Tilling and mowing and reducing implement changeup time

[JD425AWS]

Do any of you use the same machine for mowing and tilling? I bought a JD 425 which is a machine that I really like. The problem is that in order to put the hydraulic tiller on my machine, it looks like I have to remove the mower deck, mount the tiller drive and the mount the tiller on the 3pt hitch. Then reverse the process to mow. This is the kind of thing I'd want to do once a season.

But want to be able to till all summer and mow at the same time or with minimal change over effort. Time spent changing out implements is time not spent gardening or doing other things.

Other than buying two tractors, what is the best set up to allow for tilling and mowing with the same machine and fast change over time?

 

[prs]

IF the 425 has a 3pt hitch and rear 540 PTO, why not just buy a more compatible tiller and use it with the mower in up in tram position? Otherwise, seems your options are more costly. When I till, I remove my MMM from my 650 so as not to damage the lift links and such in the deep soft soil.

prs

 

[jeff9366]

JD 425 is an older model Lawn & Garden Tractor with four equal size wheels.

20-hp Kawasaki gas engine, 800 pounds to 900 pounds weight.

Category '0' Three Point Hitch is listed as 'optional'.

LINK: TractorData.com John Deere 425 tractor information

I want to till and mow at the same time or with minimal change over effort.

Other than buying two tractors, what is the best set up to allow for tilling and mowing with the same machine and fast change over time?

One word answer: NO

I am afraid you will have to go through the dismount/mount iteration repeatedly.

For tractors with a Category '1' Three Point Hitch there a several Quck Hitches to mount implements easily on the the Three Point but none that I am aware of reduce/eliminate the struggle to connect PTO shafts to a mower deck and tiller, which is the most exasperating part PTO powered equipment changes.

 

[motownbrowne]

I just bought a second tractor for this very reason. If your happy with the way that your JD mows and with how it tills,I think the best thing to do would be to buy a second one. I'm not sure, but maybe you could find a deal on one that has no deck.

Alternatively, you could look at a more universal tractor with a category one three point hitch. Just about anything would work as long as first gear is slow enough. Hydrostatic is better, though for a tiller. I just paid $5500 for a hydrostatic 4wd New Holland, but we're growing vegetables commercially, so our need is pretty great. That may not be in the budget just to escape swapping implements (plus you'd have to buy a different tiller than the one you already have).

Or you could buy a 2 wheel tractor for tilling. A BCS would be the best, but a used Troy-Bilt Horse will get a lot done for between $500-1000. Of course that's quite a bit more physically challenging than sitting on a seat letting the machine do all the work. I think some of the heavier BCS tractors are probably very user friendly; they have enough weight to reduce the need to hold it in place and steering brakes too. I've never personally used one, though.

 

[bigtiller]

I had a few 425's years ago. I think you are stuck doing it the way you are now. My tiller was a 450 mechanical one which is a little faster to put on than the hydraulic one, but not much.

I usually change over once or twice a week, but I remember one sunday that i needed to mow after working at least 68 hours the previous 6 days. The weather and ground was perfect for tilling but i needed to mow. The calls came about every 3 hours for tilling that day and i changed over 3 times that sunday.

 

[JD425AWS]

The front wheels on mine are good bit smaller. But the machine is about #900 and moves around competently in the garden with 2wd. I'm used to hooking up a tiller on my 30 hp tractor on the 3 pt, and it can take 20 minutes or more to get everything aligned and clicked in.

I don't mind a few minutes to change over, I just don't want 20 mins to get the mower off and then another 20mins to get the tiller on. ON my 30 hp tractor, moving 500 lb implements around wears me out.

With a cat 1 and quick links, how long do you think it would take to hitch a smaller mechanical tiller on the 3 pt? Surely that has to be faster than mounting a hydraulic pump on the pto and then mounting the tiller as would be needed for a hydraulic tiller.

 

[jeff9366]

For me, it is how stubborn will the PTO connection be This Time?

I always make the connection but sometimes the connection takes three minutes, sometimes twelve minutes.

At age 68, sometimes I need a brief rest after completing the connection on a tough connection day, before heading out on the tractor.

In exchange for the power and mechanical efficiency of the geared PTO the tractor/implement spline coupling is minimum tolerance.

 

[bigtiller]

I have a JD i-Match quick hitch on my 3ph. If I take the pto out of gear, I can put the tiller on in about 3 minutes or less. Taking it off is under a minute, and I'm not hurrying.

JD made an "A" frame style quick hitch that should fit your 425 if you switch to the mechanical tiller. Is the hydraulic tiller that much work to connect?

 

[wcampbell47]

The front wheels on mine are good bit smaller. But the machine is about #900 and moves around competently in the garden with 2wd. I'm used to hooking up a tiller on my 30 hp tractor on the 3 pt, and it can take 20 minutes or more to get everything aligned and clicked in.

I don't mind a few minutes to change over, I just don't want 20 mins to get the mower off and then another 20mins to get the tiller on. ON my 30 hp tractor, moving 500 lb implements around wears me out.

With a cat 1 and quick links, how long do you think it would take to hitch a smaller mechanical tiller on the 3 pt? Surely that has to be faster than mounting a hydraulic pump on the pto and then mounting the tiller as would be needed for a hydraulic tiller.

I have quick hitches on the three point on both my tractors. Hooking up to my tiller can be done in short order. I can even hook up to or drop my land plane without getting off the tractor. Of course it helps if I drop the equipment on fairly level spot. If you add a hydraulic top link it becomes even easier. I seldom have to struggle trying to move a heavy piece of 3 point equipment.

3-Point Quick Hitch for Tractors - 27-3/16" Clearance

 

[kebo]

There are actually some 3pt CAT 0 tillers made that have their own gas power unit mounted on them. That might be a solution, but if the OP went that route, it would make the tiller he has now pretty much useless.

 

[JD425AWS]

I have a JD i-Match quick hitch on my 3ph. If I take the pto out of gear, I can put the tiller on in about 3 minutes or less. Taking it off is under a minute, and I'm not hurrying.

JD made an "A" frame style quick hitch that should fit your 425 if you switch to the mechanical tiller. Is the hydraulic tiller that much work to connect?

That is what I am trying to figure out. I don't have a tiller yet, but my sense is that the hydraulic units are more time consuming to put on because you have to mount a hydraulic drive pump under the frame on the PTO. Based on the comments it seems like a quick hitch and a rear PTO may be the faster way to mount up and in a pinch I could till with the mower deck on if needed, which I don't think I could do with a hydraulic tiller.

The quick hitch seems to solve the main problem I have had on my bigger tractors which is that it is a 20 minute job trying to get a 450 pound tiller to line up properly to insert the pins, aside from the fact that I fear for my fingers every time I do it.

 

[bigtiller]

You really don't want to till with the mower deck on. You can, but it looks like cr@p and the deck takes a beating.

 

[JD425AWS]

You really don't want to till with the mower deck on. You can, but it looks like cr@p and the deck takes a beating.

Yes, true. I agree with that. You mentioned above that you had a hydraulic tiller on your 425. Can you describe the install process? Is there a hydraulic pump that has to be hitched to the front facing PTO?

 

[bigtiller]

My cousin and neighbor had the hydraulic tiller on a 318. I never seen him put it on, but i don't remember it being a big deal to do it. He would go into the garage and about 5 minutes later he was ready to till. That's about all i remember, except that my mechanical tiller would till the ground that his just bounced on top of.

 

[pmsmechanic]

It isn't that bad a job on my 4410 to change from a 3 point hitch mower to a roto tiller but I eventually went a bought a front mount mower. Yes there was some money involved but even with both mowers being the same width it was still an hour less to mow three acres of grass with front mount vs a rear three point hitch mower.