Home-Built 3pt Roto-Tiller

[Newhollandharley]

OK I'm back for more punishment. Last time out you gents helped me break a
TC35D in half to repair a severely rusted clutch. It went really well and has worked beautifully ever since. Now I've got a wild hair thinking I'm going to
fabricate a home-built rototiller for this little 35 HP boomer. After I looked at the cost of buying one factory built I'm dead set on building one. I have a lot more time than money. I've got all the tools a man could use, it's a matter of steel for the most part and I can handle all that. Questions I have are like: Whats the ratio of the gear box on most rototillers? Could using a truck rear end come close? If not couldn't I fine tune the RPM's with the ratio created between the output shafts at each end of the truck rear end (where the wheels would go normally) and the gear on the tine bar that does the digging? I think a heavy duty chain drive would be strong enough. I have forgotten, what's the output speed (RPM) of the PTO shaft on a TC35D New Holland ? Then I'll have to look up the ratio of some commonly available junk yard rear ends then finally find out what is the average speed (RPM) of the tine bars of most rototillers ? Were talking six foot wide variety. Anybody out there wise to this stuff, any body tried this at all. When I look at the tillers on the market today they look just like a truck rear end, where the tires would go they have chains or gears that run a tine bar slung below the rear end .... that's it. I know that the RPM of the engine is important to the HP output and the RPM of the tine bar is important too. So I'm just looking for some tips. Lemeknow

 

[kebo]

I'm sure if the ratios were right a truck rear end could be made to work but seems to be that would be a little overkill! Maybe a rear end out of a cub cadet or other small garden tractor with ring & pinion type rear end might work? Or, you could consider buying the gearbox and fabbing the rest of it. When you start, be sure and take lots of pics!

The PTO output on the TC35 is probably the standard 540 rpm's.

 

[Baby Grand]

Reverse or fwd rotation? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[JCB]

I'd guess my 4' tiller runs at about a 200 rpm wide open throttle. Often times I'm throttled down to about 100 rpm.

Joe

 

[joes_427_vette]

Incorporate a Harley transmission in the works. That way you can have your choice of speeds and with all the noise going on you won't hear the close tollerence Harley builds into their works of art ( the loud clunk between gear shifts ) It still impresses me that people pay 25 grand for this engineering. I'm sure they build this in house because if someone else did .... it would be rejected immediately.

There isn't alot of technology in a rototiller. Some gears, shafts, bearings, offset gear box, pto shaft, hardened tines, and some flat metal to support it. I bought a new KK2 tiller, 6' gear drive complete on a pallet for $1200. from my local fleet farm store. I personally don't think its worth the time and effort to replicate at this price. Warranty and available parts ... how can one go wrong.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Incorporate a Harley transmission in the works. That way you can have your choice of speeds and with all the noise going on you won't hear the close tollerence Harley builds into their works of art ( the loud clunk between gear shifts ) It still impresses me that people pay 25 grand for this engineering. I'm sure they build this in house because if someone else did .... it would be rejected immediately.

Hey, dont worry, I bet the build quality will go right thru the roof after they're done opening the new plant in Mexico:
After 107 years in Milwaukee, Harley could leave - Yahoo! News

There isn't alot of technology in a rototiller. Some gears, shafts, bearings, offset gear box, pto shaft, hardened tines, and some flat metal to support it. I bought a new KK2 tiller, 6' gear drive complete on a pallet for $1200. from my local fleet farm store. I personally don't think its worth the time and effort to replicate at this price. Warranty and available parts ... how can one go wrong.

I agree with Joe....with the availability of good tillers at great prices, I dont see how you can build one cheaper. If every penny counts, shop used! I bought a mechanically A+, cosmetically D- Sovema 72" for 800 bucks....Had I not found that Sovema unit when I did, I was a few days away from buying a KKII.

 

[NewportNic]

I thought he was taking about a Harley Rakes transmission. This is a great tool, just don't use one enough to justify buying one.

Klaus

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I thought he was taking about a Harley Rakes transmission. This is a great tool, just don't use one enough to justify buying one.

Klaus

LOL, Nah, a Harley rake doesnt have a transmission...just a 2:1 gearbox.

Harley rake is a GREAT Tool, never thought I'd love it this much..like you, I couldnt justify BUYING one, so I built one :thumbsup:
Now after just a few months of use, if it was stolen, even SWMBO would want me to buy one to replace it.

 

[Baby Grand]

Dave,

if it was stolen, even SWMBO would want me to buy one to replace it.

Where, exactly, in Maine?
We'll be up to Unity in late Sept ... if I hitched up the trailer ...

 

[bjr]

Find a Grey Market Tractor Dealer, they sometimes take back those grey market tillers when customers run'em in the rocks and wipe out the tines. They just scrape'em out then as the tines are to costly. But you can take and strip them down and get the shaft clean up and mount flanges on it and put KK tines on it and then make some good heavy duty draft lugs. They're pretty good tillers after that and maybe a little easier to do then starting from scratch. I've done two of them now, that ways. bjr