Tiller 6' Tiller

[blueberryman]

Good Morning all,

Looking at replacing my tiller ( old howard). I'm looking at 6' models from Landpride, Woods, Kuhn, and Maschino. I'll be using it on my 5040 Kub. in heavy soil to prep my strawberry beds. I'll be tilling 2-4 acs. I only plan on buying a heavy duty model with 6 tines to the roter.


any thoughts on forward/ reverse rotation, brands, strenghts/ weaknesses

just the good and bad

Thanks
Rick

 

[jbrumberg]

blueberryman:

Welcome to TBN ! I live in the rocky NE with rocky, heavy, clay based soil. I use/used my tillers to break virgin sod as well as create and maintain garden areas. I have only owned forward rotation tillers (Woods T42, CCM M-160), but I put some "thought" into the CCM purchase as it related to forward vs. reverse rotation tillers:

Foward Rotation- bounce you forward over immovable objects , throw rocks away from tiller, "push" you forward through heavy material, "works" in tractor's direction.

Reverse Rotation- pulverizes soil finer, mixes soil better, would probably work much better in established gardens.

I "theorized" that the Reverse Rotation tillers would tend to jamb on bigger rocks as they tend to be thrown up and forward causing the rocks to jam up in the tiller housing and would not bounce (but jam) when "interacting" with immovable objects.

Out of curiousity I would love to hear others' feedback on this question as I have no real experience with Reverse Rotation tillers.

Jay

 

[SkunkWerX]

Welcome BlueberryMan!

Also, don't discount the KK II tiller. It's a beast. Built like a tank and gear driven. Mine is only a 4-foot model but does a fantastic job.

I have tilled virgin undistiurbed soil and it eats right in.

CCM is also well thought of and has a large variety of tillers.

per Jays discussion, the KK is a forward rotation tiller. I notice a wee bit of push from it, but nothing remarkable. there is a sweet spot where the tractor's forward speed starts cancelling out the push effect and it's a smooth operation.

I also agree with Jay, the reverse rotation tillers might be good for seedbeds, and specific horticultural needs. If doing a lot of tilling, as a business venture, something to consider is that the reverse rotation tillers cause tractor fuel consumption to go up as you are pulling something that is trying to go the opposite direction. If for business, then your operational costs could be slightly higher due to the fuel usage.

 

[DLMaine01]

Hey BlueberryMan,
I am not too far from you, though not Downeast(thankfully!). Look at the CCM tillers, neighbor bought one, very well built and very good poeple to work with.
I am still using my old Howard tiller as well, they are tough!
To me with a big enough tractor which you have the added cost of a reverse rotation tiller is not worth the added cost.
Good Luck
Dave

 

[GaryE]

The only thing I can add is I have found in rocky soil a 6 tine tiller will load up with small rocks where a 4 tine will not. I have a Kuhn tiller and after over two years a very hard work, I am very happy with it.

Hope this is of some help,

Gary

 

[InlineDieselFan]

I got a nice deal on a 6' Kuhn, and am very happy with it.

I think any of the brands that have been mentioned here would be fine. IT is the first time breakingup the ground that is hard on a tiller after that your tractor and tiller won't put out any effort at all.

when I searched these forums and others, talked to a bunch of people, the reverse sure sounded nice. But several folks mentioned if you are going to till the same area each year it is not worth the extra money. I was told make a second pass or just go slower.

My ground is heavy nasty clay. With my little 34HP Kubota, I just ripped the ground with the scarifier teeth of the box blade then tilled the ground. It worked great, you should have no problem with your 50 hp Kubota.

steve

 

[Farmwithjunk]

My opinion of MOST of the King Kutter product line isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for their brand. Just too lightly built for my use. That said, their tillers take a back seat to no one. Consider the price, and they become a logical choice when buying a new one.

I bought one about 6 years ago. I needed it for a project I was starting. The thought was, I was PROBABLY going to destroy whatever I bought (rocks and roots galore) so why trash an expensive model.

My logic was slightly flawed. The KK6'er took it's punishment in stride. I broke about a dozen tines, but the rest of the tiller never flinched. I still have it. I've used it enough since to wear out a complete set of tines. I replaced them and life goes forward.

It does a splendid job, is as tough as a $2 steak, and was the lowest priced 6' tiller I could find at the time. THAT is starting to sound like a ringing endorsement to me.

 

[jbrumberg]

The KKII tiller (gear driven) line came out after I purchased my CCM tiller. Upon inspection (I consider TSC to be an adult male variant of a childrens' amusement park .). They do not look like the average KK product- good paint, welds, steel thickness, gasketing, etc. Jay

 

[blueberryman]

Thank all,
I'm reading and taken it all in

Rick

Just thought of another question are most of the tines for the diffrent tillers interchangable?

 

[shvl73]

You've got TSC in Skowhegan and I think the one in Scarborough is open as well. call ahead and maybe they have a KK Tiller in stock. Not sure how much of a ride it is from you (Bluehill area?) but, worth a shot.