Rototiller rpm advice needed

[flusher]

I'm getting ready to start landscaping the lawn area around my place.
Last week I plowed the ground with my Kubota B7510HST and a KK middle buster to loosen up the soil.

Next week I plan to hook the Yanmar RS-1200 rototiller (4-ft wide) to the 3pt and go over the plowed ground slow in low range on the HST.

Any suggestions on rototiller rpm? The rear pto is 540 or 960 rpm.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Check the tiller, but it's probably designed to run at 540rpm PTO speed
run it there.
in the lowest gear you have.
and good work on ripping it up.

 

[jbrumberg]

flusher:

I had a Woods T-42 (old tractor) and now have a CCM M-160 tiller. These tillers were designed for 540RPM PTO speed. I agree with LoneCowboy. Jay

 

[shvl73]

You may want to post this over on the grey market tractor forum. If it were designed to run at speeds other than 540rpm, guys over there would know.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/grey-market-tractors/

The advice to run it at 540rpm is certainly the safest and quite likely correct.

 

[Raddad]

Think about the physics at 540 rpm your tractor is putting out a certain amount of torque. The rototiller has a 2 to 1 gear or chain reduction so at 540 the tiller is applying twice the torque to the soil. If you use the 960 speed the tractor PTO has about half the torque output (allthough twice the speed) and the tiller ends up with about half the torque to use on the soil. In soft sand you might be able to use the 960 speed and a higher ground speed but in any other soil I would spin it slower and use a slower ground speed.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

If the rototiller was made for the American market it is going to have a 540rpm gearbox. Running at 960rpm could destroy the gearbox.

 

[john_bud]

I'm getting ready to start landscaping the lawn area around my place.
Last week I plowed the ground with my Kubota B7510HST and a KK middle buster to loosen up the soil.

Next week I plan to hook the Yanmar RS-1200 rototiller (4-ft wide) to the 3pt and go over the plowed ground slow in low range on the HST.

Any suggestions on rototiller rpm? The rear pto is 540 or 960 rpm.

I get the impression that this may be one of your first efforts with a tiller, right?

If so, there are some tips. Set the skids on the sides of the tiller to set the depth. Don't use the 3pt to set the depth. The 3pt should be in the full down position so the weight of the tiller can be properly used. The attack angle of the tiller needs to be set correctly with the top link length. Dead level is where most work best. Both front to back and side to side. You can experiment a bit and raise and lower the front of the tiller 1" and see how it behaves.

I typically use mine set to the deepest it can possibly go. One a new till area, it may require 2 or 3 passes at full depth. If it is a large area, make the first pass quickly to break up the surface. The second pass should go 90 degrees to the first pass and at a slow pace. 1 mph or so. Speed is determined by the soil and the effectiveness of the tiller. If you need a 3rd pass - do it 45 degrees to the 1st pass. I have found that if a 3rd pass is needed, you may as well do it a week or two after the first go round. That gives the organic matter time to break down. It will really look good then.

jb

 

[flusher]

I get the impression that this may be one of your first efforts with a tiller, right?

If so, there are some tips. Set the skids on the sides of the tiller to set the depth. Don't use the 3pt to set the depth. The 3pt should be in the full down position so the weight of the tiller can be properly used. The attack angle of the tiller needs to be set correctly with the top link length. Dead level is where most work best. Both front to back and side to side. You can experiment a bit and raise and lower the front of the tiller 1" and see how it behaves.

I typically use mine set to the deepest it can possibly go. One a new till area, it may require 2 or 3 passes at full depth. If it is a large area, make the first pass quickly to break up the surface. The second pass should go 90 degrees to the first pass and at a slow pace. 1 mph or so. Speed is determined by the soil and the effectiveness of the tiller. If you need a 3rd pass - do it 45 degrees to the 1st pass. I have found that if a 3rd pass is needed, you may as well do it a week or two after the first go round. That gives the organic matter time to break down. It will really look good then.

jb

You're right. This is the first time with the big rototiller.
Thanks for the advice. It helps a lot.

 

[Raddad]

Jon_Bud sounds like the expert yes, yes, yes.

 

[cp1969]

Not much I can add to John_Bud's excellent post other than you don't have to run the tractor wide-open, especially since you've already plowed it. If a reduced rpm seems to be getting the job done, then it's just that much easier on things.

It doesn't take long to catch on to what rpm and forward speed produces the result you want.