3 pt tiller

[bigtiller]

You will still need your BCS, but yes, they are much easier than a walk behind. Just be sure you don't under power your self or you will be going so slow that great-grandma could walk faster than you can till. You will need 4 to 5 PTO hp per foot of tiller at a minimum and the closer to 5 you get, the happier you'll be. But if you get a reverse direction tiller, you can get by with 5 pto hp per foot but it will be so slow going at times that you will be wishing for more hp.

Reverse direction tillers are best for breaking undisturbed or hard ground. After that a forward direction tiller is best because it will incorporate thick mulch, like piles of leaves or straw much better.

 

[Fallon]

Forward rotation will also be more apt to jump over buried obstacles where a reverse will dig in & jam. May be relevant if you have a lot of rocks or something. Either way make sure it has the proper sheer pin or a properly adjusted clutch to protect your tractor. The clutches will often rust & not slip, especially if left outside. They should be tested and/or adjusted annually if stored outside.

I have a 60" king kutter 2 forward rotation behind my 32hp Kubota L3200 hst. It works great, 2ish acres took somewhere between an afternoon & a day. The hst means you can push the go pedal until the engine drops rpm then let off a hair. You can keep it pushed to the limit easily as ground conditions change. I hear a lot of the old tractors couldn't run slow enough. Not an issue with a hst. Not sure about some or all modern gear tractors though.

 

[Wolfy]

My 1977 Ford 1600 with a 9 speed transmission runs a 42" tiller wonderfully.

 

[2458n]

I have a 4x4 kubota ,8n and a hp 65 White. The 8n gears are not low enough to run a tiller. The tiller just pushes the tractor a little to fast.

 

[motownbrowne]

Geared tractors work just fine, they all have a low first and second gear.

Not an 8n.

 

[Wolfy]

You need to remember that an 8N is from a another time before tractor rototillers were common. Any geared tractor from the 1960's or so forward should be fine.

 

[Jarrod32]

Yup, What they said. They are worth there weight in gold if you have serious tilling to do and it sounds like you do. The hardest part about tilling is hooking it up to the 3 point.

The truth has been spoken. ^^^

 

[WilliamBos]

Not an 8n.

MF 35 had creeper gear.

 

[Mattc8832]

Thanks for the help. I hope to be able to purchase one after the first of the year. I just got a log splitter and a new heat pump so the funds need to rebuild........

 

[Papasmirf]

I bought my NH TC 30 4x4 with 5' tiller in 2007. Works exceptionally well, makes a perfect seed bed, but is great for incorporating straw, compost, fertilizer, or line. After a couple of years of using a walk behind tiller to keep rows clean, I started making my rows 7' wide so I could use the 3 point tiller to keep the rows clean. I've found it's a lot easier and food production is, in most cases, better cause everything has a lot of room to grow. I've also made my drop irrigation the same widths and lengths. Standardizing rows and irrigation has cut time and expenses down tremendously.