Tiller forward rotating models and reverse rotation tiller

[Big Hammer]

So I’m researching the local market for a 48” tiller for my B2650 and I’m evaluating the differences between the forward rotating models and the reverse rotation and I’m having trouble in deciding…

I kept thinking “why don’t they make a tiller that give you the option of choosing the direction at will? Then, lo and behold I came across the King Kutter and reading their specs, it says “forward and reverse rotation“. Is this accurate? No one else seems to offer this feature.

Made in the US, about 560 pounds, do any of you have any experience with this brand of tiller? Pro’s and cons?

Thanks all!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

In more than 2,000 acres of tilling I never even one time wished I had a reverse tine tiller!

SR

 

[Big Hammer]

In more than 2,000 acres of tilling I never even one time wished I had a reverse tine tiller!

SR

Interesting, thanks for your reply. Curious about your reply though. Do you till the same areas every year? Or are you breaking up new ground? I understood that’s where the reverse rotation has the advantage.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I do custom tilling, so I do both, repeat jobs and new ones.

I've reclaimed many many pastures and if you learn how to properly use your tiller and it's a decent tiller in the first place, breaking new ground is no problem at all.

SR

 

[jyoutz]

Interesting, thanks for your reply. Curious about your reply though. Do you till the same areas every year? Or are you breaking up new ground? I understood that’s where the reverse rotation has the advantage.

It’s a huge advantage to have a reverse rotation tiller on hard ground….if you’re using a walk behind tiller. I’ve never used or needed a reverse rotation tiller on a pto driven tractor mounted unit. And I have tilled some hard never tilled ground.

 

[Williy]

If you like digging rocks out of a tiller then
get the reverse

willy

 

[Wolfy]

My dad bought a new King Kutter rotary tiller, I forget the year but its right around a 2000 era. Unsure if it is reverse or forward rotation, but it has been very reliable. Not long after he got it, the tractor was traded in for a much larger replacement, he kept the King Kutter and it does not mind more hp. One really nice feature is it is all gear drive, no chain like the previous John Deere rotary tiller.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I kept thinking “why don’t they make a tiller that give you the option of choosing the direction at will? Then, lo and behold I came across the King Kutter and reading their specs, it says “forward and reverse rotation“.

Not exactly at will, but is doable. You have to unbolt and reverse the tines, then disassemble and reverse the gearbox. page 14-15

https://media.tractorsupply.com/is/content/TractorSupplyCompany/tsc/product/2/17/30/45/2173045_Man1.pdf

 

[oosik]

I have a Troy Bilt Horse. It's forward rotating. I've used it to break virgin ground. It works just fine. I bought this in 1982. Still works great. I've replaced the tines and the reverse pulley. Otherwise - gas up and go.

I have 80 acres here. From a tilling standpoint - it's all virgin ground.

 

[mopardude318]

I have a 48” Land Pride reverse tiller on my little BX23S. I use it to till an acre. Seems to do the trick.

 

[oosik]

We broke our original garden - 80 x 120 - with the walk benind Troy Bilt Horse. Breaking the virgin ground wasn't real difficult. However - you had to keep a firm hand on the tiller. With forward rotating tines it liked to rare up and take off across the untilled land. I let the wife do it once - wish I would have had a movie camera. It rared up - took off - dragging a young, scared, mad woman behind. She finally got it under control - never asked to run it again.

 

[5030]

Surprised she didn't beat you with a skillet....lol

 

[oosik]

There were other "weapons" much closer. Pitchfork - garden hoe. My saving grace - she didn't see me chuckling. I did come to her rescue. We both laughed when the "horse" was stopped.

That machine DOES have a propensity to rare up and take flight. It has a real liking for old buried barbed wire also. But I think most tillers have a liking for wire.

 

[5030]

Kind of off thread but our garden is about 3/4 acre and I've always used a regular tiller. I own an older Troy Bilt too but since I bought a Cub Cadet with counter rotating tines, the TB just sits. It's sandy loam here so nothing is 'hard packed' and hard to work up. Glad of that.

 

[vsteel]

I like the forward rotation the best, if there is a large something under the ground the tiller will pop up and climb it and not catch and break anything. So it will probably depend on what kind of soil you are tiling but I don't know of any advantage to reverse rotation.

 

[oosik]

Bottom line. With a forward rotating tiller - you could have two forces moving the tiller forward. The forward rotating tines and the wheels. With a counter rotating tiller - you will have one force holding the tiller in place - the counter rotating tines. Another force pulling the tiller forward - the wheels.

This assumes you have a tiller with powered wheels.

 

[mo1]

The tiller I use is a forward rotation and I don't have any issues with it. However, I use a moldboard plow to plow up the soil at the end of the year (usually to plow in a bunch of manure) and then use the tiller to level out the ground in the spring to make a seedbed. That works well. I do not have any issues with the tiller wanting to push the tractor ahead, but my tractor also weighs more than 10 times as much as the tiller and runs on loaded ag tires, so your mileage may vary depending on what you are using.

 

[super55]

The king Kutter you had the link can be configured into a reverse tine tiller but it requires you to flip the gearbox on the tiller around so that run in reverse. Definitely doable but definitely not something that could be switched job to job.

Both tillers have their advantages. Reverse tine will give you an incredibly smooth and well worked seedbed in one pass. It also seems to do a better job of burying the surface debris then a forward tine.

Forward rotation is a lot more forgiving to the tractor but on really hard soils it might not want to dig and will take multiple passes. Hit anything hard the tiller will bounce right up over it. With a reverse rotation it is likely to stop you dead in your tracks.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I run a 6 ft. County Line from Tractor Supply (Tarter maybe?) it's been too long. It's forward rotating and our soil is clay. I time it so the moisture is right or end up with big clay balls. Some years I till it 2 or 3 times in the spring, letting it dry out in between each time. I fill it will 90w each time I use it, it leaks a little.

Last year I broke new ground for a deer plot for the neighbor. It was slow going and all the 37 horse HST wanted.

Kevin

 

[Williy]

A reverse tiller is OK if there are no rocks around.
When people get a rock stuck in a reverse tiller a
lot of choice words seem to spew out cause its not
an easy task to remove the rocks jammed in the
tiller.

willy