Tiller Tillers, 3pt. or hand?

[gerytb]

I have a garden that is about 50' by 50'. Put in this year with a plough, and disc, then paid a guy to till it with a 3 pt. tiller behind his tractor. Trying to decide whether to get a 3 pt. tiller or a good tiller like Troybilt for next year. I have a 4035 Mahindra. it would take a 6 ft. tiller to cover tracks or a 4 ft. offset tiller by King Kutter. The disc just didn't get the soil broken up enough, alot of clumps. This is midwestern hard pan clay. I know I will be adding compost every year, maybe some lime, maybe some sand. I think a tiller would really do a good job of mixing this into the soil; the disc, not so much. I can get a nice new counter rotating hand tiller or used Troybilt for around $800. I can get a new KK 4' for $1350 and a 6' for $1800. Do the offset tillers do a nice job? The 6' just seems like a lot more than I would need, and less useful for smaller areas like flower beds or something my wife may want in the future. Open to all advice/suggestions.

 

[davesl708]

I love my 3pth tiller. Would never go back the walk behind.
As to flower beds, if I need narrower I remove the outside set of tines.

 

[KevT]

The walk behind is still a lot of work, a lot more than a 3pt will be. But the cost differences are dramatic. I can't afford a 3pt tiller so I bought my 17" counter rotation tiller off CraigsList for $400. Our garden is 50 x 100 and I figure I will use it twice a year.

 

[yankeerider]

I have owned the KK 4' offset tiller for a few years now and am very pleased with it. My garden is about 30 x 60 and the 3 pt tiller only gets used for springtime planting preparation and fall cleanup/winter rye planting preparation. Through the growing season i now use a Honda 110 mini-tiller for weeding/cultivating.

 

[mddorange]

I have used them all. I started with a walk behind, then, went to a self-powered tiller connected to my 24hp ridding garden tractor/mower, and now a LP RTA 1258 3pt tiller. I use the 3pt tiller in the one acre garden and to loosen dirt elsewhere.

 

[tcreeley]

offset 48" tiller - $1095.95
offset 60" tiller -$1195.95 I have the 5' model for my NH TC30, rugged and works well with my 30hp tractor - pics taken the day it arrived, works great in the garden, I'd never go back to a walk behind tiller.

Tillovator-Rotary Tiller | Agri Supply #77710

 

[bigtiller]

Unless you are nearing retirement, get the walk-behind tiller. A 50x50 garden isn't that big.

 

[bcp]

Lots of Troy-Bilt Horse tillers around here on CL for $200-$500.

Bruce

 

[oldballs]

Unless you are nearing retirement, get the walk-behind tiller. A 50x50 garden isn't that big.

Ditto bigtiller above. There is a learning curve to using a 3 pt tiller and for a small plot it ain't worth the trouble and can create complications that you never thought of. I still use my walk behind for cultivation of a 50 x 100 garden, having already used the 3 pt last fall and early this spring. Walk behinds work great in already worked gardens, without much effort if you know how to use one.:2cents:
P.S. I also till with the 3 pt at the neighbors' gardens.

 

[Fawken]

Sold my big walk-behind after I got the TSC 3pt 44". What few areas I cannot reach I just use a shovel and fork.