Tiller Looking for 12 HP PTO tiller for my 15 HP Mitsubishi Garden Tractor

[raisingkidsfarm]

I have been getting lots of information from all over about these, but no one can tell me if theirs will work for sure or not. To me $1500+ is a lot of money to spend for something that might not work.

I have looked at the following:
King Kutter
Howard
Kuhn
First Choice
John Deere

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Rebecca

 

[Reg]

Interesting thought;
I really don't know how much horse power it actually takes to till.
I'm not even convinced that it takes "power" as much as it takes "force".
I run a 6ft King Kutter tiller on a 40+ HP tractor, but in a very low gear and at very low revs.
The type and condition of your soil would be a factor, even wet vs dry, and how deep you try to till.

Right now I'm thinking, "buy it and try it".
Adjust your gear, speed, depth to suit your soil conditions and tractor's power.
If you have to make several passes, well that is a limitation of the 15 HP tractor as much as the tiller and is probably acceptable if you are doing a relatively small garden.

BTW, the KK is "forward rotating" and in the lowest gear of my tractor it's tip speed is greater than my ground speed, so the tractor actually gets a slight push from it. A backward rotating tiller tends to dig under and hold the tractor back. This might figure into your choice if you think that HP is a limiting factor.

 

[wushaw]

I run a 400lb 45" tiller behind my 15hp Mitsubishi tractor with good sucess.

 

[raisingkidsfarm]

I run a 400lb 45" tiller behind my 15hp Mitsubishi tractor with good sucess.

What do you think of the Agric? I had a Kuhn ordered, but the dealer said they weren't available until Mid-May and he would sub the Agric for the same price.

 

[flusher]

I have been getting lots of information from all over about these, but no one can tell me if theirs will work for sure or not. To me $1500+ is a lot of money to spend for something that might not work.

I have looked at the following:
King Kutter
Howard
Kuhn
First Choice
John Deere

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Rebecca

In Jul08 I bought this Bolens G1453 garden tractor (14 hp Tecumseh engine) and this 32" wide tiller that is run by a pto shaft. $600 from craigslist. It has two lower arms that bolt onto the tractor and a long arm that attaches to a hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the tiller. The hydraulic pump is below the muffler in the photo.

The tiller doesn't have much evidence of wear and it works great in the veg garden. Two passes in 1st gear low range and there's a 5-6 inch deep layer of prepared soil.

Like you I couldn't justify the price of a new tiller.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Have almost the same Bolens and tiller. Had it since new on 1970. Engine was replaced yrs ago with a 16HP twin. For my ground conditions, Takes numerous passes to get to full depth. I'd est it takes 5HP/ft of tiller width unless you have real loose sandy soil.

For your case, the thing to pay attention to is what cat 3pt do you have (most likely cat 0) and same for implement. Also pay attention to PTO coupling.

 

[flusher]

Have almost the same Bolens and tiller. Had it since new on 1970. Engine was replaced yrs ago with a 16HP twin. For my ground conditions, Takes numerous passes to get to full depth. I'd est it takes 5HP/ft of tiller width unless you have real loose sandy soil.

For your case, the thing to pay attention to is what cat 3pt do you have (most likely cat 0) and same for implement. Also pay attention to PTO coupling.

Interesting. Which 16 hp twin did you use as a replacement engine? My 14 hp Tecumseh is smoking a lot and needs a rebuild soon.

In virgin soil, before I rototill, I plow it with a middle buster and one of my larger tractors. Eases the load on the rototiller.

 

[LBrown59]

You got a great buy on this.

In Jul08 I bought this Bolens G1453 garden tractor (14 hp Tecumseh engine) and this 32" wide tiller that is run by a pto shaft. $600 from craigslist. It has two lower arms that bolt onto the tractor and a long arm that attaches to a hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the tiller. The hydraulic pump is below the muffler in the photo.

The tiller doesn't have much evidence of wear and it works great in the veg garden. Two passes in 1st gear low range and there's a 5-6 inch deep layer of prepared soil.

Like you I couldn't justify the price of a new tiller.

 

[LBrown59]

I have been getting lots of information from all over about these, but no one can tell me if theirs will work for sure or not. To me $1500+ is a lot of money to spend for something that might not work.

I have looked at the following:
*King Kutter
Howard
Kuhn
First Choice
John Deere

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Rebecca

*48''on 15 HP BX 1500

 

[2manyrocks]

I'm not sure of the question. Are you asking: 1) will it fit your tractor--pto size matches and category matches; 2) is your tractor big enough for the tiller--a question of tractor HP and weight versus the power requirement and weight of the tiller or 3) is a tiller the best choice of implement for you and your soil conditions?

Our soil is so hard and rocky that I would not invest $1,500 in a tiller for my tractor.