Educate me on 3 pt. tillers

[MacLawn]

I use my Bush Hog tiller in Georgia red clay (that stuff'll stick to ye), and, Eddie, right, after one good time, it's good to go. Mine was all big woods a few years ago, rocks, roots all that tiller breaking mess. So, pushed up stumps with nephew's dozer (is it dozer or dozier? Aw, it's DOZER) ran a homemade heavy root rake thingamajig over it, ran my sub soiler through it REAL good - that thing will find ye roots, rocks for ye. Ran my middle buster over it - that makes ye ground as bumpy as riding a stalk cutter on a frosty morning! Only then did I use me tiller. I say find ye roots and rocks before ye tiller finds them! Don't worry, there'll be plenty of rocks left - it SHOULD be a scientific fact that rocks grow back in ye land. Don't know where them rascals come from. I done hauled about a million off!

 

[dpb800]

I had to wait a few years but I eventually found a 72" kk on craigslist for $200 and it needed $300 in parts. It was in good shape otherwise. Getting ready to use it for the first time as soon as the ground thaws/dries out.

 

[dpb800]

Update, It worked great. Love how well it tilled up the garden.

 

[Stimw]

My opinion they are worth the money!
They out perform a walker by miles.
As I said I enjoy tilling gardens for friends, it takes very little time and they have a much better garden when I'm done.
So pay it forward if you can.

 

[Pilot]

You guys have all been very helpful, keep the info coming.

All the tillers I listed sold in a couple weeks. Choices now are a KK for $1100, looks good, appears to have had little use. A Kubota for $800 that doesn't look bad, but I wasn't thrilled with the answers I got and lastly an old Howard for $800. I hope to look at the Kubota and the KK Tuesday.

 

[buickanddeere]

Heavier is better, slip clutch a must. Is the tractor hydrostatic ?

 

[Gary Fowler]

Gary, that sounds like the tiller I've been eyeing at Atwoods. Same price too. Where did you buy yours and would you buy it again? Where do you get replacement tines? How much HP do you have and what is your soil like? I think once I do it once, the next time should be easier.

Eddie

I got mine at Atwoods also. It was on sale for $150 off regular price. The salesman said they don't carry the tines but they are available at TSC. I haven't verified that though, but I suspect any dealer could order them directly from King Kutter if you needed some. I have hit some pretty large rocks with mine and other than knocking off some paint from the top skin, no damage. I like it and would buy it again if needed. It seems to be the best bang for the buck right now.

 

[Gary Fowler]

As for uses, I tilled up 3 garden spots & found lots more rocks even though I had disked and scarified with box blade for the last 3 years. The best use I got out of it so far though has been making a fire break. I had a fence line grass fire get out of control and was burning off not only my pasture which I didn't mind but it jumped a road and was burning off neighbors also. I got the tiller and in one fast pass, running in Medium range 4th gear with my LS P7010, took the fire out of the fire with it. You really dont have to go 2MPH to till and break up the ground pretty good. Last year, I had to use my disk to make a fire break and it took at least 2 passes to cut the grass enough so that the fire didn't cross it. I tilled thru mud, rocks and even pine saplings 2"-3" and more and it just chopped them up along with the grass. I did find later that I had rolled up a pretty good piece of barbed wire around the tine axle that I had to use my cutting torch to remove it.

 

[Pilot]

No the tractor isn't hydrostatic. Is that good or bad?

 

[buickanddeere]

Is 1st gear a creeper?