New VERTICAL TINE rototiller...anyone have one?

[5030]

I see CC has come out with a vertical tine tiller that supposedly will chew up grass and provide a seed bed in one pass. Anyone have one and if you do, what do you think of it...

I have the RT model (conventional rear tine counter rotating and other than the crappy Honda GC engine, it works well. I did, prior to first use, pull the top cover and remove the plug and inject quite a bit of EP grease into the gearcase as it seems that CC/MTD don't put much in and gearboxes don't last. Mine is 3 years old and going strong on a 1.5 acre garden.

I'm an old guy and the vertical, one hand one pass no strain tilling appeals to me but I'm curious if one, it works as advertised and 2, Is it built well enough to hold up? My concern is the times are only supported on one end.

I see the new RT's come with Kohler engines. Good thing. The Honda is junk, well, it runs but it lopes constantly and thats irritating for me.

 

[bcp]

My concern would be rocks jamming where the tines come together.

I can see how it might require less weight to keep the tines in the dirt, as they aren't trying to climb out all the time. That would make it easier to use. My old Troy-Bilt is nearly 400 pounds which gives me a workout as it is all hillside terraces and tight turns up or down.

Bruce

 

[Code54]

Never heard of them before so you got me interested so I looked them up. Seems to have semi poor ratings at Home Depots site (rocks were mentioned as a problem). Sounds like it may require good soil to work well.

Funny you mention the Honda lopes, I have a Briggs doing the same and can't figure out why, tried everything - drives me nuts!

 

[5030]

My concern would be rocks jamming where the tines come together.

I can see how it might require less weight to keep the tines in the dirt, as they aren't trying to climb out all the time. That would make it easier to use. My old Troy-Bilt is nearly 400 pounds which gives me a workout as it is all hillside terraces and tight turns up or down.

Bruce

Thats my concern...rocks. If you have 'egg beaters' in a mixer and you drop in your spoon, bad things happen. Mine (RT Cub) don't climb out or try to in reverse direction, but it can still be a handfull to control. Why I parked my Troybilt and got the RT Cub. My Horse, as big as it is, would sometimes try to run away with me hanging on... not pretty. I still use it but only to cultivate between rows.

I see the vertical tine tiller is the same retail price as the RT dual direction one I have now.

 

[5030]

Never heard of them before so you got me interested so I looked them up. Seems to have semi poor ratings at Home Depots site (rocks were mentioned as a problem). Sounds like it may require good soil to work well.

Funny you mention the Honda lopes, I have a Briggs doing the same and can't figure out why, tried everything - drives me nuts!

The first year it ran fine, just as smooth as could be. The second year it started loping and it lopes today. The only way it won't lope is wide open or with the choke out a bit.

I know it's not bad gas. I run the motor dry and drain the carb in the fall and it gets a regular shot of Sea Foam in the gas and marine stabil in the gas can as well. I'm getting ready to pitch the motor and install a Predator. I like to run the tiller just above an idle, has plenty of power but the lope is irritating.

I think the GC engine is the Honda cheapo engine.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

I bought a Toro Personal Pace push mower a few years ago. It has electric start but has no choke or primer button. It started getting hard to start and would then start and then stall and lope for several minutes before I could mow with it. Last summer I went to Walmart and bought a bottle of stuff in the Automotive section to clean carburetors after using Ethanol gas. It did wonders as it now starts right up and I can start mowing immediately.

Bob B.

 

[sixdogs]

It seems to me a rock would end your day either by getting stuck, breaking or damaging blades or just vibrating the operator into unconsciousness. It's pretty hard to beat the current model "C" shaped blade tiller design for breaking and smoothing soil in basically one pass. I use tillers a lot and I think the vertical tine needs some work before it will catch on.

For three point equipment there is a trend to a power harrow vertical tillage kind of tiller that looks like it would work great but would be used after the initial tillage is done. Here's sample of an idea that works. http://www.maschio.com/catalog/product/drago-dc/en_GB



EDIT--The reason for the trend to vertical tillage like in the Maschio model I linked to is because of the severe compaction rototillers cause in clay type soils. The Maschio apparently minimizes this with the vertical tillage.

 

[RandyT]

This is actually the second year for the vertical tine tillers on Cub Cadet and Troybilt. Don't see many of them in my area. Toro tried this same concept like 30 years ago and you can see where that ended. They don't make them any more.

 

[JRobyn]

That lopping is due to being too lean on a governed engine. If your carb has a main jet adjustment, try opening it just a bit. If you have no adjustment, the leanness is probably because of a bit of trash in the carb that is partially blocking the main jet.

Little Mantis tillers have had both "regular" and straight (vertical) tine sets for a long time. The regular tines are best for stirring and mixing soil, the straight ones are excellent for cultivating weeds from between existing planted rows.

 

[5030]

That lopping is due to being too lean on a governed engine. If your carb has a main jet adjustment, try opening it just a bit. If you have no adjustment, the leanness is probably because of a bit of trash in the carb that is partially blocking the main jet.

Little Mantis tillers have had both "regular" and straight (vertical) tine sets for a long time. The regular tines are best for stirring and mixing soil, the straight ones are excellent for cultivating weeds from between existing planted rows.

Thanks, I'll have a look. It has a fuel filter on it and I'm extra careful about adding clean furl.