Tiller Help w. a Tiller

[CT230 Fan]

The conservation department has a 72" Ag grade tiller available for use on private land conservation, fire lines, food plots, ect. He is telling me it is 72", weight is 1200lbs, and says it is rated at 65 hp.(that seems pretty high for a 6' tiller, but it is very heavy).
I have new Bobcat CT230, which is a 30 HP hydrostat tractor. It has a 3 pt list capacity of 1508 lbs 24" behind the lifting point. According to Bobcat, this tractor will run their 74" tiller. Their tiller is only about 600lbs, so I assume it is pretty light duty.
I am interested in hearing some experienced recommendations as to whether or not I should attempt to use this tiller. I will be tilling in dirt and clay. I don't believe we have a single rock on our property I figure if I were to use this tiller, I would need to take several shallow passes, as not to dig down too deep. The tiller does have a slip clutch, so If it were putting too much pressure on the PTO, the clutch would keep me from tearing up my tractor. This is an assumption, as I am a novice new tractor owner with very little experience.
I am looking for any information that will be helpful, and really appreciate the informed opinions on TBN.

 

[Stimw]

The slip clutch is set for the tiller torque not your tractor. If it's too much your tractor will just bog down.
I would try it as long as the tiller rotates forward it will push your tractor.
I have a 4'er on a 35hp Branson and it pulverizes the soil. It looks like saw dust. It has 6 sets of tines that are staggered around the shaft and it runs smooth. If I make two passes I get about 8" deep. I don't even run the tractor at 540 RPM PTO. I run my tractor about 4-500 RPM lower than 540 range.

 

[jbrumberg]

CT230 Fan:

IMHO the greatest challenge pairing that tiller to your tractor is the total rig "balance" during operation. I would really try to weigh down your front end and/or your FEL with some weight; otherwise that tiller will bounce you around. The tractor's PTO will power all it can, the 65HP gearbox probably will not be challenged. You are cutting it a little close on the 3PH lift capacities. Use it safely and well- Jay

 

[Jimmy Joe]

I would think the extra weight would be a plus in getting the tiller to cut in. But I think transporting the tiller could be a bit dangerous on rough ground or at road speeds, front weight would help. If your tilling is all close by and the price is good I would consider it. Would be nice if you could try it first.

 

[CT230 Fan]

If your tilling is all close by and the price is good I would consider it. Would be nice if you could try it first.

I'm not purchasing it. It is available for use by land owners to do conservation projects on our private land. If it will work on my tractor, that will be one less implement that I need on my list of "to buy".
Luckily, I only live about 4 miles from conservation area where it is stored. So getting it and trying it out isn't an issue. I just want to make sure I'm not going to damage my tractor by using an implement that is rated higher than the tractor.
I agree that I would need to weight down the front end more than just the loader. Probably an addition 300lb pounds would do it.
They told me it required about 65 HP, but I am wondering if they were reading the specs on what the gearbox is rated.
So does anyone have any ideas if this could damage the tractor? Obviously I don't plan on trying to get it done in one pass, I'll be taking it nice and slow in Low gear.

 

[Steve C]

I have a farm pro 2524. I got a great buy on a used 72" dark horse tiller (66" actual measurement from the tip of the outside tines) 72" overall width. It is a very close copy of a KK tiller. My first thought was that I would need to remove a couple sets of tines to reduce the tilling width, with only 24 hp to play with. Then I thought that perhaps if I reduce my speed and only ask it to do 24 hp worth of work it might just work. I used low/low/second gear. My first test run was amazing.

I have an area where someone drove a heavy truck and made huge ruts in one of my fields next to the fence. It is overgrown with 3 foot high pasture grass and has a heavy clay base and we have been having some very dry weather. The clay is rock hard. When you drive a vehicle through this area the ruts knock you right out of your seat. I made 2 passes about 150 foot long each way with my tiller. It completely pulverised the soil about 5 inches deep. The vegitation is gone and the area is now as flat as a pool table. My tractor never even grunted even when it ejected the large potato sized rocks. I can't wait to use this thing in the garden in the fall. Even going relatively slow breaking new ground in hard clay it is still 10 times faster than using my 8 hp rear tine walk behind tiller and a lot less work.

I don't have a FEL but I have a couple hundred pounds of weights on my front end. Once the tiller is down in the dirt a lot of its weight is transfered to the depth shoes and your tractor is just dragging it along, this will help your front wheels maintain traction if you need to use your 4wd. (I didn't but I have the very agressive AG tires on my tractor). You have more power with your unit, so based on my limited experience I would think you do just fine as long as you don't get in a hurry.

 

[flusher]

The conservation department has a 72" Ag grade tiller available for use on private land conservation, fire lines, food plots, ect. He is telling me it is 72", weight is 1200lbs, and says it is rated at 65 hp.(that seems pretty high for a 6' tiller, but it is very heavy).
I have new Bobcat CT230, which is a 30 HP hydrostat tractor. It has a 3 pt list capacity of 1508 lbs 24" behind the lifting point. According to Bobcat, this tractor will run their 74" tiller. Their tiller is only about 600lbs, so I assume it is pretty light duty.
I am interested in hearing some experienced recommendations as to whether or not I should attempt to use this tiller. I will be tilling in dirt and clay. I don't believe we have a single rock on our property I figure if I were to use this tiller, I would need to take several shallow passes, as not to dig down too deep. The tiller does have a slip clutch, so If it were putting too much pressure on the PTO, the clutch would keep me from tearing up my tractor. This is an assumption, as I am a novice new tractor owner with very little experience.
I am looking for any information that will be helpful, and really appreciate the informed opinions on TBN.

Or plow the ground before rototilling. I used a $150 KK middle buster plow from Tractor Supply when I landscaped my new house with my 2005 Kubota B7510HST. I did this work when the clay soil was dry and hard. After plowing, I rototilled with my $300 Yanmar RS1200 rototiller (48" wide). Pre-plowing the land made the job easier on both the B7510 and on the tiller.

 

[Steve C]

I have a farm pro 2524. I got a great buy on a used 72" dark horse tiller (66" actual measurement from the tip of the outside tines) 72" overall width. It is a very close copy of a KK tiller. My first thought was that I would need to remove a couple sets of tines to reduce the tilling width, with only 24 hp to play with. Then I thought that perhaps if I reduce my speed and only ask it to do 24 hp worth of work it might just work. I ran in low/low/second gear. My first test run was amazing.

I have an area where someone drove a heavy truck and made huge ruts in one of my fields next to the fence. It is overgrown with 3 foot high pasture grass and has a heavy clay base and we have been having some very dry weather. The clay is rock hard. When you drive a vehicle through this area the ruts knock you right out of your seat. I made 2 passes about 150 foot long each way with my tiller. It completely pulverised the soil about 5 inches deep. The vegitation is gone and the area is now as flat as a pool table. My tractor never even grunted even when it ejected the large potato sized rocks. Even going relatively slow it is still 10 times faster than using my 8 hp rear tine walk behind tiller and a lot less work. I can't wait to use this thing in my soft garden in the fall.

 

[MarkV]

I'd use it. If it bogs down the tractor take shallower cuts and go slower. For front weight fill the loader bucket with dirt. I'll bet you will be fine.

MarkV

 

[jbrumberg]

I'm not purchasing it. It is available for use by land owners to do conservation projects on our private land. If it will work on my tractor, that will be one less implement that I need on my list of "to buy".
Luckily, I only live about 4 miles from conservation area where it is stored. So getting it and trying it out isn't an issue. I just want to make sure I'm not going to damage my tractor by using an implement that is rated higher than the tractor.
I agree that I would need to weight down the front end more than just the loader. Probably an addition 300lb pounds would do it.
They told me it required about 65 HP, but I am wondering if they were reading the specs on what the gearbox is rated.
So does anyone have any ideas if this could damage the tractor? Obviously I don't plan on trying to get it done in one pass, I'll be taking it nice and slow in Low gear.

IMHO the gearbox is rated for a maximum of 65HP off the PTO. Your ~23 PTO HP is not even going to bother it unless you hit some subsurface "anomoly". I also do not think that use of this tiller will harm your tractor- it will be able to run and/or lift it or not. The tractor will "bog" down before anything "bad" happens. Keep your RPM's up and gearing low, till shallow, and move slow. Jay