Tiller Chain or gear drive tiller?

[Tractorbeam]

Along with the new tractor I'm buying (NH T2220), the dealer is offering a new Woods GTC60-2 tiller which is the 5-foot chain-drive model, for $1600.

My first impression was that a chain drive would be more prone to breaking than a gear drive such as the King Kutter II which is also $200 cheaper and recommended highly here on TBN.

But on the other hand, Woods does have a reputation for quality so I would expect it to be fairly bulletproof.

What do you think!

Also, the Woods tiller would match the PRD6000 I'm getting.

 

[Foozle]

Along with the new tractor I'm buying (NH T2220), the dealer is offering a new Woods GTC60-2 tiller which is the 5-foot chain-drive model, for $1600.

My first impression was that a chain drive would be more prone to breaking than a gear drive such as the King Kutter II which is also $200 cheaper and recommended highly here on TBN.

But on the other hand, Woods does have a reputation for quality so I would expect it to be fairly bulletproof.

What do you think!

Also, the Woods tiller would match the PRD6000 I'm getting.

I wrestled with the same question recently and there are a few threads already out there that discuss the issue at length. Try doing a search on Tillers and look for a thread that has a lot of replies. I think there was some back and forth between people with differing opinions, but my take on it was the gear driven might be more durable, so I went that route and ordered the GHT from Woods, which is the lowest duty gear driven made by Woods. If you decide to go that route, you can get the GHT60, I believe, but would pay more money. You should also research reverse rotation versus forward rotation (reverse rotation not available from Woods on the gear driven commercial models). I opted for the forward rotation because I am fearful of rocks in my soil. The main advantage of reverse rotation, I think, is it allows you to do either a one pass till or fewer pass till, compared with more passes required using forward rotation for the same results.

Also, before purchasing the PRD6000, you might want to read the thread on flail mowers http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/118882-lets-talk-flail-mowers.html. I originally intended to get a Woods finish mower and Woods rotary cutter, but instead ditched both of those and ordered a flail. I don't have it yet, so can't report on how happy I am, but a few of the flail mower users in the thread copied above say that it is great. Check it out if you haven't ordered yet.


Good luck with your decision.

Dave

 

[Tractorbeam]

I'd been following that thread on flail mowers and was just about sold on getting one but the price stopped me.

I will have 9 acres soon (can't wait!) where about 7 are currently mowed with a finish mower. The flail seemed to fit the bill to handle that chore and also keep the other 2 rougher-cut acres in check.

What brand and size flail did you choose, and what did it cost, if you don't mind me asking?

I hadn't thought about pricing the Woods GHT60 tiller. Probably too pricey. I'll check.

I also am looking at the MR-130 gear-drive tiller that CCM sells for $1200.

 

[Tractorbeam]

Sorry Dave. Just read your sig and see you are getting a Caroni TM7800BSC.

Let us know how you like it when you get it!

 

[Foozle]

Sorry Dave. Just read your sig and see you are getting a Caroni TM7800BSC.

Let us know how you like it when you get it!

Sorry, my signature was incorrect but I've since corrected it. The model is TM1900BSC. The cost was $1700 plus $121 for shipping to South Carolina from North Carolina. I posted a lot of details about how to contact the dealer and stuff in this post:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/118882-lets-talk-flail-mowers-16.html

You may find that the price of the 60" might be comparable to your PRD6000 and certainly less than if you got a rotary cutter and finish mower. I can't give you info on how well the B rotor TM1900 does on lawns yet, but once I receive it I'll post something.

Dave