Fix'n to get a Tiller

[Complete Turf Care]

I have a Terra Force YJR 74 which is a gear drive (not chain drive) and 74" tilling width. It is made by Ansung, which I think is Korean, and is branded in the USA as Terra Force.

I've had it about 10 years and just ordered my first set of new blades for it today. I use it for building athletic fields.

I traded in a Bush Hog brand tiller when I bought this one. The Terra Force is a much heavier duty tiller than the Bush Hog that I had. Terra Force does offer a chain drive tiller which is the YJC model. I have the YJR model.

The only maintenance that I've done on it was to change U-joints on the pto shaft once.

 

[hornett22]

Yeah, them backhoes are completely useless. Until you need to dig a hole. That thing is a life saver around here. Completely useless right now, though. Don't need to dig a hole at the moment.

I didn't realize how useful they really were until I had one. If you have half a brain, you can figure out ways to use it to your advantage all the time.

The only thing I can think of to make me not want one is how it's mounted. If it's difficult and/or time consuming to get on and off, I probably wouldn't have it since I switch out implements a lot.

 

[hornett22]

Renting may be cheaper if you need to rent occasionally.
If I needed to rent every time I've used my backhoe it would have not only been much less convenient, but also more costly

Yeah, renting one here would waste at least half a day for me with travel and the pick up and delivery process. Plus rental stuff here is usually in pretty rough shape. I have had my share of breakdowns with rental equipment.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I rate 3 point tillers right up there with tractor backhoes., or should I say down there. Tractor backhoes are tops for uselessness on my list however.

Yep. Once you get a garden in good shape there is no need to till more than a little bit. I put clover on the garden in the fall and then till that under a few inches in spring. I do that with a rear-tine walk behind tiller that cost me $700 at Home Depot. The worst thing you can do to the soil is over-work it. Pretty much all the big farms around here are no-till now.

 

[5030]

Exactly what I do as well, minus the clover. I just use 46% granulated urea and work that in.

 

[5030]

Yeah, renting one here would waste at least half a day for me with travel and the pick up and delivery process. Plus rental stuff here is usually in pretty rough shape. I have had my share of breakdowns with rental equipment.

My local equipment rental place 'Black Swamp Rentals, always delivers a machine and picks it up as well. Never hauled a mini-ex, ever. It's delivered, serviced and full of diesel and I'm responsible for returning it full when I'm done. They have everything from stump grinders to articulated loaders to big dozers and full size excavators.

Maintenance is not my worry, only abuse and I don't abuse their equipment anyway. My only liability is fuel and insurance. Years ago I have backhoe for one of my Kubota's that sat in the barn 99% of the time and collected dust. I liquidated it years ago

 

[Bill Guenthner]

My local equipment rental place 'Black Swamp Rentals, always delivers a machine and picks it up as well. Never hauled a mini-ex, ever. It's delivered, serviced and full of diesel and I'm responsible for returning it full when I'm done. They have everything from stump grinders to articulated loaders to big dozers and full size excavators.

Maintenance is not my worry, only abuse and I don't abuse their equipment anyway. My only liability is fuel and insurance. Years ago I have backhoe for one of my Kubota's that sat in the barn 99% of the time and collected dust. I liquidated it years ago

Agreed. Never own what you can rent. Professional contractors and home builders don’t own occasional use, expensive equipment, they rent.

 

[5030]

Like I said a while ago, the cost of ownership of a piece of equipment (implement) that get used rarely, does not justify the up front cost.

Besides, I usually have at least one here getting worked on (I rebuild loader buckets and dirt scoops on excavators on the side), you'd be surprised home many owners tear up ex buckets and put 'smiles' in loader buckets and with loader buckets, removing the smile usually entails cutting the side sheets and rewelding them.

A typical tractor mounted hoe will set you back at least 7 grand for something that basically collects dust and depreciates. 7 grand will buy a passel of rental hours in my view and with no financial obligation either and finally, even a small mini ex like a Doosan or a Yanmar will dig circles around any backhoe attachment, literally.

Last job I rented one for, I did 175 feet of waterline trench in about 5 hours. Put in the line and used the front blade on the mini ex to backfill the trench. Cost me 175 bucks plus diesel.

You are correct. I know of very few contractors that own dirt equipment outright. Most shore term rent or of the job is large, do a short term lease.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I didn't realize how useful they really were until I had one. If you have half a brain, you can figure out ways to use it to your advantage all the time.

The only thing I can think of to make me not want one is how it's mounted. If it's difficult and/or time consuming to get on and off, I probably wouldn't have it since I switch out implements a lot.

It's not bad. My 74 year old dad can put it on in a jiffy. We keep it under a shed.

 

[Bearsixty7]

..A typical tractor mounted hoe will set you back at least 7 grand for something that basically collects dust and depreciates. 7 grand will buy a passel of rental hours in my view and with no financial obligation either and finally, even a small mini ex like a Doosan or a Yanmar will dig circles around any backhoe attachment, literally.

You're shopping the wrong brand, $4500 will get a you a good brand BH and it's there and ready when you need it. I use the BH probably 33-50% of the time. Like stated earlier, once you have one, you will find more applications for it than you realized.