Dirt Moving Yanmar RS1200 tiller sheetmetal vibrated off

[pokey54]

I just joined the TractorByNet site to get some information about my tiller. I submitted a question to a subscriber and he suggested I submit my concerns to a general forum, so here I am! I am a novice when it comes to tillers. I noticed that "Flusher" has a tiller that looks just like mine. I bought it used from a guy who had several tillers for sale who said it would work perfectly for my need, but did not think to ask him what brand it was. I'm assuming that it's a Yanmar RS1200 because it's the same puke green color that "Flusher" has with the Wheel on top and a side wheel. He E-mailed me back to let me know that this particular tiller is made for rice fields, not hard Washington clay and rock ground. I have about and acre yard in Washington State to take care of. I have a Yanmar 1610 2WD-22 H.P. My first issue with the tiller was the top center linkage. The seller gave me a triangular piece with 2 points to fast a short linkage pin to. I assumed the linkage pin went into the tractor and the triangle hooked to the tiller, so that's the way I hooked it up. I couldn't loosen the jam nut on the short top linkage pin, so I couldn't get the clearance I wanted, so the first issue I had was that the sheet metal on the front of the tiller was getting beat up by the rear tires. I ended up taking a sawzall to notch out the area around the tires so I could progress work in my back yard. The next issue was the tiller was jumping all over the place, so I tried to float the tiller above all the rocks I kept finding. Then the round piece worked its way out of the holder, then the gate vibrated loose, so I used it the rest of the day without the round piece that doesn't seem to serve any purpose and the rear gate. It worked fine since I was finding so many rocks. Today, I tilled my garden and was running the tractor in compound low, 3rd gear forward, and then compound low in reverse. I used the lift lever to float above rocks as much as possible, but despite my precautions, the rest of the sheet metal vibrated off! So now all I have is the tine axle and gear box being pulled behind the tractor. I finished up my work without the sheet metal and I will return in the near future to reassemble the whole contraption with beefed up fasteners. I did get the jam nut loose on the top center short linkage pin and I got a little more clearance, but the tiller seems to work its way forward, so I have to be real careful about not raise the lift fully otherwise the tines still start touching the tires. 1/3 of my acre is on a hill side and I took the backhoe off to put the tiller on and now I can't get any traction with this tractor. I read someone's post about ballasting their rear tires with water. I read that some people are using pet approved antifreeze. I think I'm on the right path, but I making stupid errors figuring out how to till correctly. "Flusher" let me know that he used another unit to bust up the ground first before using this particular tiller. Is there a way to make this tiller adaptable for what I need it for, or did I just make a wrong purchase? Also what is the adjust wheel used for with the 2 rods. I don't have anything attached to them and they seem to just get in the way. The guy I bought it from didn't know either. Is it just an adjust wheel for the back gate?

 

[mark777]

.... I ended up taking a sawzall to notch out the area around the tires so I could progress work in my back yard. The next issue was the tiller was jumping all over the place, so I tried to float the tiller above all the rocks I kept finding.

Then the round piece worked its way out of the holder, then the gate vibrated loose, so I used it the rest of the day without the round piece that doesn't seem to serve any purpose and the rear gate. It worked fine since I was finding so many rocks. Today, I tilled my garden and was running the tractor in compound low, 3rd gear forward, and then compound low in reverse.

I did get the jam nut loose on the top center short linkage pin and I got a little more clearance, but the tiller seems to work its way forward, so I have to be real careful about not raise the lift fully otherwise the tines still start touching the tires. 1/3 of my acre is on a hill side and I took the backhoe off to put the tiller on and now I can't get any traction with this tractor.

Hello Pokey54,

From your description of what's happening - every detail sounds as though the 3PH is setup incorrectly. The distance from the rear of your tractor and how it's attached would duplicate nearly all of the problems you're having. The RS1200 tiller WILL push your tractor forward when it hits hard pan ground...and it will also try to pull itself apart it not properly (and securely) attached to the lower lift arms and toplink. It is highly likely you have the shorter version of lift arms and top link which will crowd the distance in relation to your rear wheels/tires.

The socket tubes and wheel adjust the angle of the tiller for more (or less) aggressive ground engagement.

It would help considerably if you could attach a picture or two. And, if you have a box blade with Scarifiers, it would help break up the hard ground and put much less strain on your tiller.

 

[winston1]

If your tiller is an RS1200 it will be 48.24 inches. The handwheel is for adjusting back gate and gauge wheels. I'm supposing you are talking about big sized rocks. I have some of those and quite naturally when I hit one I get off and remove the rock. I don't think any brand tiller can till big rocks. If you have bunches and bunches of them you have a problem. Sounds like turning plow time. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...s1400-tiller-working-revolutions-tiller-1.jpg

 

[rmully]

I agree with Winston ...rocks will break the tiller especially a lot of them. I would use a plow first or a box scraper with the teeth all the way down to expose the rocks before tilling.. more seat time so it is not a bad thing.

 

[California]

The triangle part of the upper link goes on the tractor then the short ordinary link goes from there to the tiller. Installing it that way should keep the tiller away from the tires as it lifts.

Here is an old thread with lots of photos.

The wheel on top adjusts the height of the optional wheels behind the tiller to control depth. (see the photos in that thread). Most brands of tillers don't have wheels, and many of these were sold without the wheel assembly, so the tubes going back are used only to support the back flap chains.

Post some photos, so we can see what is going on. You'll get lots of advice.

 

[pokey54]

Thank you all for your feedback. I will take pictures and post them as soon as I can. Thank you "California" for setting me straight on the top linkage. I had it hooked up the other way. Does it make any difference whether the which of the 2 holes on the triangular piece is hooked to the tractor linkage? Right now I have it set on the bottom hole to keep extra distance from the PTO and U-Joint. I don't know how the sheetmetal vibrated off. I was looking at how it was mounted and the vibration would have had to have sheared the bolts because they are all gone! My tiller never came with the back wheels and the lower gate. All that was missing. I bought a slip clutch assembly to put in line between the PTO and the tiller because I read a forum about possible messing up the gears in your tractor's transmission and no shear pins on the tines. Does it make a difference where the slip clutch is put? It looks like it could slip right over the PTO, but I see that some people put it directly before the tiller. There were no instructions with it. Thanks again all. I will post those pictures as soon as I can. :thumbsup:

 

[clemsonfor]

id put it at the tiller. Also i would use the lightest grade bolts recomended for tine connection grd 2 maybe?

 

[pokey54]

Thank you all again for your feedback! I bought the slip clutch and installed it before the tiller. I assumed since I had a Sears walk behind tiller that I could use the tractor tiller to break up hard ground. I guess I learned the hard way! I've been breaking up the sod with the tooth bar on my front end loader and throwing out the big rocks. We have lots of rocks here on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I am purchasing a landscape rake to get rid of the smaller rocks. I found out with this tiller that it works better when I go in reverse with the tractor in compound low-1st gear and have the PTO at around 2000 RPM with the tines going forward. They call this "conventional milling" in the machinist trade. The tines grab better and don't seem to mind the rocks as much. I installed the rectangular linkage as suggested by "California", and I don't have the problem with the tiller tines hitting the rear tires any more. It seems like it would be better if there was more distance between the tractor and the tiller and that the tiller didn't sit so perpendicular to the ground and was at more of an angle, but the reverse tilling seems to help alot when working in this particular soil with this tiller and keeps the **** thing from hopping around so much when it hits a rock. I had to cut the U-joint linkages to accomodate the slip clutch and cut a little too much off the female sleeve, but it still seems to be doing the trick. It's only come loose twice so far. I'm in the process of replacing the female u-joint. Anyway, thanks again! This is a great forum! :thumbsup: