Tiller Forward or Reverse Rotation

[Erik Graham]

Greetings;

I am the new owner of a used Howse RTC 48 rototiller. It is a gear drive, six tine machine that can be set up to run in forward or reverse rotation. I am going to be using it in sandy soil and hoping to go from sod to soil without using other implements. The field is about 2 acres so making several passes isn't a big deal. I will be using a Kubota L2550, 4wd with Ag tires all round. Although I've done a bit of reading on various forums I am still not sure whether forward or reverse rotation will yield best results. My goal is to prep the soil for a green manure crop (leaning towards clover).

Any insights greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Erik

 

[spruce Deere]

Well, with the option of ether direction rotation, I would use the tiller in the reverse rotation mode. That is where the reverse rotation tillers seem to have an advantage is in sod or heavy vegetation for a better till action. After the initial first pass with soil/sod worked, It don't matter what direction the tiller is turning, if the soil still needs worked. But Im guessing you will not need a second pass with sandy soil.

 

[Ford tractor]

Reverse rotation will bury the grass and weeds deeper on the first pass. But it takes more HP to do it

 

[leonz]

Hello Erik,

The reverse rotation will be better to
suck the tiller into the ground and dig
deep. +- 8 inches in depth.

Depending on soil type the use of gypsum
to dissolve clay can be incorporated quickly
and lime can be added at the same time to aid
in establishing a higher PH level close to 7 which
is the neutral point.

ideally you should check the blades for sharpness
and investigate the purchase of new ones if needed
as it is new ground.



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Ideally burning the sod with propane torch -the flame dragon for example will kill the grass and it will deteriorate quickly and the sod roots will die quickly.

A less labor intensive way would entail the use of a weed barrier fabric from
www.farmtec.com in a wide roll.

The premium weed barrier works wonders and kills everything and lets water in as well. we used for the first time this year and its worth every penny.

With the weed barrier rolled out and held in place with rocks or 2 by 4's will kill the sod very quickly for you and you could kill off a rolls length at a time as you are only planting a green manure crop.

Its available in a variety of widths and custom cuts as well

This way the tiller has one less portion of the ground break and to fight when fitting ground and less material to hack up.


I can tell you that winter wheat is a better green manure crop and adds a lot of nitrogen to the soil.



The next issue is the rocks even sandy soil has rocks in most places,
and the Howse should have a shear pin and or a limited slip PTO shaft clutch to save on wear and tear on the tractor.

you are not dealing with a lot of trash vegitation on the surface so it would be very easy to make a shallow pass over the entire patch when it is winter killed/dormant and kill the sod that way in lieu of weed fabric or burning with propane.

The tiller will hit rocks and you can dig out the big ones as you go along and remove them to eliminate them as an issue which is something you want to do anyway.

 

[Erik Graham]

Thanks for the various comments. The tiller does have a slip clutch and I think with the 4wd and new tires I shouldn't have any traction issues so I think I will try it with the reverse rotation. Didn't know about winter wheat, will do some reading on that. Will file a report after tilling.

Cheers, Erik

 

[Don87]

Thanks for the various comments. The tiller does have a slip clutch and I think with the 4wd and new tires I shouldn't have any traction issues so I think I will try it with the reverse rotation. Didn't know about winter wheat, will do some reading on that. Will file a report after tilling.

Cheers, Erik

I live in the north, reverse rotation works excellent here, but others have posted that 'forward' rotation is best for sandy soil.
The sandy soil with reverse tines tends to pull the tiller 'underground' they claim.