3 pt rototiller---fwd or rev rotation

[milkie62]

I now have a Befco 60" fwd rotation rototiller.Possibly looking to upgrade to a 72 " rev rotation. What are the pros and cons of each ? Thanks

 

[RickB]

Reverse is more aggressive, forward tolerates rocks better.

 

[mddorange]

Not just rocks but anything in the ground, like roots, pipes, old wires, etc., that can cause a problem is better with a forward tiller.

 

[milkie62]

Well it would only be used on plowed soil.From seeing mine trying to rototill virgin soil,it takes a beating which is why I will always plow first.

 

[Fallon]

FWD uses less HP than Reverse as reverse is fighting against the tractor where fwd is pushing it.

 

[Spindifferent]

While I own a Woods reverse-rotation tiller, here's a good video from Land Pride (another excellent, American-made product) that compares forward to reverse at around the 2:00 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWokqqt3wbw

For soils without a lot of rocks, reverse-rotation provides an excellent seedbed in my experience.

 

[nybirdman]

Well it would only be used on plowed soil.From seeing mine trying to rototill virgin soil,it takes a beating which is why I will always plow first.

I am from upstate NY,I have a little dirt between the rocks!Don't know your particular situation but I can only use a forward tiller.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have a forward rotating tiller because of the rocks and even in virgin soil, it does a good job if you go slow. I put my tractor in creeper gear and Low 3 or 4 and it is really slow, maybe 1/4 MPH but the tiller will make a good seed bed in a single pass. I can go in L 1 without the creeper gear and it is much faster but I have to make at least 2-3 passed to get the ground tilled deep and finely chop the grass.
So while a reverse rotation might go deeper with one pass, my forward rotating tiller will go to the max in one pass if no rocks are encountered even in virgin pasture that has not been tilled ever.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

In my opinion, a reverse rotation tiller is just trying to make up for poor tiller design in the first place... ALSO, there IS a learning curve to getting good tilth, just putting the tiller on and beating the soil to death (going too slow) is never a good choice...

I never plow before tilling, it's just not needed... a plough (if you prefer that spelling) really is a good was to make compaction, then you need a sub soiler ect... I prefer to do a proper job of tilling and nothing else is ever needed, also NOTHING incorporates green manure better than proper tilling and I add a LOT of green matter every year...

SR

 

[Skyfish25]

A plow ( or plough) and a tiller will make the same hard pan if ran at the same depth over and over. I do prefer reverse tine, but all will have what they like to operate. I can't stress enough, vary the depth over the years. I tend to plow more, but usually try and go shallow, like 4-7" It can be hard to keep at 4". Although, I don't plow that much either. And don't own a tiller anymore.