rototiller or cultivator or what????

[Tx Jim]

I don't know about forever, with my 6' Howard Rotavator (tiller) and 45hp farm tractor, I can till 12 acres in about 6 hrs...
SR

SR
May I ask what mph you do your tilling? 2 acres an hr with 6 ft tiller sounds like a lot ground to cover. I've plowed many acres in the last 65 yrs.

 

[Avenger]

You beat me to it Tx.

I have a similar issue. I talked about it here: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/ls-tractor-owning-operating/427575-plowing-ls.html?highlight=

I havent reached a decision on this, not yet anyway. I spoke with a local farmer with a large plow. He offered his equipment to me at no charge to plow it. But that is only one part of a solution.

 

[Stump 3910]

I was wondering the same thing there Tx Jim. I have been tilling up my front little pasture of close to 5 acres with a 6' Mahindra MTILL 180 behind either my 3910 Ford or my Workmaster 60 New Holland. I have used both of them on it these last couple weeks getting it leveled up from a big pea crop I had a couple years ago. After 2 passes in 2nd gear low range on the 60hp New Holland I can only till in 3rd gear low range on my Ford. Its a load on it too. I run this tiller as deep as it goes. So this fellow needs to enlighten us on how he can till so fast. I really wanna know.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

MOST of the time I till at 2.75mph sometimes faster, sometimes slower, (depends on what the customer wants to end up with) and I keep the tiller set as deep as it will go, about 8".

How come I can till that fast? Easy, I have a Howard, not a cheapo garden tiller...

SR

 

[Stump 3910]

I spect my Mahindra MTILL 180 will be as good a quality machine as yours is my friend. And still no answer to the question.

 

[ptsg]

MOST of the time I till at 2.75mph sometimes faster, sometimes slower, (depends on what the customer wants to end up with) and I keep the tiller set as deep as it will go, about 8".

How come I can till that fast? Easy, I have a Howard, not a cheapo garden tiller...

SR

What's so special about the Howard tiller? How many tines per flange? From the specs I've seen, it still have the same rotor RPM as most, if not all, tillers (around 240 RPM) out there.

Here we have the standard tiller with 4 tines per flange and the heavy duty ones with 6 tines per flange and it does require some HP to power that.

I spect my Mahindra MTILL 180 will be as good a quality machine as yours is my friend. And still no answer to the question.

I was comparing yours and his tiller and yours end up having more tines than the Howard one.

I don't think this come up to the implement quality, but rather soil conditions and specially to whatever finishing quality your looking for. The finish quality will be then related to each person standards...

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Quality has little to do with it, design has a lot to do with it.

Howards have features that leave the garden tillers behind...

SR

 

[Avenger]

I have a Woods RT72.40 6ft standard duty tiller. 540pto with 210 rotor rpm. It digs to 7". Definitely not a "cheapo" tiller.
I put my 45hp gear tractor as slow as it can go (Range 1, Gear 1). I do not have a creeper gear. No idea how fast it is in MPH, but slow enough that the snails escaping my destruction seem to pass me... and its still too fast sometimes.

I think it comes down to soil types and conditions. I have heavy clay in places, or thick sod. If the ground is dry, its like concrete. If its wet, its like playdough. If your tilling sand, then I am sure you can do 2 acres an hour, or even faster. But for most people, using a tiller to til a field is simply not efficient. Especially since there are better alternatives out there.

 

[ptsg]

Quality has little to do with it, design has a lot to do with it.

Howards have features that leave the garden tillers behind...

SR

Would you care to explain what exactly?

I'm having an hard time trying to understand what's so special about that Howard tiller. All I see was a tiller like many others out there.

 

[orezok]

Is the Howard a standard or reverse rotation?