Grading What works a tractor harder?

[knukey]

What works a tractor harder a rotary cutter (cutting 2' field grass) or a tiller (cutting thru 6" dense field grass)?

I guess I'm pondering which requires more HP?

 

[jeff9366]

Ground contact work (tilling) requires more tractor power than non-ground contact work (mowing).

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Depends on the width of the implementsame being compared. If they are the same width, the tiller hands down.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I disagree It takes a lot more power for a mower than a tiller. 2ft tall grass will bog many tractors and a tiller is easy in one. I have a 5 ft deck and a 5 ft tiller.. Ed

 

[4570Man]

The tiller, no comparison especially if you operate at the same ground speed.

 

[Will_C]

The only time I have had my B2620 near over heated was using a tiller. Never had it close bush hogging unless the radiator was plugging up with chaff.

Will

 

[Baby Grand]

With our 32 hp machine, if I'm tilling 6" deep, I'm in 1st gear @ PTO rpm (0.6 mph) with a 5' tiller.
2' & dense field grass, I'm in 3rd or 4th gear @ PTO rpm (1.9 or 2.3 mph) with a 5' brush hog.
From that I'd say tiller takes more power, by a factor of roughly 3 or 4.
-jim

 

[Ed of all trades]

I can run my tiller and do at around 1700 rpm's and the tractor has no problems. I run my bush hog at 2500 rpm's and I often bog it down. Talking about running a tiller at the same speed as a bush hog is silly. Ed

 

[MESSMAKER]

A lot of variables. I have bogged more using a cutter than a tiller, but it was at different speeds. You mow up steep hills but don't usually till these areas. I think it can go either way, but if I had to pick, I would go wit tilling since I seem to use more fuel per hour.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I can run my tiller and do at around 1700 rpm's and the tractor has no problems. I run my bush hog at 2500 rpm's and I often bog it down. Talking about running a tiller at the same speed as a bush hog is silly. Ed

Guess it takes more power to run a tiller then.....