Horse power vs tiller width

[Ken Cunningham]

I have a JD3025D and I want to get a tiller. Does anyone run a 5ft tiller with a 25 hp tractor? I would like your input if you do. I have sandy soil so I think it will be fine, but I would sure hate to spend that much money and be disappointed with the results. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Yander]

I run a 50" tiller with a 18PTO hp and it does a bang up job feels like it could run a bigger one. your tractor has 20PTO hp. I think it would run a 60" tiller just fine. With a tiller the worst thing that can happen is if you are a little under powered you just take a little smaller bite (don't go as deep first pass). I wouldn't be afraid to do it.

 

[Raul-02]

I have a JD3025D and I want to get a tiller. Does anyone run a 5ft tiller with a 25 hp tractor? I would like your input if you do. I have sandy soil so I think it will be fine, but I would sure hate to spend that much money and be disappointed with the results. Thank you in advance for your help.

I have a 60" selectatilth I have a 47 HP tractor with about 35 at the PTO (PTO HP is a data point lots of folks forget).
I have heavy clay in my soil. On a second tilling I can bury my tiller and if I am going too fast (barely a slow walk) I can stall my engine.
You may find that depth of tillage and speed of tractor are your limiting factors

 

[3Ts]

I run a 5' tiller on a Kubota L235 (19 PTO HP). I ran it in the sandy soils in Florida and it worked fine. I brought it here to Texas and had a concern about the clay soils here, but just run a little slower ground speed or a little shallower first pass and it does fine.

 

[4570Man]

My current tractor has more HP but I previously used a 5’ tiller behind a L2550 Kubota.

 

[JJT]

I run a 6' tiller on 30 pto hp, in heavy clay, no issues for 25 years. I do have HST and the first pass is slow....

 

[5030]

Rule of thumb is 1 foot of width per 5 pto ponies.

 

[hornett22]

I run a 5' tiller on a Mahindra 1626 shuttle. No issues. Tilled several acres

 

[pmsmechanic]

I run a 5' tiller on a 28 pto hp tractor. Soils around here are both sand and clay. There are times when some more hp would be nice but with the hydro trans I just drive slower.

 

[orezok]

Rule of thumb is 1 foot of width per 5 pto ponies.

Unless it’s reverse rotation.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It completely depends on what tiller?? They are NOT all created equal!

You may run my 6' Howard with 30hp, but that tractor WILL overheat if you till for very long.

SR

 

[Uncle Lar]

CK25H 18 hp at the pto I use a 5' King Kutter tiller, I just gotta go slow on the first pass. Clay here.

 

[Ausmac]

Over here we work on 1 inch per hp. That’s heavy tilling though. Our 100” hoe runs well on the 100hp 4wd JD. I wouldn’t like to be using anything less. 60” is used by a JD2130. That’s not for big tasks though.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with Sawyer Rob depends on the tiller. The 3025 would be much better matched to a 48" tiller with a 7-to-8-inch max depth of cut. Not much point in straining everything or overheating the tractor. A light 60" tiller may be possible to use but it will not be able run as deep as a larger diameter rotor assembly. i use tillers for small pastures and can tell you that a tiller will work a tractor pretty hard you think you are okay and before you know it you are overheating.

Most people run ground speeds so slow that they completely destroy the soil, pulverizing it into dust. It can easily take 5 years with a good knowledgeable management program to recover. I till about 1.9-to-2.5 mph. the faster the better.

 

[Raul-02]

Most people run ground speeds so slow that they completely destroy the soil, pulverizing it into dust.

Those "universal isms" are for the birds. My soil, where I erected my garden, has brutal hard pan and clay so thick and dense that a 40-pound steel bar with a chisel point can't dent it deeper than an inch when I heave it as hard as I can while digging.
They make as much sense as did the universal-ism that Rain Follows the Plow.
The more I till the better my soil becomes. I have to till amendments into it.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

We run an 8' tiller with a 33 HP engine tractor. But we always disc first. Which I would with any tractor.

 

[jenkinsph]

Those "universal isms" are for the birds. My soil, where I erected my garden, has brutal hard pan and clay so thick and dense that a 40-pound steel bar with a chisel point can't dent it deeper than an inch when I heave it as hard as I can while digging.
They make as much sense as did the universal-ism that Rain Follows the Plow.
The more I till the better my soil becomes. I have to till amendments into it.

Your location says it all. I suggest you try a more pleasant approach. Please recognize that not all posts are centered around you or the armpit you think you live in.

I would agree with tilling in amendments to the soil you describe. Adding organic compost over 5 years' time can help make your soil easier to work. Pulverizing the soil and these amendments each time you add something is a mistake. Mixing in the amendments is helpful, you should be able to see lumps and clods of dirt with some stray roots and even worms if it is really good.

 

[Raul-02]

I suggest you try a more pleasant approach.

OK
Ces « universalismes » sont pour les oiseaux. Mon sol, où j'ai érigé mon jardin, a une casserole dure brutale et de l'argile si épaisse et dense qu'une barre d'acier de 40 livres avec une pointe de ciseau ne peut pas l'enfoncer plus profondément qu'un pouce lorsque je la soulève aussi fort que possible en creusant. Ils ont autant de sens que l'universalisme selon lequel la pluie suit la charrue. Plus je laboure, mieux mon sol s'améliore. Je dois y apporter des amendements.
There I said it in French; a romance language.
Happy now?

 

[jenkinsph]

well so much for your skills I won't waste my time on you any farther. Maybe beenthere can help you.

 

[Spooler]

I've been looking to get a tiller to use with my Kubota M6800. PTO HP rated at 62.

Two "rules" of thumb in this thread:

"Rule of thumb is 1 foot of width per 5 pto ponies." 62 HP/5 = 12 feet of tiller

"Over here we work on 1 inch per hp." 62HP = 62" or 5 feet of tiller

I don't have a lot of experience with tillers but that seems like a lot of variation in tiller size between the two rules.