Tiller Before and After KK tiller

[SmokyMtnMan]

This field on a ridge on my farm has never had any crops on it in my lifetime (50 years), never been plowed, mostly red clay base with short grass, some blackberries, timothy hay, etc. I used KK 14 point double plow from TSC, then bought the KK 60" tiller. Took me two days to get tiller hooked up, lined up, greased, etc. I was amazed at what this machine did with this hard stuff.

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

yes i plowed too deep...and i paid for it when dropping wheels into that trench, too...angle meter on dash hovered around 15 to 20 degrees at times....spooky feeling. Never thought about turning over just plowing on level ground before.

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

another pic of field...will be planting pumpkins on this plot....supermarket, farmer's market, and setting a landscape trailer out in high traffic area for halloween. Got to do something to pay for this bota 4610.

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

after using KingKutter 60" roto-tiller. A digging machine. Can't even hear it running. and wow do I love hydrostatic now!

 

[Buck]

SmokyMtnMan,

What a difference! Thanks for the pictures, they really help novices like myself understand the impact of these implements.

I ordered a tiller myself, last week. I am very much looking forward to the experience.

Out of curiosity:

1) Why do you like the Hydrostatic with the tiller?

2) What would happen if you ran the tiller on unplowed land?

Thanks

Buck

 

[couchsachraga]

Question on KK tiller

Greetings...

I'm seriously considering a 60" KK tiller myself-does it off-set at all (The KK website mentions that the 4' does, but nothing on the 5' or 6'...).
Also, how necessary is it to pre-plow the land before tilling? (I've done it all by hand in the past, or with small tillers...).

Thank you,
Couchsachraga

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

Although I'm not any veteran farmer with years of tractor experience, I'll try to answer questions just as I see it.
the hydrostatic difference......I just put mine in low range...step on front of pedal and go .....when it encounters rocks, or front of tiller digs down, or just extra thick turf and attempts to bog down or kill motor......i just simply lift foot.....engine catches up.....then i go again.........if i need for some reason to lift tiller and miss a spot...i can simply raise tiller.....step on back of bedal and reverse it......then back over where i missed and get tiller down and go again.......at end of row......when you want to come back down row or go to another part of field.......you just give it more gas......no gear changes........just makes things go smoother with one less thing to worry about

and. as for using it on unplowed ground......i'll send pics this evening to show you.......main difference is deeper tilling, more green manure mixed in, more mixing of soil.

 

[Mosey]

Don - “Took me two days to get tiller hooked up, lined up, greased, etc”

Why did it take so long to get it ready? I put some oil in the gearboxes, greased the shaft, hooked it up, and adjusted the height in less than an hour.

 

[TresCrows]

Knowing very little here about that part of the world and knowing also that Pics often distort things but it sure looks like you have set your rows out up and down the hill instead of across them. Why? J

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

I didn't even realize I had ROWS yet! I just plowed and cut up the soil and then tilled it. I'm not ready for planting yet. I will go back over.....there's 'no hill's'....it's just a very slight grade, almost level ridge top.....and the first plowing was ACROSS, not up and down

and as to why it took so long.....I had never operated this type of grease gun before....and had trouble figuring it out.......I could not get stablizer bars to let out far enough at first......I could'nt find 90W-140W oil for gear box anywhere in reasonable driving distance..every store here had 80W to 90W......one of my skid shoes was two notches lower than other one and the threads were stripped on the bolt holding in place.....and finally....i'm a rookie at this.......and it's kind of hard to hook up some of this stuff with just one person doing it.......hope that answered questions

 

[Buck]

Smokey,

That explains it fine. Thanks much. My neighbor told me I'd regret a gear shift in a year. I don't want to try one because I'll get spoiled!

Buck

 

[tgello]

smokey,what a view.i would love to live on that plot of land. i was wondering how you like the 4610? was thinking of trading tc33d towards al4610. ....tgello

 

[barticus73]

Re: Question on KK tiller

I just used a KK 60" to till up 10 acres of field that was planted corn last year. I didn't plow ahead of time and that tough tiller just ate that ground up and left her very smooth. I planted pasture grass so well see how it turns out. I run a 27 hp Cub.

Jerry in Pa

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

tgello, I absolutely love this 4610. I love everything about it. Solid, well built, turning radius is great, cab/dash design is well thought out, everything easy to service on it, plenty of power.....for my own needs, I wouldn't want one any bigger, but then again, you'll have to talk to some of the more experienced pros on here to get better comparison. My only experience is with an old Ford 8N many years ago and a Kubota L2350. I was hesitant about getting the Cab model and the HST but so glad i did. I can breathe and stay cool while working. Heck, last Sunday I plowed while listenting to the Nascar race on the radio. Maybe that's why my rows weren't too straight, not sure.

and yes, it's scenic here, but you pay for that with lack of tillable land (too much slope)

here's the view from where i plowed

 

[tonyw]

smokeymtnman,

I see you didn't buy the Italian hoe--oops, I mean "tiller" /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif(Muratori); I'm glad you're enjoying your KK though; I've been checking out your photos--everything looks great! I also envy the view you've got there, especially since I'm living in the flatlands again. [my family is from western nc too].

tonyw

 

[MrP]

<font color=blue>here's the view from where i plowed </font color=blue>

[censored]... Nice view... /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I'm jealous.

Oh, yeah... L4610... I double jealous.

 

[Mosey]

Don,

“I could'nt find 90W-140W oil for gear box anywhere in reasonable driving distance..every store here had 80W to 90W”

I ran into the same problem. I thought it was a misprint and they meant to say “90W-140”. It turns out when they say “90W-140W”, they mean “90W to 140W”, ie anything within that range. I ended up using 90W. If you’re going to use it in a real hot climate for hours and a time, then use 140W. My KK bush hog has the same requirements, but that manual says “90W to 140W”. Walmart has an “85W-140”, which would probably be fine.

“the threads were stripped on the bolt ”

That’s typical for KK. They don’t pay much attention to details. But, the overall product is pretty solid for the price.

 

[SmokyMtnMan]

Yes, I'm pleased overall with the KK tiller. It is solid and really seems to churn that soil up well. I noticed that mine seems to start out very quiet and then after about 15 minutes it starts vibrating and gets somewhat noisy. After stopping and getting out to check, it seems to be digging in deeper and the front of plow seems to have started leaning forward more than at first. I've adjusted top link and after several rows of plowing it seems toplink adjustment has changed. Is this normal or what's going on?

Also, the instructions stated for the top gear case to be 1/2 full of oil . That was no problem, I used a straw to measure and got if fine. But the side gear case instructions only said....'oil should be visible". Well it was kind of hard to see in that little hole. So i filled until i could feel where the top gear was with a straw. It took about 5 liters. I may have put too much in as I see oil trails going down the side of the tiller. Is that a bad thing?

 

[nicklan]

Isn't there a small stud on the side to open up when filling then stop when it runs out the hole? (there is probably a name for it) THere is on my KK 72".
Nick

 

[Mosey]

Mine has that too. It's a pipe plug. Just put the oil in the top until it starts coming out the hole. You can see it in the picture on their web site, it's just below the tag and it casts a shadow:

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