Tiller Appropriate size of a tiller

farmer_d · Jan 15, 2005

Thank you all for the excellent feedback.

To shed further light the original question. I have a GST on my L4630. Sounds like that will not work to my advantage with the tiller. We'll make do with it, however.

Also, Kubota's recommendation was to run a maximum of a 60" tiller on the L4630 regardless of transmission type. My question is: Does this sound right/reasonable with your experience?

Dargo · Jan 16, 2005

LMTC, sorry, but you're simply wrong here. Also, please review my post; I included your whole statement. I understood the "maintain the constant speed part", and you're still flat wrong. You see, I have this new fangled standard feature on my Kubot HST called cruise control. I realize that it is a relatively new feature and a lot of people have never heard of it. However, if I put my tractor in low range and simply move the cruise control lever foreward, I can set a constant speed where it only moves about a foot a minute. Please attach pictures of the production gear driven tractors that will run slower than this. Unless you want to attach 4 or 5 of the Sherman aux gear reduction transmissions in a row, what you talk about simply does not exist. Also, the earth isn't flat and, I'm sorry, but water is wet. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Farmer_d, since I'm very familiar with your tractor and the size tiller you have, at worst you may have to make two passes to get the depth you desire. If your ground is sandy and soft, you may not even have to do that. Not knowing which transmission you had, I only wanted to point out the actual experience I've had with very similar tractors and the same size tiller. Once you get used to what it will do and what it won't do, I believe you'll end up being happy you have the 72" tiller. Good luck, and I'm sorry I had to explain to the other guy that what he was saying was simply incorrect.

ronjhall · Jan 16, 2005

The reason Kubota only recommends a 60" max for any of their tractors. Is that is the largest size tiller they offer.
If I can run a 50" reverse tine behind a B2910, There should no problem with 72" behind your L4630.
When I went to Kubota's site they recommend a 60" for the B2910 also. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Bird · Jan 16, 2005

( LMTC, sorry, but you're simply wrong here )

Brent, the trouble with absolute statements is that they're harder to back down from when they're wrong. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif And in this case, I do believe that someday you're going to find that you were the one that was wrong. I love and prefer the HST and the infinitely slow speed is only one of the reasons. I agree that it can go slower than a geared tractor, but when you include the comment about a "constant speed", that puts a fly in the ointment, whether or not you use the "cruise control" or a "speed set" control. Now the reason I say that is because of some personal experience and experimenting. With the geared tractor at a set speed, almost the only way a tiller can push the tractor forward is to slide the wheels (or of course, it would possible, though unlikely, for something to push it forward hard enough to increase engine RPM). But with the HST, even with a cruise control set, there's just enough "slack" (for want of a better word) in the transmission that a tiller, under some circumstances, can push the tractor forward a little bit faster than the set speed.

Now of course that's just my opinion and experience. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Glenn9643 · Jan 16, 2005

Amen.
Please pass the biscuits.

Dargo · Jan 16, 2005

Well, I'll only change my statement when he posts complete specs and pictures of a production gear tractor that will run about 1 foot a minute at WOT in low range. Otherwise, I'll not waiver a single bit on declaring that he is flat wrong on stating that a geared tractor will run at a slower sustained speed than any HST can. Unless pictures and stats of a production gear tractor can be produced that prove it to run at a slower ground speed than a foot a minute at WOT, plain and simple; his statement is easily proved to simply be wrong. He made the absolute (and incorrect) statement. I only proved it wrong. If needed, I'll send a video my tractor running at WOT doing a foot a minute at a constant ground speed if one can be produced of a gear tractor doing so. My experiment can be reproduced on any of the new LXX30 series HST Kubota tractors. I await the pictures and specs of a production gear tractor that provides a slower ground speed. Plain and simple, he gave his opinion as if they were fact. Anyone can duplicate what I claim on the Kubota HST LXX30 series tractor, so I don't believe my statement is "opinion" since it is easily proved. And, along the same line of a challange, I still say that the earth isn't flat and that water is wet. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Bird · Jan 16, 2005

Brent, the whole topic is certainly not worth arguing about, but you haven't proven anything. No one has disagreed with you that you can make the tractor go slower. But the question is going slower at a "constant" speed with a tiller. So the next time you try your experiement, put a big tiller on the tractor, let it dig in good and then see if your tractor maintains that constant speed. Long, long ago, there was a discussion on the forum about forward turning tillers propelling tractors forward. I, personally, experimented with mine and found that in my garden, if I put the tractor in high range and two wheel drive, the tiller would sometimes propel the tractor forward. If I put the tractor in low range, either 2WD or 4WD, it wouldn't actually push me forward much but would surge forward occasionally. In other words, you can maintain a more constant speed with the geared tractor over long distances. Now as I said before, I still prefer the HST myself because it's so easy to vary the speed without shifting gears.

NATTYBUMPO · Jan 16, 2005

farmer d,

Well, to get back on topic......
I have a L3010 (GST) and went with Kubota's 60" tiller recommendation. Mine pulls a 60" tiller thru all kinds of terrains, soils and vegetation as deep as I want to go, so your L4630 will certainly have no problems with a six footer. My OM says the same thing re tiller size and it certainly makes no sense to me either. I wouldnt worry about it.

Natty B.

Dargo · Jan 16, 2005

Bird, feel free to delete this post. However, the reason I even contributed to the discussion was because I have the same size tiller as the original poster and have had, and still have, very similar tractors as he. How do you think I first established how the extremely low ground speed can be executed by the Kubota HST tractor? I used my 72" tiller behind my HST Kubota and set the cruise control. I assure you, the tiller by no means pushed me one bit. Either that happened on a much smaller tractor, or it is simply speculation.

That brings me to the disappointment I've experienced lately with TBN. It seems that "popular" posters' speculation are much more appreciated and agreed to than actual facts that can be re-created over and over. This disturbs me in that when I ask a question, I really don't want replies where people act like they know what they are talking about, but in fact are giving me flat out wrong advice. That does nothing but wastes my time and productivity and could eventually lead to me getting hurt or destroying my equipment because I believed someone's bs to be fact.

I know quite well that you'll write me off as a malcontent. The fact is that I appreciate positive input to my questions and facts brought out in discussions. I have no place for people who consistently assert their opinions (that cannot be verified) as fact, and their buddies join in to support the unfounded contention. At this point in time, TBN has outlived it's usefulness for me. Provable facts are discounted and wild theories are upheld. I just can't use that. Perhaps sometime in the future I'll stop by. Thanks for all who added valuable factual information in the past, and hopefully TBN will be back to supporting facts in the future. No hard feelings. Be good. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Dargo

Bob_Skurka · Jan 16, 2005

Bird, I have to go right along with Dargo and agree with what he wrote. I've never been pushed by a tiller, and I've not used a gear tractor that can go slow enough in some conditions. Further, I'll admit that I've never used a tractor with a creeper gear, so maybe I missed something by not using one of those. But from my experience, and none of it includes the particular model tractor being discussed here, a tractor with a HST is far superior for tilling than a gear tractor (and I think I've used 6 different tractors with tillers, 2 of which were gear machines)

Now all that said, I do hope that Dargo sticks around. But I didn't agree with him to get him to stay, I agreed with him because I basically think he hit the nail on the head.