roto tillers; land pride vs king butter vs woods

trollingfever · Feb 25, 2015

Any HELP would be great choosing a 60" tiller. time is running out to order for spring usage(april)

have read ever thread i found on the subject, but haven't drawn conclusion yet.

my 3 choices with quotes in hand are;
depth weight
1. land pride RTA 1258 lower price $ 1300 6.5" 463lbs 80# chain drive
2. king kutter tg-60 $ 1500 8.0" 630lbs gear driven
3. woods TC-60 $ 2200 7.5" 604 lbs 80# chain drive
4. woods ght60 (itialian) $ 3300 7.25" 611 lbs gear drive

applications garden plots open turf first year, retill 2nd year on, and then some weed control. upto 5 acres. want it to be built to last, have parts available, etc.
the land pride states built in usa, woods is also built in usa, king butter has several import components. the woods ght60 is a woods model that is 100% import from italy.

i have never owned a 3pt tiller, and would like one that is built to last for years of service. i have read the KK is basically a functional unit, gear drive, but the welds are a bit rough and the paint is poor. the gear drive is supposed to be an upgrade. the sales are from farm and fleet or rural king stores. yellowish color only.

the land pride seems to be a lighter duty unit (weight 30% less) depth 6.5" shallower, but the photos i seen look ok. i think they build heavier units, but my dealer knows very little? can order kubota orange color.

the woods usa-tc-60 seems like a heavier unit, but again only a photo is how i have seen it. there is very little on the internet specifically about these units. the woods-Maletti (the most expensive) is suppose to be "italy" high quality... but i have only seen a photo.

does anyone have first hand experience with any of these roto tillers? a $2000.00 price dif is big.

thanks

mddorange · Feb 25, 2015

I have the LP1258 and it has work flawlessly. It has a slip clutch and 5 year gearbox warranty.

jeff9366 · Feb 25, 2015

You have a small tractor that is 25-30 years old. Whatever tiller you buy will outlast your tractor.

It is probable you will need a plow to open the land before you can roto-till it successfully.

trollingfever · Feb 25, 2015

thanks, no i'm ordering a new tractor, B series kubota, so i hope tiller last as long as it.

Sawyer Rob · Feb 25, 2015

IF you have stones of any size, or extremely tough soil, none of the above! IF you don't, I don't think it will matter much...

I'll tell you right now though, I'd buy the toughest tiller I could afford!!

SR

trollingfever · Feb 25, 2015

i agree but can't tell whats the toughest tiller? only by price if thats reflective?

Sawyer Rob · Feb 25, 2015

You want tough ?, buy a Kuhn or a Howard, sized with a gear box rated a bit bigger than the HP of your tractor. Don't believe, that IF you have a drive line slip clutch that it will always save the tiller.... cause that's just not true...

All three of mine are Howards... For slightly lighter duty, I'd look at Maschio...

SR

DK35vince · Feb 25, 2015

I am unfamiliar with the other tiller models.
But I seriously doubt you could hurt a King Kutter II 60" tiller with a B series size Kubota.
Plenty of tiller for that tractor.

dpb800 · Feb 25, 2015

I've got a 72" kk tiller. It works great. Broke through sod without a problem and the 8 tines really chew up the soil well. It is built solid and I love the gear drive vs chain.