Tiller Does everyone use shear bolt or slip clutch drive shafts with their rototillers?

[Bartcephus]

I have a slip clutch on mine. Came too tight from the dealer (or froze up on me). Tilling new soil, had no idea bricks, hunks of concrete and other debris was buried in the soil right where I wanted my garden. Result, broken tines and bent tines and one **** of a rough ride. Adjusted the slip clutch, and now hopefully no more tine replacements. I would recommend a slip clutch or shear bolts for protection. Shear bolts are cheaper than replacing tines.

 

[flusher]

I am fixing up some JD 550 3-point rototillers and I need to buy new
drive shafts. I notice that lots of units out there do not use shear
bolt or slip clutch protection.

I don't do any rototilling with my tractor. Those who do: do you
use protection? If not, what happens when you pinch rocks?

The old Yanmar RS1200 rototiller (48" wide) that I bought to use with my Kubota B7510HST had nothing-no SC, no shear bolt(s). So I had to adapt an SC from TSC.



The pto shaft that came with the tiller was shot, so I got one from TSC and cut it to fit. I had to use the longer lower 3pt arms from my MF135 tractor (36" long vs 26" for the 7510) to fit the SC and an adapter on the tiller gear box to position the SC so it didn't rub on the tiller sheet metal.

Good luck

 

[Bird]

I'm sure it depends on the terrain you'll be working, but the slip clutch requires more maintenance that the shear bolt. I never had, needed, or wanted a slip clutch. My tiller and mowers had shear bolts, but I never sheared one. I did bust a shear bolt once on the Gehl hay baler.

 

[nybirdman]

I have a slip clutch on my tiller and shear bolts on my bush-hog.As long as you service the slip clutch every year....its the way to go with a tiller.I have only broke two or three shear bolts on the bush-hog in 700 hrs of use.
I had a friend with a bush-hog/with shears on an old Allis Chalmers..put grade 8 bolts in...broke the rear casing out of the tractor.Not good.
Both are there to protect the tractor.

 

[corey9212]

When I had my tiller it was a landpride and it never had a slip clutch or shear bolt. It was directly attached to the pto and when I was doing my riding arena I would hit some big rocks that were worked up from all the vibrations of hooves, when they got caught it would make a loud bang and the whole tractor would stall. I would hit 20-30 of these rocks per run and worried about no protection like slip clutches or shear bolts I sold the tiller. I paid $2500 for it and thought for that price it would have something in place for protection.

 

[Baby Grand]

I use a slip clutch on my KK72". I loosen and slip it each spring to make sure it will slip when needed. I do that on my rotary cutter as well.:thumbsup:

Do the same with my 60" KKII & BB60 RC.