Well, this weekend we had them both in the field: I with my NH, and my brother with his KK. The obstacles included four food plots. Two were of 1/2 acre in size and the other two were each ¼ acre. One of the smaller plots was virgin ground. One of the larger had not been cut in over a year, while the last two had been tilled this past spring. The NH tiller was powered by a TC30 and the KK was driven by a TC33.
Arriving at the property first, I had the TC 30 churning up the plot that had not been cut in over a year. Having read a good deal about the importance of building the organic content of soil, I decided that each plot would be tilled no deeper than 4 inches. So I set my tiller, put the tractor in 1st gear, medium, and let her eat. Within a little while, I had the plot tilled and then jumped on one of the smaller plots. After completing this one too, my brother pulled up with his TC33. We set the KK, and let her spin on the third plot.
Hmmm… I couldn't help but admire the cut the KK was making. I thought it looked a little smoother than mine. But that might have been due to the gates. His was lowered and mulching, while mine was raise and kicking it out. No matter. Either was a vast improvement over any harrow. The grass roots did not stand a chance. All had sprayed about a month earlier and the tillers were tearing them up.
On to the virgin soil… This piece had been sprayed, yet never even mowed. Most all of the grass had browned and matted down, so I dropped on it first and started walking over it with ease. Soon I heard my engine bog, so I decided that medium was too high. Dropping to 3rd gear low answered this problem. The tractor still moved at a decent pace yet it no longer bogged at any point. After a few passes, the TC 33 was tilling in the same bed. Shortly there after, my brother signaled for me to drop it to 3rd low. I smiled and nodded.
Here the ground was not giving up anything without a fight. The till pattern looked about the same (since I had adjusted my setting), yet I still admired that KK. It just looked beefy, and it was doing a fine job.
Up at the head of this little plot, I circled back with the 33 right on my heels, and this is when disaster struck. Mowing over a sprig of a bush, its thigh-size root became logged in the tiller. Apparently, its root had grown to some size over the years even though rotary cutters had often dispatched of the top growth. The NH tiller and 30 did a fine job of snatching this "stump" right out of the ground. Unfortunately, it made a few rounds before I hit the clutch. This jarring motion actually snatched the gates chain in half. I had to dismount and pry the wedge loose and reset the chain to another link. All while that KK tilled right on past me.
So in short, I guess the KK won. I was sent to the pit for repairs while it continued to work. But the job was all but complete by then anyhow. And what fun it was to knock out the work with the little New Holland's.
Arriving at the property first, I had the TC 30 churning up the plot that had not been cut in over a year. Having read a good deal about the importance of building the organic content of soil, I decided that each plot would be tilled no deeper than 4 inches. So I set my tiller, put the tractor in 1st gear, medium, and let her eat. Within a little while, I had the plot tilled and then jumped on one of the smaller plots. After completing this one too, my brother pulled up with his TC33. We set the KK, and let her spin on the third plot.
Hmmm… I couldn't help but admire the cut the KK was making. I thought it looked a little smoother than mine. But that might have been due to the gates. His was lowered and mulching, while mine was raise and kicking it out. No matter. Either was a vast improvement over any harrow. The grass roots did not stand a chance. All had sprayed about a month earlier and the tillers were tearing them up.
On to the virgin soil… This piece had been sprayed, yet never even mowed. Most all of the grass had browned and matted down, so I dropped on it first and started walking over it with ease. Soon I heard my engine bog, so I decided that medium was too high. Dropping to 3rd gear low answered this problem. The tractor still moved at a decent pace yet it no longer bogged at any point. After a few passes, the TC 33 was tilling in the same bed. Shortly there after, my brother signaled for me to drop it to 3rd low. I smiled and nodded.
Here the ground was not giving up anything without a fight. The till pattern looked about the same (since I had adjusted my setting), yet I still admired that KK. It just looked beefy, and it was doing a fine job.
Up at the head of this little plot, I circled back with the 33 right on my heels, and this is when disaster struck. Mowing over a sprig of a bush, its thigh-size root became logged in the tiller. Apparently, its root had grown to some size over the years even though rotary cutters had often dispatched of the top growth. The NH tiller and 30 did a fine job of snatching this "stump" right out of the ground. Unfortunately, it made a few rounds before I hit the clutch. This jarring motion actually snatched the gates chain in half. I had to dismount and pry the wedge loose and reset the chain to another link. All while that KK tilled right on past me.
So in short, I guess the KK won. I was sent to the pit for repairs while it continued to work. But the job was all but complete by then anyhow. And what fun it was to knock out the work with the little New Holland's.
