All day tillin', tons of rocks, now chillin', with gin on the rocks.

[etpm]

I tried out my Yanmar tiller all day today. The ground has tons of rocks. From golf ball size up to almost football size. I hope the tiller doesn't break. I am running the PTO in the 540 RPM range with the engine at 2000 RPM with the transmission in 1st gear and the powershift also in 1st gear. Just how much of a beating can the Yanmar tillers take?
My method so far has been to make one pass over virgin ground, then rake all the rocks out, then make another pass next to the previous pass, rake and repeat. It sounds bad but I did the same with my Merry Tiller that my dad bought 50 years ago. I wore that tiller out but it did a lot of tilling over the years. It went through 3 engines and 3 drive chains. It finally gave up about 4 years ago. I then switched to a couple Troy-Bilt tillers. A Pony and a Horse. I used both of them in the same type of soil. The Merry tiller did the deepest work because I was turning the native crummy soil into good gardening soil so I had to till deep to get the rocks out and to mix in the sand and organic material into the original sandy loam and clay soil.
I used the Troy-Bilt tillers for lighter work, not tilling as deep because I was preparing the ground for grass and didn't need the soil to be good so deep. But they also had to till up lots of rocks which beat up and wore out tines. I was going to hard face the tines last summer but then I bought my YM2310 and then later the tiller for it.
I looked at the tines on my Yanmar tiller at the end of the day today and they don't look bad. I didn't see any dents and I looked carefully. The tines are new too, so they should show any damage easier than worn out tines. I suspect that the tiller bounces some because it is kinda light compared to how wide it is. The weight being spread over the 5 foot width seems to keep it from penetrating too much.
I started tilling today in my garden just to try it out before I tackled the virgin ground. Even with letting the tiller float it took two passes for it to till at the maximum depth. And the garden has no rocks anymore and the soil is pretty soft.
To close I ask again: Just how much can the Yanmar tillers take?
Thanks,
Eric
P.S.
Not only do I love my YM2310, I love being to till a 5 foot path at one go. Especially since I am not beating to death the bone on bone joints in both of my wrists tilling rocks like I do whenever I use the walk behind tillers.

 

[California]

I think it was Mark, a poster here long ago, who related he tilled broken concrete chunks into sub-base for his barn floor concrete pour. He saw some wear but not damage. He was impressed.

My tiller leaps over apple tree roots in the orchard, no harm done.

I think light weight is an advantage and if multiple passed are needed, that's easier on the tiller.

 

[etpm]

I think it was Mark, a poster here long ago, who related he tilled broken concrete chunks into sub-base for his barn floor concrete pour. He saw some wear but not damage. He was impressed.

My tiller leaps over apple tree roots in the orchard, no harm done.

I think light weight is an advantage and if multiple passed are needed, that's easier on the tiller.

Yeah, I was thinking the light weight was an advantage too. Still, I am NOT gonna be tilling concrete chunks into anything. Just sayin'
Eric

 

[bmaverick]

Yeah, I was thinking the light weight was an advantage too. Still, I am NOT gonna be tilling concrete chunks into anything. Just sayin'
Eric

So, are you starting a rock collection too.