Tiller Running a tiller when the ground is wet

[Baranx4]

That past year it's been wet in NE Pa. until the past week it rained all summer causing planting and plowing issues, my neighbor asked if it would be better to pickup a tiller instead of plowing since running a plow this past year was always a problem with lack of traction or spinning tires in mud or possibly if it would be better to buying a larger tractor in the 65-80 hp range. I didn't know the answer so I'm posting it here.

 

[RickB]

Performing tillage operations when soil conditions are too wet is almost never a good idea regardless of the method. Compaction and damage to the soil structure are the result. The degrees of which are dependent on the level of soil moisture and the type of soil involved.

 

[LBrown59]

Perfect mud ball production .

 

[coobie]

That past year it's been wet in NE Pa. until the past week it rained all summer causing planting and plowing issues, my neighbor asked if it would be better to pickup a tiller instead of plowing since running a plow this past year was always a problem with lack of traction or spinning tires in mud or possibly if it would be better to buying a larger tractor in the 65-80 hp range. I didn't know the answer so I'm posting it here.

I have a Kioti DK40se(41.5 hp)loaded tires and a Kioti 65 inch tiller.I have run the tiller after a 1/4 inch of rain with no issues.coobie

 

[IslandTractor]

I also have a Kioti DK40se with a 6ft KK tiller and used it this spring to prepare cornfields in previously untilled pasture. Some parts of the land were moderately dry (nothing was dry this spring) and other parts were frankly mud. Tilling in mud is no fun and just glops things up. I don't think tilling in moist soil after a 1/4 inch rain is such a big deal but if you are getting mudballs or clumps of dirt(am I really agreeing with LBrown) then that ain't good.

 

[whistlepig]

If you till it when it's too wet it will clump up. And it takes a long, long time to work the clumps back out.

 

[jbrumberg]

If you till it when it's too wet it will clump up. And it takes a long, long time to work the clumps back out.

I agree; having been there and done that years ago. Jay

 

[tmc2318]

If you are tilling un-broken ground like pasture or grass the best time is right after a rain. The tiller will cut the sods up like butter and pull out any brush roots easier; but stay out of the already tilled ground as you will make a mess. I found this out one day when it had been raining all night and I wanted to get something done in the morning so I thought what the heck. I had some pasture/grass that had been packed with truck traffic that I had cut previous and wanted to turn to topsoil, level and then back to grass. I grabbed a coffee and jumped in the tractor which made a bit of a mess on the road to get there but once I was on the grass it was dry. The tiller cut up to hardpacked grass and left a perfect black layer of topsoil in one pass. Great way to spend a rainy Saturday.

 

[jinman]

I tried tilling some damp soil with a heavy clay content and ended up with football/basketball sized clods and a mess to clean up in my tiller. It only took about 10' of tilling to make a huge mess.

 

[randy41]

If I'm unsure about it I'll till a few feet and see how it looks. If clumpy then I quit and try another day. Plowing when its a little wet seems to work out OK though. We've had that same kind of year here as you Baranx.