Forward tine v reverse tine tiller

[Atypical_decorum]

I can get a 104" forward tiller set to cover both my tracks.

Or

I can get an 84" reverse tine tiller set to cover one track.

Which is better? Ground is hard, shale filled, clay....On an angle.

 

[workinonit]

Do you want a forward or reverse rotating tiller? They are different animals. It's inconsequential if it covers your tracks to be honest. I never understood everyone's obsession with covering their tracks. Why do you have your tractor stance so wide? Are you running 2 row - 4 foot/row equipment with your tractor at 8'?

 

[Seven Gables]

How many acres and how steep is the hill ? Pictures? If it was me I’d pull tires in to under 84” and go with the 84 tiller.

 

[Atypical_decorum]

Do you want a forward or reverse rotating tiller? They are different animals. It's inconsequential if it covers your tracks to be honest. I never understood everyone's obsession with covering their tracks. Why do you have your tractor stance so wide? Are you running 2 row - 4 foot/row equipment with your tractor at 8'?

I'm not sure what I NEED. What I want doesn't matter...

Wide because it's steep. The last owners rolled their tractor, I want to lessen that chance.

The ground is anywhere from 15 degrees to about 35 degrees.

Well, covering tracks it means I don't need to go back over that spot again. It's a time thing. Your need a deep shank to take care of the compressed ground.

 

[CaptPat]

Tractor Time with Tim (on youtube) did a side-by-side comparison of the two types of tillers. Watching that might help with your decision.

 

[workinonit]

You don't have to go back over anything. If you see your tire track that means you never tilled it in the first place so you aren't going BACK over it. Bottom line is covering tire tracks is just a preference thing not a necessity. I have a box blade that is narrower than my wheel spacing. It doesn't bother me when I use it.

 

[workinonit]

Yea, one is better for hard ground and the other is better for softer ground. Mine is forward rotation I think. It cuts plenty deep enough for me.

 

[Atypical_decorum]

How many acres and how steep is the hill ? Pictures? If it was me I’d pull tires in to under 84” and go with the 84 tiller.

Can't pull tires in. The area I'm looking to do it's about 2 acres and is the flattest spot I've got at 10 to 15 degrees. I might offset and keep that side high.

 

[Atypical_decorum]

You don't have to go back over anything. If you see your tire track that means you never tilled it in the first place so you aren't going BACK over it. Bottom line is covering tire tracks is just a preference thing not a necessity. I have a box blade that is narrower than my wheel spacing. It doesn't bother me when I use it.

Box blades don't fluff soil.

If I had a smaller tiller centered, I'd have bilateral tire tracks. I would never get the track out and that part would be compressed, slowing down root growth in that direction. So yes, it does matter. And yes it may have been tilled already, but recompressed by a successive run.

 

[Atypical_decorum]

Tractor Time with Tim (on youtube) did a side-by-side comparison of the two types of tillers. Watching that might help with your decision.

I think I may have seen it. Reverse pulls down and puts rocks forward. Forward doesn't do those things, but is also cheaper and available in a wider track.

I'd rather "have" a reverse, but I don't know that I need it. Tractor is about 9000lbs.

 

[workinonit]

You can always get what you want. These are top of the line tillers but you don't have enough tractor to run most of them.

Rotary Tillers | Celli North America

Celli offers a variety of rotary tillers of all different ranges. Contact us for more details.

celli-usa.com

 

[LD1]

For a tiller I would at least want to cover my tracks so tilling can be done in any direction.

If you offset the tiller, say to the left to cover that track. Then you can only go one direction....and that is with the fresh till also to the left.

If you try and go down and back......on the way back with the fresh till to your right, you are compressing that till and the tiller isnt covering it to fluff it back up.

So I understand 100%. I have a 5' tiller and 6' track width. But for a garden.....its not a huge deal to just till all one direction. But I AM actually looking for a 7' tiller because it is an annoyance.


As for forward vs rear, a GOOD quality tiller will do a good job either way. Yes reverse "can" cut deaper....and leave things a little finer as its throwing dirt forward. But the biggest selling point IMO for the reverse rotation was for older tractors that didnt have a slow enough ground speed. Tank an old N-series ford and forward rotation tiller and the tractor ground speed is only a little slower than the rotor speed. So the tiller tends to just want to walk up over the ground and do little to no "tilling".

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Once you do this 2 acres, is that "it"? This is unbroken ground, yes? Are you thinking you'll do more unbroken ground in the future? Or just annual tillage on an already broken ground (garden? 2 acres?).

What are you planting after the tillage is done (in other words, how deep does it really need to be)?

I'm betting a forward rotation tiller will work just fine (but that depends on answer to above?

 

[Atypical_decorum]

Once you do this 2 acres, is that "it"? This is unbroken ground, yes? Are you thinking you'll do more unbroken ground in the future? Or just annual tillage on an already broken ground (garden? 2 acres?).

What are you planting after the tillage is done (in other words, how deep does it really need to be)?

I'm betting a forward rotation tiller will work just fine (but that depends on answer to above?

Yes and no. I have that garden site and another one that's smaller. I may do a food plot or two. And more than likely neighbors will ask. This is all unbroken ground. But then it will be done a few times yearly (preseason, post season, early winter for additives to settle prior to big freezes cycles.

Plants = everything. Tomato's, cucumbers, herbs, zucchini, melons, broccoli, celery, radish, carrots, okra, peppers, maybe incan corn, bush/pole beans, and probably other things I've forgotten that are in my seed pile. My family and I generally eat from the garden we have and don't shop much if we're able. Ive also always used a hiller after a small tiller and will likely do that again.

I also have a lot of shale in the ground. From fist size to pallet size I'll need to pull out with the 3pt backhoe.

 

[Atypical_decorum]

There's also a chance I'll expand to the next property I buy and make a seriously big garden for my facility.

 

[jeff9366]

T-B-N ARCHIVE:

Rototiller

I’m looking to buy a Rototiller to run behind a Kubota MX 5200. Any suggestions regarding width and forward or reverse rotation?

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I got a forward rotation tiller for my place a couple years ago. I have not been disappointed with it. Don't base too much on my comments but I feel like the forward rotation is a bit easier on the equipment. If you encounter a big enough rock to be a problem, forward rotation makes the tiller just climb over it instead of pulling it under and potentially binding or jerking the tiller down and back. Same thing with roots. I feel like a reverse rotation one would be great for known areas but not so great to establish new areas.

One thing I will say is hard dry ground really takes some work. I have heavy clay and a virgin cut is always rough. Lots of jumping around. I have found taking several light cuts instead of a deep cut reduces the bouncing quite a bit.

 

[bigtiller]

I would get the 104" forward tine direction.
The reverse tine direction tillers are great for hard ground but you won't have hard ground the next time you till the garden.

The 104" tiller will be a little heaver than the 84" and will sink into the soil just fine. And the 104" will incorporate loose, thick mulch much better. The 84" will push most of it forward making a mess.

I found that if I make the first pass at half depth, mixing a little soil with the mulch and the second at full depth it incorporates much better.

 

[California]

Based on limited experience with a forward-rotating tiller [photo below] - it climbs up over the many roots in my orchard without drama. I expect reverse rotation would hang and stop forward motion. (And damage the tree worse).

Reverse might be better for digging all that shale out but I expect the wear on the tines would be far greater, or maybe even break something if it finds a slab it can't lift.

Are you considering a tiller that can be shifted offset? This would both cover the uphill tire track, and give more ballast uphill to resist rollover.

 

[Atypical_decorum]

I got a forward rotation tiller for my place a couple years ago. I have not been disappointed with it. Don't base too much on my comments but I feel like the forward rotation is a bit easier on the equipment. If you encounter a big enough rock to be a problem, forward rotation makes the tiller just climb over it instead of pulling it under and potentially binding or jerking the tiller down and back. Same thing with roots. I feel like a reverse rotation one would be great for known areas but not so great to establish new areas.

One thing I will say is hard dry ground really takes some work. I have heavy clay and a virgin cut is always rough. Lots of jumping around. I have found taking several light cuts instead of a deep cut reduces the bouncing quite a bit.

That is a good point. Even if it takes me a week to make it perfect I can take that time then easy to redo.