Tiller Loading tiller in pickup

[Alan L.]

My trailer is out of commission and I am close to deciding to buy a 60" KK tiller at Tractor Supply. Can they load that in the back of my pickup? And if they do, any reason to think I can't get it out with my FEL when I get home, without banging up the truck? I would put a piece of plywood in the bed and put it on that.

My tractor is a Kubota B2710. The FEL has a lift capacity of about 800 lbs plus. I'm pretty sure I can get high enough to lift it up with a chain and have someone drive the truck out from under it. The tiller weighs 690 lbs.

 

[ScottAR]

Just about anything that will fit in a pickup will go in with a forklift if the operator can really drive said forklift.

The getting it out part is easier as the tractor bucket will rotate. The drive out from under it works fine, but I'm usually impatient.

I put the bucket over the 3ph mount, the top link part inside the bucket and the vertical parts near the cutting edge.

Chain the implement to the bucket and then lift. Now for the neat part, curl the bucket back and the attachment magically clears the bedside.

A side bonus is the load doesn't spin around and hit stuff as it's held to the bucket.

Takes longer to type than to do... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Jackrabbit_Slim]

Just a reminder to have some ballast on the rear end of the tractor. The right (or wrong) angle on the loader might have your rear wheels off the ground without it. I know. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Slim

 

[Bird]

You and Tractor Supply shouldn't have any problem with that, Alan.

 

[ducksjunk]

If necessary you could find a bit of high ground, or a ditch, back the truck up to it and tow the plywood out of the box. A couple of planks might help as well. I've done this Lots of times with good sucess.
good luck with your tiller.
Richard.

 

[theboman]

When you lift the tiller with the FEL and begin backing up go SLOW... A swinging tiller can take out a side of the truck, a window, a mirror....or even damage you FEL.

If you have something to steady the tiller as you lift it would be a great help... Maybe a friend, or a pole like on a PHD.

I lifted my box blade out of my truck this way. My rotary cutter I backed against a hill and drug it out with a chain with my 'Bota.

 

[Holzster]

I just did the same thing 3 weeks ago a 60" KK 2 from my truck bed. I was going to put on my brush cutter for counter weight but forgot /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif .
I wraped a chain 3 times around the tiller & then twice around my bucket. I then tied a rope at each end of the tiller to stop the tiller from rotating.
came out no issue. - although I would put counter weight on I have a L4330 it did not feel like it was going to tip but i would have counter weight on next time.

 

[JerryG]

I do something similar to Scott. I put a pin in the top of the three point on the implement. Tilt the bucket to where the front of the bucket is parallel to the front of the implement. Run a chain around the pin and then to the bucket hook. Lift and tilt the bucket back. That way, you have total control of the implement.

 

[bdog]

I hauled a 6' tiller in my truck bed yesterday. My truck is lifted about 6 inches and we still were able to load and unload it from the side. I had a trailer attached and no room on the trailer for the tiller. I did have to put the tailgate down because my tool box did not leave enough room for the tiller. When we were unloading it one of the tines caught on the lip of the side of the bed and bent it up a little bit but I was easily able to bend it back down and you can't even tell it happened now.

 

[Tractors4u]

TSC should have a fork lift to load with and your tractor should easily handle that tiller.

I sold a Yanmar tiller once on Ebay. The guy that bought drove about 100 miles to pick it up. Before he came to get it he had e-mailed me about the dimensions, including how tall the tiller was, I thought he was just being picky. No, it was because he came to pick it up in his late model Toyota Landcruiser. Fortunately I had a set of forks for my FEL. I set the forks over the top of the tiller and chained it as tight as I could. There was about 2 inches to spare going into the back of the Toyota. I had to insist that we put a piece of plywood down in the floor to keep the tines from tearing the carpet up. I ask him if he had an FEL to unload with, he said no, but he had a pole boom. I would like to have seen that.

 

[fig]

Brent,

Its amazing all the things you can do with a boom pole. Just make sure you have enough weight on the front of the tractor, lift slow, and drive slow.
My father convinced me to buy the thing when I purchased my other 3ph equipment. I had that voice inside my head saying "what will I use that thing for", I have figured out alot of things. I would agree with you in this case; I would like to see him pick it out of a Landcruiser as well (without beating the truck to death).

 

[thegreatrandini]

What u have to watch out for is that the tiller will want to swing into the front of your tractor. Use very short chain if you can. I rented a u haul open bed for tweenty bucks but it was still hard with the small tractor FEL. I did it. I lifted the tiller and the wife drove the trailer forwad. Sounds easy but it could have been a disaster. I would not try it that way again. I would wait for a trailer I could drive up on or have my neibor lift it with his JD 4640. That is how I got a 10' grain drill off a flat bed and then back on when I gave it to a friend......Big tractor work better for that kind of thing. Watch that SWING!! I could have taken my tractor grill out.....

 

[KubotaSteve]

That's how I did it when I got my 60" Woods tiller for my Kubota B7800. I used my dad's truck and it sets up higher. They set it down in the back of his truck with a fork lift using a strap that was hooked through one of the forks.
When I got home I drove the 7800 to the side of the truck and hooked a chain to it. When picking it up, my brother was in the back of the truck steadying the tiller while my dad drove the truck out from under it. When I start down in the yard with it, the rear was very light.
Good luck and be careful.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I do something similar to Scott. )</font>
First of all, I find it strange that Scott would be in the back of your pick up, and secondly, I can't imagine that he's so big you'd have to do it to him! LOL /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif John

 

[Alan L.]

OK, I think its a go then. I don't have hooks on my FEL, so I will just wrap several chains around it. I'll but the brush hog on for counterweight.

I'm actually nervous about those TSC yay-hoos being able to set it in my pickup without banging the side or dropping it. Guess I'll cross my fingers.

 

[tiltbed]

strange some one would post on this subject,as i just have done such....went to R.K.O. and purched a 404 tractor with a kokier loader (40hp 4wd)..6'brush hog...6' tiller (72")..p.h digger with 9" & 12 " agers...also was the almost 500 lb ft weights which were removed from tractor as couldn`t be used with loader on...loaded every thing in bed of pickup..(lifted 89 F150 super cab 4x4) 18' 10,000 lb trailer...tractor and brush hog was put on trailer...every thing else was shoe horned in bed of truck..(6 1/2 ' bed)...the tiller fit just fine...R.K.O. used a fork lift to put tiller in...i had a 2" x 20' snatch strap with a clevis...wraped around top of 3 pt top link about 4 times...shure glad i didn`t have to hit any scales on the way home. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif..but did hit some nasty white outs...figgure Ohio...droped tractor off at house and took tiller and attachments to farm...used ford 3000 to lift tiller out of bed...lifter and drove truck out ...whew...lol...Ford actually let out a groan of releaf.. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif..will be taking tractor and brush hog down spring turkey season... one last note...installed torsion bars on trailer before going to R.K.O...arrieved home and one was snaped off where it sets in the hitch..???? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Tractors4u]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Its amazing all the things you can do with a boom pole. )</font>

Oh believe me I know what you can do with a boom pole. I had a Bolens G152 tractor. Think of a Sub-Subcompact tractor. I put a boom pole on it, my brother sat on the hood of it and I lifted a woodburning fireplace insert out of the back of his truck. Then my brother backed the little Bolens up the front steps of my house and sat it down on a dolly just inside of the front door.

My point about the guy with the boom pole was getting in through the opening of that Landcruiser. The boom is thicker than a fork and if he did get it in there, there isn't much room to lift it. Since we put plywood down, I imagine he drug it part of the way out and could then lift it.

 

[Alan L.]

Got the tiller in my pickup today. And I did manage to get it out of the truck with my 2710. I followed some of the good advice I got on here and sort of wedged the bottom of the FEL against the tiller while curling it back to keep it from swinging around. Worked great. I picked it up a couple of inches and Mrs. Alan L. drove the truck out from under it.

I put the 6.5 foot disk on for ballast and it really didn't seem all that heavy, although it weighs in at 690 pounds.

Here are some pics.

 

[Alan L.]

Another

 

[Alan L.]

Here is another picture.