Tiller King Kutter Tiller

[Alan L.]

Ok its nut cuttin' time. I'm seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on a tiller. It sounds like some of you feel the KK is a good deal and seems well made, but what I'd like to know is, are there any of you who are actually USING one, and have for a while. What is your opinion of the tiller?

TSC has the 60" for $999 (maybe the sale is over now though) and can order me a 48" for $1,165 (higher?). The 60" is rated for 25-35 HP and my 2710 is 27, but only 20 PTO HP. Most people seem to say my tractor should handle a 60" just fine, but I wonder why KK rates theirs this way, while I've seen other brands 60" tillers are rated for my tractor.

My dealer carries Woods tillers, and the 50" is $2,000, which I just can't justify. He of course poo pood the KK. He said if you buy a cheap tiller at TSC and it breaks, who's gonna fix it? He said it might last 10 years and it might break in one day, but he knows they have never had any trouble with Woods tillers. Blah Blah Blah........

Trouble is, I really haven't heard and first hand experiences from KK tiller owners. I don't think KK has been making them very long, as they don't even have them on their website yet.

Another thing a bit troubling is that the KK tiller is gear driven. The dealer says that chain is better because the chain absorbs shocks better, whereas the gears can strip causing bad repairs. Blah blah blah.

The dealer has a 1550 with 38" tiller and trailer I could rent for $150 a day. I cannot find ANYBODY who will rent just the tiller, in our area.

I have $480 worth of topsoil in the front "yard" that is gonna wash away if I don't get it spread and the sod laid on it. Would like to till that new dirt into the old first.

Alan L., TX

 

[tsh3]

Alan,
I just bought a KK 60" tiller a few weeks ago and so far I am really happy with it. It is heavy duty and looks well
made. After just 1 pass thru undisturbed soil it is ready for planting. My B7500 easily handles it, but I have good
dirt with few rocks. I bought mine in Delaware for $999.99 ( no tax) and that includes a slip clutch. None of the local
dealers carry KK and other brands were in the $1500 - $2000 range. How well will it hold up? Can't say yet.

Steve

 

[Mikemas]

Alan,
I can't believe you're still out there "kicking the tires" on these tillers! As my wife would say," You guys have moths flying out of your wallets when you open them." I've been looking at new tillers, used tillers, and so called reconditioned tillers for about a year. I finally bought a 60" King Kutter about a month ago at CT Farm & Country for $999. It is heavy, seems very well built, and value for the price is outstanding. It is a perfect match for the B2710. I tilled through heavy winter rye groundcover in my gardens with no problem. After letting the ground sit for a week after the initial pass, it then turned the soil into powder after the second and third pass. (very impressive) I don't know what the longevity of this unit will be, but after my initial use I would have to say it is built for the long haul. (but time will tell) The only drawbacks I've found are; no proven track record, and the owner's manual is a bit vague.(fill gear oil level to one third full) I made a dipstick to try and figure where one third full would be. The PTO shaft had to be cut to size (saw and file). I think it's one of the best values out there for a tiller, so open your wallet and let those moths out. Also, ask your dealer if all chain driven tillers don't need a slip clutch or shear pin because they can absorb all the shock better. Let me know if there are any specifics I might be able to help you with. Good luck.

Mike

 

[Wingnut]

Alan,
I bought a King Kutter from Quality F&F shortluy after I bought my L3710. I got the 72" ... and I've definitely used it. As a matter of fact, I usually leave it on the tractor when I'm not using the post hole auger or rotary cutter (because of the extra weight ... it's like 880 lbs).
I am very happy with it ... seems to be quite heavy duty ... has stood punishment by burtied rocks and old drain tile very well ... only problem I had was getting too close to the electric fence adn winding about 1/4 mile of wire around the tines before I noticed .... tokk over 2-1/2 hours to pull, cut, yank the darned stuff out ... ending up putting a small ding in the metal from underneath.
I use the tiller to turn horse manure under to try and amend the soil quicker than just tossing on top ... it did a great job of hacking through that heavy clay the first time .... ran around the 7 acres in 2nd and 3rd with no problems whatsoever.
Yes, I'd recommend it as a good, midrange (expense-wise) heavy duty unit.

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[radman]

Alan: I too have a KK tiller. One year old, 72", slip clutch, gear driven. No problems. My soil has clay but no rocks. Satisifed with tiller. Wouldn't buy anything else. Who else has a 72" tiller, gear driven and slip clutch for $1300? Every other brand costs about $1000 more for the same size. In regards to the dealer bad mouthing gear drives, almost every other manufacture makes gear drives and slip clutches in their more expensive models - many costing $3000 or more. I will agree the KK operator manual is almost a comic book in its simplicity. Replacement parts can be purchase through TSC, Country General etc. If used for personal use and taken care of, I believe the KK tiller would be a Best Buy product. The price you quoted on the 60" is about right. I believe the price stated for the 48" model is not higher but less. Buy a tiller that will cover the entire width of your tractor - you will be much happier in the long run. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Alan L.]

Thanks for all the input. I'm leaning very heavily toward buying the KK. One more question for the tillers in general. I've never used the 3-point variety. How slow do you have to go? Seems like it could still take quite a while to do and acre or so even with a 60" tiller. I have to go pretty slow with my walk behind rear tine tiller.

Alan L., TX

 

[Bird]

Yep, Alan, have to go slow to do a good job; generally speaking the slower you go the deeper you'll till. My manual mentions going 4" deep on the first pass at 2 mph, then to 7" deep on a second pass.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yes, you have to go slow, but you're tilling 60" at a time instead of 18" - 24", plus you're turning around less often. You can also till a lot deeper. As for toughness of a KK, well I was using mine yesterday and heard a loud bang! I was sure I broke something (the last time I heard a noise like that I twisted a drive axle in my truck) and sure enough, I did break something. Not the tiller though - I broke a rock that was buried in hard clay that was about 5" in diameter and about 10" long right it half! There was no damage to the tiller.