looking to buy a 3 pt tiller
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tjandrews
Silver Member
We got one of those 5-footers from Tractor Supply about four years ago to put on our JD 4600. Got it barely used for about half price of new.
We have a farm stand and use it quite a bit more than you are proposing to use yours. It has held up well, considering. We had to replace one of the bolts holding one of the tines on, and we had to replace the lift pins because they loosened up unnoticed and wore to the point that we couldn't tighten them again. I'd consider that maintenance, stuff that could happen to any tiller.
Back deflector shield is bent, but we'll just call that operator error without identifying details to preserve family unity...
We have a farm stand and use it quite a bit more than you are proposing to use yours. It has held up well, considering. We had to replace one of the bolts holding one of the tines on, and we had to replace the lift pins because they loosened up unnoticed and wore to the point that we couldn't tighten them again. I'd consider that maintenance, stuff that could happen to any tiller.
Back deflector shield is bent, but we'll just call that operator error without identifying details to preserve family unity...
Little Red Tractor
Gold Member
I pulled a 60 inch tiller with a 28 HP Cub Cadet diesel with no problem. Now using a 48 inch behind a 23 HP Kubota, also no problem. Some of my ground is pretty hard; but once it's in the ground, slow speed (love HSTs) allows a smooth finish.
I've also done the offset trick to get a smooth finish. Works like a charm.
I've also done the offset trick to get a smooth finish. Works like a charm.
Bobrown14
Gold Member
I like my Titan UM-56 tiller - its same width as my rear tires an is a beast.
I've already made some large vaggie plots and did cover crops. Leaving it on for weight for snow pushing for winter time unless its too heavy which I doubt will be a problem.
I've already made some large vaggie plots and did cover crops. Leaving it on for weight for snow pushing for winter time unless its too heavy which I doubt will be a problem.
DJ54
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My hardest decision was to get either a forward rotation, or reverse rotation. According to what I read at the time, the reverse rotation does a better job of burying plant matter, manure etc. My buddy has a forward rotation one, and seemed to leave a bit on top. Sure, company sites have pictures of how well both till in material, but that isn't necessarily so, just seeing how my buddy's performed, and he made multiple passes.
I ended up getting a Bush Hog brand. Yes, it was more, but, you can change the direction, by flipping the gear box 180º, end drive, and tiller shift/tines . Fortunately, I found one at a small independent dealer I've dealt with for years, that sells several brands, used tractors, and parts tractors. This one had been setting on his lot for 2 years, and made me a deal on it, $300 less than another independent dealer 6-7 miles away. Cash is always king on deals like this.
It was already set up for the reverse rotation. I'd sown some Mustard for a biofumigation experiment, but due to lack of Spring rain, only about 50% came up. I let it mature, but not do the follow up for the biofumigation, just not enough of it. I did mow it off, but was still pretty course. The tiller did a very good job of burying it. Ran it through remnants of tomatoes, and beans, and it also did a great job of burying/covering it, making 2 passes.
Being I cultivate, instead of tilling between rows, I don't want to be dealing with plant matter, and root mass getting caught on the cultivator shovels. I mainly moldboard plow the garden, but use the tiller occasionally. I hope to try the biofumigation experiment this Fall, and hopefully get a better stand of Mustard.
I ended up getting a Bush Hog brand. Yes, it was more, but, you can change the direction, by flipping the gear box 180º, end drive, and tiller shift/tines . Fortunately, I found one at a small independent dealer I've dealt with for years, that sells several brands, used tractors, and parts tractors. This one had been setting on his lot for 2 years, and made me a deal on it, $300 less than another independent dealer 6-7 miles away. Cash is always king on deals like this.
It was already set up for the reverse rotation. I'd sown some Mustard for a biofumigation experiment, but due to lack of Spring rain, only about 50% came up. I let it mature, but not do the follow up for the biofumigation, just not enough of it. I did mow it off, but was still pretty course. The tiller did a very good job of burying it. Ran it through remnants of tomatoes, and beans, and it also did a great job of burying/covering it, making 2 passes.
Being I cultivate, instead of tilling between rows, I don't want to be dealing with plant matter, and root mass getting caught on the cultivator shovels. I mainly moldboard plow the garden, but use the tiller occasionally. I hope to try the biofumigation experiment this Fall, and hopefully get a better stand of Mustard.
tundraman01
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Can someone post a picture of how you mount an implement off center. I don't get it?
wirlybird
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First off the implement has to be capable of it.
On my flail mower the mounts for the lower draft arms and for the top link have two places on the mower where they can be bolted on. Depending on which you use the body of the mower will be somewhat centered in relation to the tractor or it will be shifted to one side. So one side of the mower sticks out beyond the rear tires more than the other side.
It would look something like this when offset. See how the 3-point mount is still directly behind the tractor but the implement is offset to the right side of the tractor rather than being directly behind.
ruffdog
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If you only need a small amount, tighten the stabilizer on one side while you loosen the other side.
mo1
Platinum Member
A 5' King Kutter should would work fine on either tractor. I would not run anything larger on the 30 HP tractor but you could run a 6'er on the 47 HP one. However, a 4000 square foot garden isn't all that large and won't take long to till with a 5' tiller, plus it isn't that large and a 30 HP tractor will be more maneuverable than a 47 HP one. I tilled our garden that is about 1/4-1/3 acre with a 6' tiller and it took maybe 15-20 minutes.
I run a 6' King Kutter and originally used a Massey-Ferguson with about the same power as your Kubota. The tractor had a creeper and I had to be in the absolute lowest gear the tractor had, which was something like 0.5 MPH, to be able to run the tiller, and the tiller was still working the snot out of the tractor. I now have a 75 HP John Deere and it doesn't even know the tiller is back there. The Deere's rear tires stick out about 3" on both sides of the tiller, which isn't that big of a deal as I hit the tilled ground with a drag afterwards anyway. The King Kutter tiller works fine, I have had no issues with it.
One thing I might suggest though is a moldboard plow to turn over your cover crop instead of a tiller if you have a grass as a cover crop. Tillers do like to get plugged up if there's very much residue, particularly if the residue is long stringy grass. I don't know what you are using for a cover crop, we use ladino clover and winter wheat here and the wheat gets a couple feet tall by the time it gets plowed under in the spring before planting. Plow the cover crop under, let it rot for a month, then use a disc and then a harrow, or a tiller, to break up the plowed soil.
BigBlue1
Veteran Member
I have the KK Professional 60" tiller and use it behind my JD 2520, which is probably quite a bit smaller than your tractors. This tiller is rated 25-40HP and my 2520 is probably just barely 25HP. It runs the tiller with ease. Never been in a situation where power was an issue, and I till other peoples' gardens regularly as a hobby job.
Choosing a tiller involves a lot of variables. Some things to think about:
- Don't get one that is narrower than your tractor's wheels. You don't want to deal with the tractor being outside of the tilled path.
- Consider any obstacles you have to get through with the tractor to get to the tilled garden area, like gates or trees. Don't get a tiller that is too wide to get where you need to go.
- Reverse rotation is probably a good thing for walk-behind tillers but is meaningless on a tractor-mounted tiller. The results aren't going to be any better and you'll probably have to deal with more jams from rocks getting thrown back into the tiller housing with a reverse rotation model.
- Tillers are tillers. I've never heard anyone claim the really expensive ones did any better of a job than the least expensive models. Don't fall for that. Conversely, I've never heard anyone complain about a 'cheap' model not being reliable.
- Gearbox models are likely to be lower maintenance than chain drive models. But unless you're putting a lot of hours on the unit this will likely not mean much.
Rob
Choosing a tiller involves a lot of variables. Some things to think about:
- Don't get one that is narrower than your tractor's wheels. You don't want to deal with the tractor being outside of the tilled path.
- Consider any obstacles you have to get through with the tractor to get to the tilled garden area, like gates or trees. Don't get a tiller that is too wide to get where you need to go.
- Reverse rotation is probably a good thing for walk-behind tillers but is meaningless on a tractor-mounted tiller. The results aren't going to be any better and you'll probably have to deal with more jams from rocks getting thrown back into the tiller housing with a reverse rotation model.
- Tillers are tillers. I've never heard anyone claim the really expensive ones did any better of a job than the least expensive models. Don't fall for that. Conversely, I've never heard anyone complain about a 'cheap' model not being reliable.
- Gearbox models are likely to be lower maintenance than chain drive models. But unless you're putting a lot of hours on the unit this will likely not mean much.
Rob
