TC30 Impliment Compatibility

[HRS]

Could someone shed some light on this for me? I was looking over the brochure for the TC30 and turned to the implement section. It shows the 105A Rotary Tiller as a preferred attachment. Now as I was looking over all these blue implements, I thought it interesting that the dealer sells NH tractors but pushes bushhog implements. So out of curiosity, I pulled up the HN website, because I just might like matching implements to the machine I buy. On doing this, I noticed that the 105A Rotary Tiller has a PTO hp rating of 45. Now this is far more than the TC30's. But on the second page, it shows a Tractor-Tiller Compatibility chart. The TC30 is recommended for the 52 and 60-inch 105A tiller.

Now, from other discussions I've had with the dealer, they would recommend a 25 to 30 hp bushhog tiller that is considered light duty instead of the heavier duty sitting right beside it. Said the heavier duty was rated at higher hp, so it need larger tractor. While they are saying this, I'm thinking; Well I'm sure the pto of a 30 hp will turn the tiller while held in the air, so doesn't the issue of whether or not it will work in the field depend on the ground I'm engaging. And isn't the HP rating of the tiller a max rating so that your TRACTOR doesn't tear the thing up.

Looking at the NH wedsite, it seems to validate what I was thinking all along. My dealer would look at this 45 hp rating and immediately say that the TC 30 couldn't handle it. However, NH says they are compatible.

So what do you think? Anyone have any experience/ knowledge on this matter?

 

[Soundguy]

I don't have much experience with tillers.. but I can tell you that when you look at mower gear boxes.. you see gearbox hp ratings that are up to 2x the 'required' hp ratings. for example.. in KK mowers.. for the 5' mowers.. you could get either 40 or 60 hp rated earboxes.. mind you.. a 25 pto hp tractor ran that mower fine.. even if it had a 60hp rated gearbox.

My big 10' mower has a gearbox rating of something like 120hp.. and my tractor is only about 95 hp.. and that mower would probably run on 50 hp.. etc...

Soundguy

 

[HRS]

Thanks, the way you have explained it is how I was thinking about the issue. It is the overall size of the implement that requires the hp, not how tough the gearbox is. Heavier gage materials extend the life as I see it. If I was being told that a TC30 could run a 60" tiller but not an 80", I could understand that. The additional length means that you are engaging additional ground, so you will have more resistance and need more power. But to have two 54" tillers and for one to be rated as light duty at lower hp and the other as a heavy duty at higher hp???? If one machine could run one, then it should be able to run the other the way I look at it. They are both the same length. They both cut the same depth. Sure one might be near 100 lbs heavier than the other, but that is because its sheet metal, cut tines, cogs, and chain is a little thicker. However, all of the gearing of the heavier should turn just as smoothly as the lighter. So it seems that the gear rating is to protect the implement from the tractor, not the other way around. Hope I'm right. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[gamble77]

Thats right, the hp rating on most implements is to protect the implement, not a rating of min. PTO hp needed to run the implement.

 

[HRS]

Thanks again, Gamble. Sent you a pm.

 

[Gumby6]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Thats right, the hp rating on most implements is to protect the implement, not a rating of min. PTO hp needed to run the implement. )</font>

So, by this reasoning both a PTO driven Wood Chipper rated 18-30hp or 25-50hp would work perfectly well on my TC30.?

I figured the 25-30hp rated model would be minimally powered by my tractor.

Perhaps I would find the difficulty in operation of this type of an implement with the largest rated capacity branches though.

 

[daTeacha]

Yeah, and it's not just the things with gears. I bought a used rear blade that someone had on too big a tractor. It has a shallow V configuration instead of being straight. Apparently they snagged a rock or something with it and bent the blade rather than moving the rock or stopping the tractor.

 

[gamble77]

Yeah, things can get confusing when the implements cross say, 40-50hp use range. For instance, smaller bushhogs come with standard 40hp gear boxes. That rating is to protect the implement, whereas bigger bushhogs don't have a max. hp they just have a minimum hp rating. In other words a 305 (heavy duty 5ft BushHog) can be put behind a 130hp tractor and BushHog will stand behind it...I know I have asked them.

Not sure if what I have said in this post makes sense or not, but hopefully you get the idea...

 

[JonL]

I always like to over spec a gearbox in my implement applications. The problem can be using an implement that is too heavy for a lighter tractor. Another problem can be the heavy duty implement may not have adequate protection for lighter tractors when it hits something. I use a 35 series Landpride tiller on my 1530. It is on the border for being too heavy. I take in for that by running my tractor at a moderate PTO speed, taking it easy with the tractor speed, and making sure my slip clutch is adjusted properly. If I hit something large, I would rather stall the tractor instead of damaging my drive train.

As far as NH implements go, I think NH is missing out on implement sales and tractor package sales. I had a discussion with my dealer recently. He would like to have more NH implements instead of selling accessory implements. I like to buy matched implements, provided they are speced well and a reasonable value. It might mean someone would buy a Deer package instead of NH. One advantage of NH products is their excellent parts support. I can get most of my parts in 2-3 days and no later than one week.

 

[HRS]

Worry over damaging a tractor when hitting something must be a recent development. Does that have anything to say about the way they are built today as compared to yesterday. Today I visited the family farm and took a look at the old bushhog we pulled with a ford 2000. Everything was rusted off, so I didn't look too closely for numbers etc, but I could tell that it was huge (don't think many dealers today would suggest one this size for tractor with about 30 on the pto). However, the view of my dad was that his tractor was as tough as a tank. He often said that if he could get his tractor on top of it (bushes, small tress), it was coming down. This machine had the heck beat out of it. Many times it was thrown in nasty stuff that brought everything to a stop. But that tractor kept going. Sure it is a bucket of bolts today, but it is a 68 or 69 and was run hard for about 27years that I know of. Actually, I take the bucket of bolts comment back. Could fix her up for between 2 to 5K. Small price compared to some quotes I've gotten on MUCH lighter machines.