Tiller Tiller Shopping

Anonymous Poster · Jan 29, 2003

I do not see why it would not be ethical.....I am a rookie with a tractor and tiller wanting to make a little xtra money...Thanks for the reply....

timb · Jan 29, 2003

Around what ground speed are you using while tilling? 1st pass, 2nd pass different?

Tim

rationalizer · Jan 29, 2003

Rat,

I was speaking with my "other" Landpride Dealer today (we have a few around here) and he told me to be very careful about ordering a reverse rotation tiller if it will be used in rocky soil. He said he sold one a few years ago to a man who had a lot of rocks (in his fields.../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif) and he practically destroyed his tiller in a very short period of time. Landpride replaced it for him - so the company stood behind its dealer.

I'm certain I'll be getting a forward rotation tiller, slip clutch, six tine, not sure if chain or gear....

Sounds like some of our friends above have figured out how to make some money at this....

Bill

Anonymous Poster · Jan 29, 2003

I take it slow both passes...I like to give it plenty of time to loosen the soil up.I tilled 4 gardens last year for my neighbors and never charged them anything.....If I was further away from home I would have to charge something.

timb · Jan 30, 2003

Looks like most gear tractors low range, 1st gear run around 1.5 mph (typical 8-9 speed collar shift) and 0.9 - 1.0 mph (12 speed shuttles). Of course hydro should be able to do anything you want.

I've never used a tiller behind a decent-sized tractor, just my old walk-behind Troybuilt. I have no idea how the tine shaft speeds compare, so I'm wondering whether the above speeds are slow enough or would a gear tractor need (or at least benefit from) a "creeper" range to till well?

Tim

Hoeman00 · Jan 30, 2003

I had a L2900 GST Kubota w/ 74" Bush hog tiller
and used 1st gear for first 2 passes ( in sod w/ clay
and rock below) then if wanted to level and mix
dirt used 3rd. gear.
I haven't used it on the 35D yet.

Bird · Jan 30, 2003

Tim, naturally I think the hydro is best for using a tiller, but if I remember right, the manual for my Bush Hog tiller mentioned depths you could expect on 1st and 2nd passes at 1 mph. My tiller was a chain drive, 4 tines per row, and was used hard and even abused for over 7 years and never had a problem with it. The chain ran in wheel bearing grease instead of oil. After a couple of years, I cleaned it all out, replaced the grease, etc. (manual said every 100 hours), but it really didn't look like it needed anything. Then just before I sold it, I pulled the cover to service it again, but it looked so good I didn't even do it; just put the cover back on. I experimented with different speeds, but think the 1 mph is about right (estimated speed of course since the tractors had no speedometers). I can't imagine a tiller doing a much better job, but do think, without knowing for sure, that a 6 tine tiller should do as good a job at a little faster speed.

Anonymous Poster · Jan 30, 2003

I forgot to say, my tractor is hydro...

MChalkley · Jan 30, 2003

Agric (the brand of tiller I've got) makes a gear drive model that has a gearbox that can be switched to either forward or reverse rotation and even lets you pick one of two speeds. I don't remember the price, but I'll bet she ain't cheap.

Buck · Jan 30, 2003

Bird,

My 54" wide Howse tiller allows the tine motion to reverse. I can turn the tines in the direction of the tractor wheels or in the opposite direction by reversing certain components on the drive transmission.

The Howse appears to me to be very well made when compared to the other "value tillers" wieghing in at 700+ pounds.

Buck

Bird · Jan 30, 2003

Mark, glad to see you're still around; hadn't heard from you in awhile./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif When you say the gearbox can be switched, are you talking about throwing switch to change the rotation, or do you mean switching the gearbox around with wrenches?

And Buck, obviously, you and Mark know of at least two reversable ones; I didn't. Looks like the Howse requires getting the wrenches out and setting it up to go the direction you want it to, so it appears to be a fair amount of work to change from one to the other.

Anonymous Poster · Jan 30, 2003

My 54" wide Howse tiller allows the tine motion to reverse.

I guess this is a silly question? Are the Howse tiller tines sharpened on the back edges as well as the front?--Ken Sweet

MChalkley · Jan 30, 2003

Bird,

As I remember, the factory rep told me that you can change rotation direction with a lever, but to change speeds, you do have to remove a plate a swap a gear around.

HayDR · Jan 30, 2003

Ken,

I don't beleave MChalkley understood the question? A reversable direction tiller is of little good without being able to switch the tine cutting edge direction. Most MFG's have multispeed tillers in their gear drive models, IMO TBN members are confusing this with a dual direction tiller.

Anonymous Poster · Jan 31, 2003

Hello Mark--That is exactly what I thought--Thanks--Ken Sweet
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.sweettractors.com>http://www.sweettractors.com</A>

MikePA · Jan 31, 2003

<font color=blue>A reversable direction tiller is of little good without being able to switch the tine cutting edge direction.</font color=blue>
Would reversing the rotation direction assist in dislodging rocks that get stuck?

lblair · Jan 31, 2003

Call Ken Sweet at Sweet Tractors. His shipping charge and First choice tillers are as his name says..."SWEET" I got the 48" FC Tiller. It works great Ken/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Plus me being from the north and never gone anyplace he sounds cool too. He shipped by rig right to my door. Got home from work and there was my tiller and post hole digger. Ya gotta luv it.
Larry

rdln · Jan 31, 2003

I bought my 5 ft reverse landpride in 94 and have been pretty happy with it. It has a #100 chain.

I think a good indicator of country of origin is whether or not fasteners are metric or NC/NF. The original chain was made in Japan, replaced it with a Chinese($90) after about 150 acres, also did the top sprocket then($180). Once the original chain loosened up enough to take out a link, I knew it was loose because it wore a hole in the bottom of the cover.

Replaced about all the blades twice (Maschio made in Italy) at $4-6 a piece.

Landpride PTO shafts are made by Walterschield (sp?) made in Germany

If you go Chain, Keep it adjusted better than I did.

I like the reverse till for Gardens, I go over twice and clean up the end of the rows to one corner and tell the customer that most of his rocks are right there.

I stopped doing wildlife food plots with it because it wasn't necessary.
now I just plow and drag harrow, broadcast any seed/fert. But when I used it planting corn I would plow and rototill once with the planter towed behind the tiller with a rigged up hitch worked well.

Consider the Europian brands (Howard, Kuhn, Maschio) because that's what the farmers use over there.

Steel Wheels - whatever you end up with per hour, I would add $5 and put that in a kitty for blades and parts.

Buck · Jan 31, 2003

Ken,

I guess this is a silly question? Are the Howse tiller tines sharpened on the back edges as well as the front?--Ken Sweet

The axel is reversed!

Buck

Anonymous Poster · Jan 31, 2003

Hi Larry--Glad you like the service--If you think I am country, yall should hear my chief mechanics southern drawl --By the way, I just read on one of these posts about the chains hitting the covers and wearing thru on some tillers--The automatic chain tensioner that came standard with your First Choice Roto Tiller should eleminate that problem. Have a good weekend--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.sweettractors.com>http://www.sweettractors.com</A>