Tiller Tillers; Why buy anything but County Line?

[PeterK]

My local TSC stated that the company sells both the KK and Tarter under their County Line brand, depending on what the distributors carry in the different areas of the country. The 6' that I purchased here in NorCal has a small KK sticker on it with the 800 number for replacement service manuals.

I purchased a County Line tiller KK brand at my local store, then County Line rotary cutter that is a Tarter. KK is a step up IMO.

 

[Mac2411]

Any other opinions on Tarter or King Kutter? I can buy a 6 ft KK II for $1849.99 and a 6 ft Tarter for $1699.99. If they're really pretty similar quality wise then I'd be inclined to go with the cheaper price. Any additional input would be appreciated.

 

[JMER817]

Any other opinions on Tarter or King Kutter? I can buy a 6 ft KK II for $1849.99 and a 6 ft Tarter for $1699.99. If they're really pretty similar quality wise then I'd be inclined to go with the cheaper price. Any additional input would be appreciated.

I'm curious as well

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have a KK and am very satisfied. The Tarter equipment is made in Liberty, KY and they have a great reputation. I suspect you could talk directly to the owner if need be. I heard they opened a plant out west as well. They sell a lot of stuff around here.

 

[powerscol]

Which is heavier - weight is your friend in the case of tillers. Personally I like my Ansung (TERRA FORCE) tiller. It is much heavier and priced about the same. look for my other posts and links to sales. One source is a member here. This week I tilled up a garden a neighbor could not get done with a Tractor Supply branded one behind his BX. Just was not heavy enough to bust through the sod. His tiller sat on top and bounced. It only took me one pass to get through the sod for him. He has now rigged up a box for the top to put weight in.

Hope this helps

 

[nikdfish]

A potential downside I ran into on my tiller is that Tarter will not talk to the end user about parts. They only talk to dealer reps (& even then info can be hard to come by). I never could get an answer as to the proper replacement for an end bearing grease fitting going through the TSC I bought from. Rather than wait a couple of weeks for a warranty replacement (it was a new unit) I tried a handful of sizes til I found the right size (10mm...).

Nick

 

[powerscol]

The only grease fitting on my Ansung Terra Force is on the PTO shaft. Everything else is oil bath ball bearings, including the outboard tiller shaft. On the brands your talking about they use sleeve grease fittings if I remember correctly. With the ball bearings in the drive it is very efficient. The YJR074 is rated for 50 HP, but I can easily run it with my 26.5 PTO tractor. It also weighs about 1000 lbs.

 

[McGeesEquip]

 

[powerscol]

A picture is worth a thousand words. The Terra Force is built like a tank. Used mine again today to till up some old irrigation ditches. I'm regrading a pasture. Two passes and I had a fine tilled surface, ready to plant.

Also so folks know, McGee has very good prices, so take a look.....and no I have not bought from them yet. I got mine used through an equipment rental place.

Hope this helps

 

[RBaldwin]

The gearbox on my Bush Hog brand rotary cutter was made in China also, but I've never had a problem with it (or any other part on the cutter). It's about 5 years old and has seen some rough stuff.
But i do wish it was made here in the USA because of supporting our fellow Americans.

I think the gearbox on my Countyline tiller was made in China too. I've never had a problem with it neither.

So since it appears you for sure have the Countyline tiller, may I ask a question? I just bought this. Seemed well made, heavy, and for the 2 hours it worked it did well. At about 2 hours the u-joint connection of the pto shaft at the tractor side flew apart. I was left with the pto shaft, and the remaining u-joint still connected to the ptd drive on the tractor. Have yet to find the other half of the u-joint. Cutting the pto shaft to fit was a pain, and when done the shaft part was barely over a foot long. I have a 2016 3540 Mahindra tractor. The only thing I can think of is the angle of the u-joint at the tractor was too much, but kind of hard to do anything about that since the tiller hooks up to the 3 pt doesn't change. You are as close as you are. Have you, or anyone here had issues with the shaft falling apart after hooking it up and running it? BTW the 2 halves fit together like crap. I had to polish the inner shaft with a wire wheel, followed by greasing the heck out of it, finished off with a 2 lb hammer to get them to go together. And yes, I did line of the shafts correctly. They were just way.... to freakin tight.:thumbdown:

Appreciate any input.