Tiller What Brand / Size Tiller To buy?

[Baby Grand]

I plan on buying a tiller sometime before next spring. I have a Kubota L3800, 38 engine hp and 30 PTO hp. Any opinions about whether I should get a 72" or 60"? The rear wheels now measure 60" outside to outside, but in two weeks I will be installing 4"spacers on each rear wheel. Another question I have is about the working depth of the tiller. My initial brief research shows that some have a working depth of 8", some less. Any opinions on that point? It seems to me that the working depth would another factor, along with width, in determining the hp requirement. And more working depth seems better to me.

For your future tractor configuration, and considering your present HP, I'd focus on the 72" models. Working depth has a lot to do with soil type and condition. Also, If I want to go much deeper than 5 inches I have to rearrange how the 3 point linkages are pinned, just to allow the implement to drop that much. Pay attention to the resulting PTO shaft angle if you do this. Too much angle is not good for the joints when you're putting all that torque through them and throwing in the occaisional shock load from roots, rocks, submerged engine blocks, and whatever else the eye can't see.

 

[bilrus61]

I plan on buying a tiller sometime before next spring. I have a Kubota L3800, 38 engine hp and 30 PTO hp. Any opinions about whether I should get a 72" or 60"? The rear wheels now measure 60" outside to outside, but in two weeks I will be installing 4"spacers on each rear wheel. Another question I have is about the working depth of the tiller. My initial brief research shows that some have a working depth of 8", some less. Any opinions on that point? It seems to me that the working depth would another factor, along with width, in determining the hp requirement. And more working depth seems better to me.

Tilling depth is pretty subjective. My Kuhn 62-210 lists 7 inches as its tilling depth and it goes down over 9 that I've measured and I've not ever had it adjusted to is maximum depth. If you go slow and sit the skids all the way up, and you raise up the rear door to let the dirt flow out, they will all dig pretty dang deep. The rotar diameter is a better judge of tilling depth than what they list as the depth rating I think.

 

[rbtjr]

Thanks for the feedback. One other question: I just sold a 14" two bottom plow because I didn't think the L3800 would handle it. I plan on trying to make food plots, etc., by using a disc harrow and the tiller I intend to buy. Do you think that will work?

 

[bilrus61]

disc and tiller will make fine food plots. No need to have a plow. How many acres? How rocky is the ground? If your making smaller plots and the ground isn't very rocky you can get by with just a tiller. You might have to mow it before tilling. I've had 3 tillers, a Rotomec/befco a John Deere/Howard 660 and my current Kuhn EL62 210.<~~~7 foot tiller. By FAR the best one also. Both Befco and the Deere would wind grass/weeds/vines around the rotor. You can't till up much growth at all without having to stop and unwind the grass every so often. Ok for some reason the Kuhn won't wind any weeds or vines at all. Its amazing. Just tilled up my very weedy over grown garden.....trumpet vines in it. After it got all tilled there wasn't a single thing wrapped around the rotor. I still don't like tilling up big rocks the size of a loaf a bread but it don't seem to bother the tiller. If you want you can just mow it. Till it. Pick up some of the biggest rocks and just forget the disc. You'll make a fine food plot for the deere or even yoursefl!

 

[rbtjr]

disc and tiller will make fine food plots. No need to have a plow. How many acres? How rocky is the ground? If your making smaller plots and the ground isn't very rocky you can get by with just a tiller. You might have to mow it before tilling. I've had 3 tillers, a Rotomec/befco a John Deere/Howard 660 and my current Kuhn EL62 210.<~~~7 foot tiller. By FAR the best one also. Both Befco and the Deere would wind grass/weeds/vines around the rotor. You can't till up much growth at all without having to stop and unwind the grass every so often. Ok for some reason the Kuhn won't wind any weeds or vines at all. Its amazing. Just tilled up my very weedy over grown garden.....trumpet vines in it. After it got all tilled there wasn't a single thing wrapped around the rotor. I still don't like tilling up big rocks the size of a loaf a bread but it don't seem to bother the tiller. If you want you can just mow it. Till it. Pick up some of the biggest rocks and just forget the disc. You'll make a fine food plot for the deere or even yoursefl!

Thanks for the info. To start with, I will have two food plots totalling about one acre (a little more than 1/2 acre for one, a little less than 1/2 acre for the other). We just had a first thinning of about 35 acres of pines, and these two future-food-plot areas (one where the logger set up his home base) were cut clear. I am having these areas graded and the stumps removed this week, so I will be starting with no vegetation and hopefully few if any rocks.

 

[LeadPoison]

For food plots I really don't see the need for a tiller. I have been planting food plots for 20+ years. I have planted hundreds of acres over the years and a good heavy disc harrow is all I have ever needed. I just mow ahead of time, wait for a decent rain to soften up the ground, and disc away. I use a Monroe-Tufline 6.5' disc that weights 830 pounds. The deer really don't care how smooth the field is.

Here is a picture of a recent field I did this month.

 

[rbtjr]

For food plots I really don't see the need for a tiller. I have been planting food plots for 20+ years. I have planted hundreds of acres over the years and a good heavy disc harrow is all I have ever needed. I just mow ahead of time, wait for a decent rain to soften up the ground, and disc away. I use a Monroe-Tufline 6.5' disc that weights 830 pounds. The deer really don't care how smooth the field is.

Here is a picture of a recent field I did this month.

I have heard others say the same thing. I have done only a few small food plots, and I did them with the disc harrow. I have a 20 disc version that I think weighs something like 700 pounds. I have other uses for a tiller, although the food plots were on my mind because we are having the areas cleared this week.

What would you recommend for deer? Our gun season where I am starts November 12th and runs through January 2d. I am thinking of some milo and sunflowers for doves.

 

[powerscol]

Anyone know of the Ansung brand of tilers. I was given a price of $1750 for a 62 inch unit used. This is a reverse time unit used as rental equipment. Only used on season and in good shape. Dealer will stand behind condition too. It it also true that reverse tine units take more HP to operate? I have 30PTO HP. They also have a 74 inch wide unit for $1950

 

[rbtjr]

I ended up buying a Phoenix T5 60 tiller I found on Craigslist. Quite a "small world" story: The seller had bought the tiller new and had used the tiller three times. The tiller was too to cover the tire tracks on his tractors. He had obtained originally a very good price, and so did I. It turned out that the seller lives about 1/2 of a mile from our place, and his rear property line is about 200 yards from our rear property line as the crow flies. I enjoyed meeting him. Among other things, he has three JD tractors, used to buy and fix and sell JD tractors, and at one time had 16 of them. Regarding my application, this model of Phoenix tiller can be offset. An Everything Attachments video says that the offset can be up to 4", but the Phoenix owner's manual does not state a limit. It doesn't matter to me, since a 4" offset is exactly what I will need to cover my 68" rear-tire-width after I put the 4" spacers on each rear wheel.

 

[powerscol]

I went and looked at the Ansung YJR 062 tiller this morning. It was put into rental service this spring. It is very clean (like new condition), with all paint still inside the box. It appears to be barely used.Tines show little to no wear. It is not a reverse tine tiller. They are asking $1750. What I like about this unit is the trans tube extends all the way across the top. Your thoughts on the unit would be appreciated