Question for you guy with tillers

[Gem99ultra]

I've tilled our garden with much higher weeds than you're faced with. Go ahead with the tiller, either 5' or 6', doesn't matter all that much.

What I've done is to till it on the first pass very shallow, maybe 2", just enough to cut the top layer. Then on the cross path go down further if you wish. Just remember, the deeper you go the more rocks and other unwanted objects are going to surface.

Much of the grass will get chopped up although you likely will see some green for a day or two. Not much you can do about that short of using round-up or burning. Not a big deal though since you're seeding right away. Soon it'll all look great.

 

[Ivan49]

As others have said, you will need to wait until the soil is dry enough to use a tiller on it. When the top several inches of the the soil are dry enough to crumble into your hand, then you can till it. Otherwise, it will be a very sticky mess and likely clog the tiller tines until the tiller is useless.

Good luck!

That depends on the type of soil he has. But you should not work any soil if it is to wet as it increases compaction

 

[IslandTractor]

I've used a King Kutter 6ft tiller in areas that had foot high grass. The grass was not a problem but the old grape vine roots underneath made a real mess. They were too strong for the tiller to rip so wrapped around it. Had to use a sawzall and crow bar to get them off. Nasty. Grass shouldn't be a problem because the tiller is strong enough to just tear it up.

 

[Ivan49]

I've used a King Kutter 6ft tiller in areas that had foot high grass. The grass was not a problem but the old grape vine roots underneath made a real mess. They were too strong for the tiller to rip so wrapped around it. Had to use a sawzall and crow bar to get them off. Nasty. Grass shouldn't be a problem because the tiller is strong enough to just tear it up.

I found a 10 foot long piece of 1/2 pipe once. It wrapped around the tiller just like a spring. Had to cut it out with my torch between each time

 

[IslandTractor]

I found a 10 foot long piece of 1/2 pipe once. It wrapped around the tiller just like a spring. Had to cut it out with my torch between each time

I've also found a 50ft garden hose with my flail mower. It shot threw the 12" grass from in front of the tractor so I could see something moving very fast towards me. I thought for a second or two, until the tractor stalled, that I was about to be attacked by the biggest meanest snake I'd ever imagined. After surviving that attack, I was happy to spend twenty minutes cutting hose off the rotor!

 

[Tigershark]

I have a 6ft KK tiller and have tilled several acres this spring. I have had to adjust the Slip Clutch a few times depending on the hard clay ground. If you could till after a rain it would probably be easier, our clay turns very hard after it dries out and I usually make two passes once to strip the first 2-3 inches of grass off then another pass to go deeper. I typically spray 7 days before tilling, sometime I have mowed and sometimes I have just tilled 2 ft grass, never had any issues with grass getting caught in the tines

 

[mapper]

If you do use a tiller be sure to run it at full PTO speed, that will insure that the tines will cut rather than wrap the grass and weed stems up. Unwrapping a clogged tiller is not any fun! I've only had to clean up the ends of my 60" tiller, but I can't begin to count the times I've unwrapped, cut and cussed at the troy built I used over the years.

 

[tcreeley]

Skip the roundup - just poison. Tilling should take care of the weeds. If you are worried about them wrapping around the tines, bush hog first. It will chop everything fine.

 

[screamin400]

I've also found a 50ft garden hose with my flail mower. It shot threw the 12" grass from in front of the tractor so I could see something moving very fast towards me. I thought for a second or two, until the tractor stalled, that I was about to be attacked by the biggest meanest snake I'd ever imagined. After surviving that attack, I was happy to spend twenty minutes cutting hose off the rotor!

You have brought back one of the scariest times in my life. I will explain. When was younger (as in much) I was brush hogging a neighbors field that had been idle forever. I was running a 125 hp tractor that day thank goodness. I saw something coming through the grass toward me rapidly. I swear first thing I thought of was I was under attack by a snake. This had to be 100 feet behind the mower. It ended up being an old barb wire fence. It came flying at me and wrapped around the cab completely a few times locking me in the cab. I had to go back to our farm and have my Dad cut me out. Thank goodness I took a tractor with a cab that day.

 

[coralhead]

I found my chain I was looking for with my LandPride tiller. I was wondering where that thing went.