Fix'n to get a Tiller

[fishdrivel]

I used a tiller as a Landscape Contractor every day.
I had a 5, "First Choice" tiller behind my 29hp tractor.
I used it daily until I sold my tractor.
First Choice makes an excellent tiller, considering the price. I worked it very hard!
There are other good brands out there - and there is also a lot of junk.
I would buy a good used tiller before I would buy a junk new one.

 

[jyoutz]

Could have fooled me. Useful for what? Sucking down expensive diesel fuel and agitating the ground as in deep tilling? Why do you think smart farmers went from moldboard (deep tillage) to no till crops? Simple answer. Deep tillage (and that is exactly what a rototiller is), is wastefull both in fuel and nutrient retention.

backhoes (tractor mounted) and number one, rotary tillers are number 2. Most useless (and expensive) to buy and maintain implements.

Vegetable farmers don’t do no till. That’s only grain farmers. You obviously are clueless about vegetable growing.

 

[5030]

Vegetable farmers don’t do no till. That’s only grain farmers. You obviously are clueless about vegetable growing.

I'm not and the truck farmers here practice planting under plastic sheets on chiseled ground.

 

[PCABE5]

Why do you think smart farmers went from moldboard (deep tillage) to no till crops? Simple answer. Deep tillage (and that is exactly what a rototiller is), is wastefull both in fuel and nutrient retention.

Sounds like you've done some research on no-till. However, there's pros and cons to that process. Some of the advantages of no-till are soil erosion and moisture retention. Some of the cons of no-till are nutrient stratification, poor emergence, soil temperatures, bug problems, and disease issues.

So the bottom line is no till is not a one shoe fits all scenario. It depends on soil type, flatland versus hills, and whether you're in a northern climate or southern?

You will find a lot of Northern farmers. Don't do no-till but they will strip till. Some of those will do a light tillage, a disc, in the spring to break up the crop residue and then plant.

 

[coobie]

Could have fooled me. Useful for what? Sucking down expensive diesel fuel and agitating the ground as in deep tilling? Why do you think smart farmers went from moldboard (deep tillage) to no till crops? Simple answer. Deep tillage (and that is exactly what a rototiller is), is wastefull both in fuel and nutrient retention.

backhoes (tractor mounted) and number one, rotary tillers are number 2. Most useless (and expensive) to buy and maintain implements.

Hey big shot how about the local Joe farmer putting in food plots or a decent garden should they not use a 3 pt tiller? On a side note I love my 3pt tiller.

 

[coobie]

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.

And who cares what you think everyone has different needs for their property.

 

[coobie]

For those who have a tiller, how do they handle roots and buried objects ?


That's not helpful, Why do not like King Kutter?

Pay no attention tp 5030 he is a big blow hard who thinks he has 10 million $$ in the bank

 

[BoylermanCT]

I've used my tiller for gardening, planting new lawn, site prep for an above ground pool, clearing brush and bushes in wooded areas and around my pond and the tiller makes good ballast for loader work.

No till farming scares me because of the Roundup (glyphosate) and other chemicals they pour on the ground and then plant crops a few weeks later. I've driven by green fields that were sprayed and within a few days everything died and a few weeks later they were growing corn. And we wonder why we have health issues that our forefathers never had.

To the OP, I highly recommend the KKII tiller. It tills down to 8" and is easy to control if you want shallower tilling. Its built like a tank and just gets the job done.

 

[jyoutz]

I'm not and the truck farmers here practice planting under plastic sheets on chiseled ground.

Maybe where you live. The big veggie growers in the SW, CA, and TX definitely till the fields.

 

[spruce Deere]

Looking at adding a tiller to the yard.
Currently i'm running a 3 turning plow and disking. I'm thinking a Tiller will speed up the process and get me the results I'm looking for.
I've searched the threads and found too many to read through. I'm thinking a 72" or 84" . King Kutter II is local and rated pretty good. Whats Y'all got?

I have a 60" KK tiller. Run the hell out of it every year preparing fields for tree seedlings, minimum of two acres per field. Makes real nice smooth, even tilth of soil for planting seedlings.

Sometimes I will break ground with a heavy off set disc before tilling, sometimes I just hit the field with the KK tiller.... Depends on moisture of the soil, timing or just available time.

I run 00 grease in my side gear box and I think 85-140 gear oil in the top box. The reason for the 00 grease in the side box is after about two years oil started to weep from the box around the torque tube. KK recommended that, so I did it. No oil weeps and still works fine years later. I also added 'trash guards' to the torque tube to help keep woody stems and other tangling stuffs from wrapping around the tube and into the seal A guy should dig that crud out when it accumulates....

I did have to replace a U-joint a little later that same season. Its a common u-joint and Napa has them on hand, Precision 334 u-joint.

I use too till gardens on top of tree farm usage, but not so many now. Like I said, I run the H-E double hockey sticks out of my kk tiller.