Tiller Howse 54" tiller

[Buck]

Howse 54\" tiller

Tractors, I am finding, are the weakest spot in my personality. Recently, on somewhat of an impulse, I bought a 54" tiller from Howse through Northern equipment.

I guess I broke my first shear pin.

Now, I could get by without a tiller. In fact, over the last few wintery months in Upstate NY, every time I dreamed of riding my tractor across grassy, rutty terrain and leaving a glass smooth swath of finely ground black topsoil, I found plenty of reasons not to buy one. After all, who wants to spend $10 for an ear of corn?

I bought it and I bought it without enough research. So I now I have decided to do that research while it is being shipped. But before I ask my questions, let me say this. I have found very little user data on Howse Tillers. In fact, I have found --none--.

Howse appears to be very popular with rough cut mowers, scoops, middle busters and such -- not tillers.

Again, I bought the 54" tiller from Northern Tool.

Here are the specs:


3 PT. 54in. Rotary Tiller

Machine can be offset to either side or centered. A-frame extended for smooth operation. 2 disc torque limiter protects tractor and implement. Removable tine shaft. Heavy duty all gear drive, adjustable skid shoes, suggested use with 25-50 HP. 540 RPM at PTO shaft, 75 HP gear box. 28 13 1/4 in. L by 5/16 in. x 2 1/2 in. W blades, rotor speed of 210 RPM. Digs 7 in. to 10 in. deep. Works with category 1 tractors. U.S.A.

A-frame and gearbox assembly can be reversed
54 inches
3-Point
Clutch, side shift
28 blades
Ship Wt. 679.00 lbs.


Questions:

1) 7 to 10 inches deep appears deeper than other brands. Why isn't this brand considered more popular?

2) 679.00 lbs. is significantly heavier than similarly priced, and sized tillers. Why the big difference?

3) Is there a 12 step program available for tractor owners?

Thanks,

Buck

 

[Buck]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

For the sake of posterity, here is a photo of my Howse 54" tiller. I know of at least one TBN member who has expressed an interest in Howse tillers. Thought I'd shoot a photo of the gearbox, slipclutch and reversable driveline while the top plate is off.

Since purchasing, I have had the chance to see JD and some other brands of tillers. In comparison, I am glad I got this tiller because the metal is thicker and the tines seem more heavy duty.

It seems to me to be a first class tiller at a reasonable price!

Buck

 

[Von]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

OK Buck, How much is rent on that puppy, and when can I pick it up?!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I wish I had one. By the way how much was the shipping for the tiller?

 

[Buck]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

Von,

I paid $1250 including shipping. Send me a private email if you want to use it. I think it was $217 for shipping, but I could be wrong but not far off.

Good to hear from you again, Von.

Buck

 

[pcmem]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

Buck,

Did you order that from Norther Tool also or your dealer? The reason I'm wondering is looking at the picture (thank you!) and the catalog as well as the specs they don't appear to be the same. What am I missing here, wrong catalog or what?

BTW the idea of a reversable driveline is interesting, allowing for reverse rotation tilling /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

Thanks for clearing this up,
Michael

 

[Rick Jay]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

Buck,

Thanks for the info. I've been looking at that tiller for a few months now but was a bit hesitant to order it because there wasn't much info on it. The price and features of this unit look hard to beat. Even with the shipping, it'll still be about $500 less than a comparable Woods unit I was thinking of getting. My uses for the tiller will be very limited, so I don't wish to spend more than necessary.

Do you have the exact Northern Tool catalog item number for this unit? It seems that Northern sometimes has different tillers available.

Thanks for the great information.

~Rick

 

[Buck]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

Rick,

It is Item# 250188.

It seems to me that this is the -only- Howse tiller they carry. The rest are, I think, farm king. Notice the difference in features and weight/Length.

Buck

 

[Buck]

Re: Howse 54\" tiller

pcmem,

It is Item# 250188. I shot the photo with the tillers' cover off. Maybe that is why it looks different.

However, I did find that the item didn't come up on the on-line catalogue with the others. Definitely try a search using the item number above.

It seems to me that this is the -only- Howse tiller they carry. The rest are, I think, farm king. Notice the difference in features and weight/Length.

Buck