Tiller King Kutter 6' tiller

Anonymous Poster · Jul 2, 2002

Re: King Kutter 6\' tiller

All i can add here is,
Last year when i was ready to buy a new Howard that could handle at least 100 hp, my dealer said "don't buy a gear drive". The Howard factory rep. at the Louisville farm and machinery show said the same thing. Both said "the chain drive is a proven design and is problem free". "The gear drive models are a newer design, and are only offered to satisfy those that think it's better". (i'm not refering to the biggest models wich all so have oil pumps to move the fluid through the frame)

My dealer all so told me this, "some old Howards had gear drives, and the gear sets are spl. to each model tiller". The old chain drive models had the same sizes of chains made today, so guess what one is easier to get parts for today"???????

I am sure about one thing, a chain drive will take the abuse of shock loads in the drive line better than a gear drive, and the factory rep i talked to agreed.

Remember, there's a reason those cheapo tillers are cheaper!!
Robert

http://www.fototime.com/{5ED64481-7523-44E7-B264-B9A204D6937E}/picture.JPG

DK35vince · Jul 2, 2002

Re: King Kutter 6\' tiller

Buy and say what you want.
My king kutter works great and did not break the bank!!

Hillbilly · Jul 2, 2002

Re: King Kutter 6\' tiller

Robert,
You say the JD tillers are made by Howard....and you have yet to bend a tine yet....well let me tell you,it can be done....

SteveBenson · Jul 21, 2002

Re: King Kutter 6\' tiller

JJT,

I have a TC40D (hydro, 33 PTO HP) tractor and have been thinking of getting a 6' KK tiller. Sounds like you've done what I'm thinking about. I'd like to get the 6' model to cover my tracks but was concerned about lack of HP with the suggested range being 35-50 HP. I have very heavy compacted soil w/ field stone that gets very hard as it dries out in the summer. Most of the stone is 12-16" flat field stone, but there definately a few big ones too. I've never used a 3ph tiller before and have the following questions (for you or anyone else).

1) Will my tractor (TC40D) handle the 6' KK tiller well?
2) What size rocks cause what size problems when tilling?
3) I working on cleaning up an old 6 acre cornfield before seeding for hay. Is this way too big a job for a 6' tiller on my tractor?
4) What would be a ballpark estimate for tilling 6 acres with the proposed setup? I'm not in a hurry or anything, just want to know what I'm getting into.

I'm using a harley rake to remove the rocks but it works much better is the soil is well broken.

Currently I'm using a 8' disc harrow that is working less effectively as the summer goes on. The harrow is medium duty and not that heavy. I could still try adding some weight but I'm not sure how much that will help.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

JJT · Jul 21, 2002

Re: King Kutter 6\' tiller

1) Will my tractor (TC40D) handle the 6' KK tiller well?

Your TC40 is a little bigger than my L3710, you will do fine with the 6' KK tiller. I also have heavy clay with a fair number of stones. I've tilled this ground when it's bone dry and feels like concrete when you try to dig a hole with a shovel.

2) What size rocks cause what size problems when tilling?

On occassion I've hit soccer ball sized stones that have jammed the tiller and the slip clutch did what it's supposed to do. Usually the anything bigger than a softball simply gets kicked out the back or the tiller hops over them. I've also hit large flat stones where the tiller simply broke them into pieces before the clutch slipped. A friend and I did a cemetary rehab a few months ago, we missed a buried stone that the tiller found, that headstone is now in 2 pieces....

3) I working on cleaning up an old 6 acre cornfield before seeding for hay. Is this way too big a job for a 6' tiller on my tractor?

6 acres is no big deal for your tractor and a 6' KK.

4) What would be a ballpark estimate for tilling 6 acres with the proposed setup? I'm not in a hurry or anything, just want to know what I'm getting into.

Breaking sod will take 2 passes, 1 fairly slow, then pick rocks and make another pass. You should be able to do this easily in a weekend. 3 - 5 hours for the initial pass, 2 - 4 hours of rock picking and then another 2 - 4 hours for the final pass, followed by another round of rock picking.