Tiller King Cutter 60" tiller

Sackett2 · Sep 6, 2008

This Forum has been a godsend for assessing products, quality and price. So as I set my tractor up I do a lot of research here.
For a tiller, I have chose the King Kutter. The DarkHorse is tempting, but haven't found a source here in the PNW. Anyway, after several trips to a local farm store that carries KK, I finally had the time to corner a sales person to get a price on the KK-60". Imagine my surprise when he calls in the price check and gets a number of between 1000 and 1100.
My only concern is that there could have been a error and they quoted me for a 60" brush hog and not a tiller; I will double check tomorrow. (don't have the cash ready at this time) I asked the young sales kid about the cost, he said that they had been there 1 to 2 years and the store cost could have been lower at the time. If it comes true, the only other thing is that the store has a 10% sale once a month, may wait for that. (they have two in stock)

JDeerekid · Sep 6, 2008

Do yourself a favor and get the 72" one. It is alot better fit for your tractor because it sits outside your tires a little bit. The 60" one will not clear your tires and cannot be offset so you will leave tire tracks whereever you till. Yes its a little more money but you will enjoy it a better. I bought mine earlier this year and I did not regret my purchase. I have tilled around 6 arces with it. I have some rocky soil and besides a few dents in the metal no problem running it behind my tractor which is the same hp as yours.

Most implements that you look for try to get at least the width of the outside of your tires which should be around 6 feet.

Sackett2 · Sep 7, 2008

unless one appears at a big cost cut I'll have to stick with one a wee bit smaller than the tires. The store dosn't carry one, and the internet is showing 700-1000 more than the 5'

BJN644 · Sep 7, 2008

I'd grab it, they are $1499 around here. The 5' bushhog is $749 FYI.

Sackett2 · Sep 8, 2008

Well I double checked the prices; not good. There was a error somewhere. the cost is 1900-2000 for the 60" 2200 for the 72"

Anyone in the Oregon/south Washington area know of a source for KK that are moer inline with the market value? 1400 for a 60" and a few hundred higher for a 72"

bigdad · Sep 8, 2008

After two years of sitting out on the lot they should cut a guy a deal. Obviously they are not moving very well. Lay that on them!

daBear · Sep 8, 2008

bigdad said:
After two years of sitting out on the lot they should cut a guy a deal. Obviously they are not moving very well. Lay that on them!

Agreed. I was in the market for a rear finish mower and my local dealer had some Bush Hog RDTH60 models for $1,100 which were sun faded. His dealer costs was higher than that. I was just shopping when I came across this deal and had it loaded before he could change his mind.

john_bud · Sep 8, 2008

That's wierd. Around here the prices on implements start to fall in the fall as nobody is buying them until spring. Usually 15% off deals in October or November. the 60" KK is normally 1495 here and on sale goes for 1195. At least that's what it was last year.

I'd just wait and keep shopping.

jb

ampsucker · Sep 8, 2008

also check craigslist and ebay for local items you can drive and pick up.

around here, best price i could find on a kkII 48" was around 1300. take 10-15% off that if you catch it on sale. finally found a 54" on ebay about 3 hours away for 975 that was only two years old. no tax, no shipping unless you count my tank of gas to go and fetch it. one new pto slip clutch pad and a pto gearbox shaft seal later (32 bux), i have a decent tiller that should serve me well.

i had been looking for about six months when this one came up and i jumped on it.

amp

JC-jetro · Sep 8, 2008

Great tiller, I bought a 60" wide one from TSC on special for $1150. I used it for a whopping 3 hours in two seasons and it already paid for itself in my opinion. I store it nice and dry and plan to have it around for the next 25 years, if I can last that long more. Best value for the money if you want to buy brand new.

JC,

Sackett2 · Sep 9, 2008

OK, now it gets funny.
Armed with the info and prodding of you guys I head back down to the store. Look around, still wondering where the 1000 price came from. As I was leaving, I saw a used 60" KK in another corner; a leak at the lower gearbox, so I corner a salesperson, who gets the manager. I let him know the going rate for a 60" is in the 1400-1500 range, and what's the story on this one.
He tells me "to him it's a pile of scrap." (getting ideas at this time)
You can see where a rope has tangled and tore up the lower seal. I'm wondering what the damage inside would be. I turn the pto on another tiller next to it, nice and easy, this one locked up.
So he makes the first offer. 1699.
I say no, he goes down to 1599. I tell him I can get one for less brand new, just have to drive to it. he tells me the cost of steel has gone up and he doubts that I could. He stuck at the 1599 price for a seized up used 60" KK.
I figure he has 1500 of scrap I'll look around. May call KK tomorrow and price out the bearings. then wait a bit and offer 900-1000, if the bearings are not to bad in cost.
TSC has a 60" for sale at 1499. and a 6" for 1799, but its about a 6 hour drive.
Anyway, i'll keep looking

ampsucker · Sep 9, 2008

possibly just a damaged seal. bearing may be fine. most likely, nothing else is damaged if they didn't run it without oil.

the pto gearbox shaft seal on the howse unit i just bought was a whopping 3 bux.

keep working on 'em. explain how much it will cost to have someone haul it away or to ship it back to the factory. explain that since you can't get it to turn, you'll have to assume the gears are shelled out and it may cost more than it's worth to fix. explain that you are taking all the risk since there isn't any warranty any more and that you priced all the gears and it was very expensive. tell them how much it would cost to have the local tractor shop pull it apart and diagnose it for them so they can resell it. tell them you have cash and can not only make their problem go away but pay them for it if the price is right. etc.

then after you buy it for a song and fix it up for a song, you'll have a sweet deal on a virtually new tiller! (hopefully!)

amp

Baby Grand · Sep 9, 2008

Sackett2,
That's a real nice tiller, but I'd work on the dealer, like ampsucker said. By the way, I like ampsucker's talking points. Who could argue with that withering fire of logic? And as jb says, they usually go on sale in a month or two. Do you really need it right now, or can you wait this guy out a bit?
-Jim

rootytoot · Sep 9, 2008

The standard price for the 5' KKII at Wilco is $1799; if you sign up for the Priority Customer card they knock $100 off. There's a Wilco in Springfield, Oregon.

mrutkaus · Sep 9, 2008

wow i got kk 60" tiller last year martinsburg wv for less than $1200 new

mike

DK35vince · Sep 9, 2008

I paid $1599 for a 72" KK tiller this spring in Western, Pa.

Lindy · Sep 11, 2008

Looks like prices have gone up on KK tillers around here (western NY) again.

Got my KK 60" tiller at TSC for $1399 (regular price) this spring.

It looks like they just received a new shipment of KK tillers at my local TSC.

New prices:
- 60" KK tiller for $1499
- 72" for $1799

There's a 6' Dark Horse out front of the store for $900.

PaPaGill · Oct 1, 2008

I realize you're after a KK but have you looked at the tiller at Betst Companies just down the road from you in Creswell? A 59" sells for under $900. These tillers are Chinese. They have an offset drive. It doesn't look like it's adjustable. The tine bar is gear driven. Betst markets them on ebay and there are several pictures posted. If you've looked them over, I'd be curious what your opinion was. Thanks

Sackett2 · Oct 1, 2008

They seem like a decent tiller, he demo'ed it for me in july and it did a good job. I have bought a rear blade from him, and my dad a cute little desktop size log splitter. I chose KK due to this forum, and it's overall reviews.
I have noticed that If I were to use ebay, I think I get a better deal from him than if I drive up to the gate. All things concedered, the KK has a good base price (when dealing with TSC) I'm thinking he quoted me a slightly higher price for a 60" of his brand, And the people who use the KK here speak well of it's durability. His unit I'm unsure of.

JackMentink · Oct 2, 2008

Sackett

I have a montana 3644, the next size down from yours but same size tires and frame. I purchased a used KK 72" tiller last year and have used the daylights out of it. It works absolutely great. I am almost embarrassed to tell you I bought it one year old from a guy about 40 miles away for $600. He had it on our local website under Farm equipment.

I just wanted to let you know that the 72" size works great for our tractor. Covers the wheels perfectly and mine has plenty of power (I'm at 38.5 HP, you have 43). I Have a mixture of clay loam soil with abundant rocks anmd this thing seam pretty bullet proof. I've rabbed rebar around the tiller and lots of wire and it just keeps on going. I just stop and get it out. I live in Missouri, so it seems like somebody has these things used that they are trying to get rid of. Keep looking around. I've tilled garden spots and about 1.5 acres of area that i turned into lawn and it prepared the ground just wonderfully.

Jack