Tiller tine input C vs. L

[TMGT]

Hello everyone, looking for some input on replacment tines for a tiller, I've done some research on it and still haven't made up my mind so figured I would get experienced advise.

I bought a used JD 660 (built by Howard) a couple months ago and it could use some new tines, the PO replaced a few but they are outnumbered by the worn and broken ones.

The tiller currently has "L" tines on it, however after reading it looks like "C" tines might be better for my application because of rocks and clay around here.
I don't plan on doing a lot of new gardens other then a few select friends/family but I also will use it to prep for new lawns at times.

My biggest hold back on switching is that the "C" tines may not till as well on in the established gardens or give as fine a seed bed when doing shallow cuts on lawns. My worry with the "L" tines is I'll be breaking them due to rocks.
Price is the same for either style.

I might be over thinking it, but just want to optimize my equipment if I'm spending the money.
I believe the broken tines might have been due to the fact that the slip clutch was rusted solid, ended up replacing the driveshaft.

Thanks for looking.

 

[powerscol]

From what little I know, look at the reach (sideways) and depth of each. You want some overlap or you end up with ridges. However check clearance issues too. If possible get a couple samples of each to check. Bottom line I would stick with what was originally on the unit.
Hope this helps

 

[TMGT]

These tillers were offered with either style so fitment shouldn't be a problem, mainly just wondering if there is any performance difference on established gardens.

The "C" style seems to be prefered for rocky/ harder soils, which I have, but once the garden is established do they perform as well?

 

[bilrus61]

I had a JD 660. Great tiller. Made in Germany, woof! I traded it on a Kuhn 62 210. The Kuhn is a bigger tiller all around and has the C blades. I can't tell any difference in the tilth. If I want the soil finer I just go slower and lower the back gate down. I do think the C blades might use a little less power. I know I had quite a few rocks jam the JD660 and the clutch would slip. So far the Kuhn hasn't jammed once. The C tines could the reason but I'm not certain. If your tractor is a B2620 that tiller will for sure load it down. I would go for the C tines and never look back. My JD 660 was a load on my Kubota L4200 when I had it set deep.

Actually Howard is like Browning,Bushnell and some other companies. They basically just contract out the mfg of the products they sell as their brand. If I remember right your tiller was made by some German company like Rhine Agri something or other and sold by Howard. Howard later had the Spanish maker Agric make their tillers and last I hear they are made in Poland now by who knows what company. Wherever they are made now, that 660 was a GREAT tiller for me and built like a Leopard tank.

 

[bigtiller]

Hello everyone, looking for some input on replacment tines for a tiller, I've done some research on it and still haven't made up my mind so figured I would get experienced advise.

I bought a used JD 660 (built by Howard) a couple months ago and it could use some new tines, the PO replaced a few but they are outnumbered by the worn and broken ones.

The tiller currently has "L" tines on it, however after reading it looks like "C" tines might be better for my application because of rocks and clay around here.
I don't plan on doing a lot of new gardens other then a few select friends/family but I also will use it to prep for new lawns at times.

My biggest hold back on switching is that the "C" tines may not till as well on in the established gardens or give as fine a seed bed when doing shallow cuts on lawns. My worry with the "L" tines is I'll be breaking them due to rocks.
Price is the same for either style.

I might be over thinking it, but just want to optimize my equipment if I'm spending the money.
I believe the broken tines might have been due to the fact that the slip clutch was rusted solid, ended up replacing the driveshaft.

Thanks for looking.

The 2 tines that run closest to the outside edge, on both sides of the tiller, are the ones that wear down the fastest. The tine furthest to the right in your picture has a lot of wear on it but it still has enough length to the cutting portion to cut like a new one. I wouldn't replace it until it came to more of a point at the end. When tines wear to a point, they start wearing the length of the cutting portion shorter, that is when they need to be replaced. Yours has some wear but it still has a lot of life left in it.

As expensive as they are, I wouldn't replace them until they had much more wear showing.

 

[Sportsman762]

I have a Howard Rotovator also, and did some research when I replaced my tines. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of tines. They both till the same depth.
The C tine uses less hp since it does not contact the earth all at once, the outer edge will hit first and then the rest of the tine will make contact. This reduced the shock of the blade hitting the ground utilizing less hp. However it does not cultivate evenly. If you were to rake all the loose dirt away the C tines would leave a scalloped pattern at the bottom of the cut. This creates inconsistent tilling depth.

The L tines take more hp as the entire blade contacts the soil. However they leave a smother bottom of the tilled soil. This means that the depth is the same a crossed the entire length of the blade.

I think that they till the ground to the same degree of pulverization, to have a finer fluffier soil Howard made the tiller with more or less blades. More blades meant that the soil was tilled finer.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have a Deere 673 6' tiller with the L blades, tills up a nice seed bed. Over the last 6 years I have broken about 5 tines but have tilled quite a lot of rocky ground. I had a Howard with the C tines and now prefer the L tines. Having hit many rocks I would not be overly concerned, if you do too much of this you will have to tighten up the entire tiller mounting bolts and all hardware. Living in the rocky mountains I have tilled my share of the bowling ball size, the tiller jumps most of these.

 

[TMGT]

Good info, thanks for the first hand experience with both styles.

I was leaning towards the "L" as I could keep the good ones that are on it as spares, I counted about 10 decent tines, 3 are broken and the rest are in various states of wear but all have over an inch of their length worn off.

I think you can see almost all the good tines in the picture so it looks better then it is.

I did see that howard offered a model with an extra flange for a finer finish, I'm pretty sure my little kubota wouldn't be happy with any additional load on unbroken ground, at least not until I bump up the power

I think I'll go ahead and order a set of "L" tines and break the ground for my buddies new garden with the old set.
Having a functional slip clutch now will hopefully reduce the chances of tine breakage.

 

[jenkinsph]

I find the slip clutch is best used to protect from jambs. When I hit a large rock the tiller will jump up and ride over it. If a large root somehow jambs between the housing and the tiller the slip clutch saves you lots of grief.

 

[TMGT]

Yes it does, our ground is full of white quartz, the area I put our little garden in use to have fruit trees and there's still a lot of roots left. It cut through the roots without a problem but I did get a rock or two wedged.
I don't think the previous owner ever did any maintenance on the slip clutch, I couldn't get it to break free it was rusted so bad, ended up being cheaper to replace the entire shaft then do a rebuild the old one.