slot points instead of a flat edge all the way across ? "

 

[bigtiller]

I wouldn't spend any time serrating the edge, tines wear down pretty fast.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would not bother with serrations either. Have you checked to see what other tines will fit?

 

[TMGT]

What were you planning on making them out of?

 

[FredH]

If You figure in " Your " cost , likely it is not as cheap as You Think . Meaning Your time is worth something . Metal used is important . A Critical issue is Balance / Weight . Each tine Has to be within a limited tolerance of all the others . Just a little off on 1 tine can cause vibrations through out the entire tiller down the road . My Dad made some decades ago for a old misibushi tractor He had . Weighed each tine to get them as close as possible . Reason being was that the project started when 1 of the original tines broke off about 1.5" of the tip . Ended up taking that tine out since the unbalance caused a vibration .

He made 2 sets . First set , He added Hardener rod to the cutting edge of each , second set , He did not . We used 1 set the first year , then swapped out the second set the next year . After about the same amount of uses both years , they was not much difference in the wear from either set , So My Dad had this big arse box of Hardening rod sitting in His shop for decades . ( Evening since He past away a couple of years ago , that rod is still in the shop . My Bro and Me , just move it to a new location when ever it is bothering Us . )

Lots of planning required as You can just cut and bend metal to stuff in the holes but to do it were they last requires a lot more time .

Fred H.

 

[Big Barn]

Fred H I find your comments interesting. I don't doubt your father had vibration issues with his tiller, but was wondering how big (or small) it was.

We've run Howard and Terranova tillers from 48" up to 144" working widths.

Whenever a blade broke it would be replaced with a new one. Consequently each flange on the rotor would have blades with varying amounts of wear ( and weights).

The only time I ever recall a vibration issue was if a rock became lodged between a blade and the rotor.

Terry

 

[FredH]

A rock , as You described , would cause a large vibration . It is the smaller vibrations , that most don't notice , that cause issue's down the road . Seals , Bearings , take the brunt of that wear . Larger tillers usually have better support , thus a dampening effect through the system . Yes , one can replace a broken tine , most may not even notice any change . My Dad replaced broken tines by keeping older ones from his tiller and also picking up others from people who were going to discard their old ones . He then would replace the broken one with one that was close to approximate size , shape and weight of a couple of others that He would pull as samples . In the Decades that He ran that tiller , Never replaced a seal , bearing , Shaft , gearbox or had any PTO issue's of any kind .
A spinning mass , although not running at the same speed as a tire on a car , still needs to be balanced to a degree .

Not arguing with You Terry Just know what worked for my Dad , thus I try to follow suit . :thumbsup:

Not sure the exact size of that old tiller . maybe in the 60" to 72" class , It was used a lot for initial ground breaking on virgin soil for people around the neighborhood who started gardening area's back in the days . Another thing that comes to mind was the tractor itself . Were as newer tractors today likely have better suspension from seats to , well everything , That old tractor , could bust a kidney .

Fred H.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I don't think tiller tines are made from generic steel like common A36 plate. First you cant temper that to make it harder which I think tines are much harder than plain carbon steel because they tend to break rather than bend so you will need some high carbon steel or chrome alloy to make them last. Bending them to exact form wont be easy either. I would think just about any tine would work on your tiller. If everyone is using China made tines, I would think that they would all be about the same design. Have you checked any of the other brands out to see how the mounting holes are arranged? I would think adjusting these holes (welding up the existing hole and re-drilling) if needed would be far less time consuming than total fabrication. I like metal working as well as the next guy but all that heating and bending is a bit much. One would need a forge to do it right.

 

[davesl708]

I would agree with Gary Fowler. There is at least some tempering going on to decrease wear. A quick pass with a hand file will confirm if it is hardened or simple mild steel.

I would think it would take a lot of hours to cut, drill, sharpen and bend that many tines.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Fred H I find your comments interesting. I don't doubt your father had vibration issues with his tiller, but was wondering how big (or small) it was.

We've run Howard and Terranova tillers from 48" up to 144" working widths.

Whenever a blade broke it would be replaced with a new one. Consequently each flange on the rotor would have blades with varying amounts of wear ( and weights).

The only time I ever recall a vibration issue was if a rock became lodged between a blade and the rotor.

Terry

I agree, I've never noticed any vibration in any of my tillers, unless something got lodged in them... There's just too many tines for one or two to make that kind of difference...

SR

 

[Big Barn]

A rock , as You described , would cause a large vibration . It is the smaller vibrations , that most don't notice , that cause issue's down the road . Seals , Bearings , take the brunt of that wear . Larger tillers usually have better support , thus a dampening effect through the system . Yes , one can replace a broken tine , most may not even notice any change . My Dad replaced broken tines by keeping older ones from his tiller and also picking up others from people who were going to discard their old ones . He then would replace the broken one with one that was close to approximate size , shape and weight of a couple of others that He would pull as samples . In the Decades that He ran that tiller , Never replaced a seal , bearing , Shaft , gearbox or had any PTO issue's of any kind .
A spinning mass , although not running at the same speed as a tire on a car , still needs to be balanced to a degree .

Not arguing with You Terry Just know what worked for my Dad , thus I try to follow suit . :thumbsup:

Not sure the exact size of that old tiller . maybe in the 60" to 72" class , It was used a lot for initial ground breaking on virgin soil for people around the neighborhood who started gardening area's back in the days . Another thing that comes to mind was the tractor itself . Were as newer tractors today likely have better suspension from seats to , well everything , That old tractor , could bust a kidney .

Fred H.

Fred H. No worries. I guess what I SHOULDA said was I agree that I'm certain that a spinning rotor WOULD be unbalanced with unequally weighted blades.

I think that any vibration was just not noticeable with the sheer weight of the machine and tractor. Plus perhaps I'm not the most observant person around.

I' d like to mention that the OEM blades on our (original Made in England) Howard tillers had a warranty against breaking as long as it was not WORN more than 50%. Within those conditions we NEVER broke one. The only breakage we'd have would be if a bolt worked loose. Then the "break" would be through the bolt hole and not warrantied.

My last big tiller was a Terranova. Within the first 50 hours EVERY blade bent. NO breakage, no wear, all bolts tight. BENT.

The dealer gave me a replacement set and the same thing happened. I eventually found a better line of blades before I sold the machine.


Terry

 

[Ed of all trades]

I am somewhat of a blacksmith. I know about forging metal to shape and tempering some steels. You are wasting your time thinking about it. You might make tine shaped objects but I know that unless you are a blacksmith you won't make any tiller tines. Sorry for being blunt but you might as well know the truth now. Ed

 

[FredH]

Especially since OEM's or even aftermarket are pretty reasonably priced :thumbsup:


Terry : In talking to my Bro , Like I mention also though about that old tractor , Not sure really " WHY " , But that had to be about the roughest riding thing I have every road . Seriously , I Think You would of been able to tell if 1 of the tires was a little low . We use to come up with some ideas to " Smooth " it out a little , So any mechanical things were always done with the idea of minimal vibrations . Kind of Surprised My kidneys still work after all that abuse back then , ( Tennager sneaking off at night and drinking in the back fields , Then Boucing around on that mobile weight loss machine by Day )

Fred H.

 

[arkydog]

what about buying a good set of tines and cutting out the centers of your and welding them in the new ones. have to be careful to get them centered so they won't be out of round.

 

[jenkinsph]

I enjoy building attachments but the cost of tiller tines is low enough I would rather buy them than make them.

 

[Egon]

try your local equipment dealer. Lots of tine suppliers out there he could source.

You can make your own but may not be happy with them.

 

[Arkaybee]

Have a look here: Clean Cutter Online Catalog

They list a couple of Howse tiller tines (I think one is c-shaped and one is L-shaped); you may have to call them to confirm it all. I have bought from this source a couple of times and been happy with purchase.

Arkaybee