I'm in the market for a new tiller. I want to find one built like a tank (similar to the old TroyBilt horse with Kohler engine). I really don't want to spend the money a BCS tiller costs. A Husqvarna DRT900H is about $799.00 and that seems to have good reviews. It is not a tank though. I would probably go up to $1500.00 if I could justify the build quality. Not interested in it doing everything but washing clothes. Just want it to grind dirt and do it well. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Need rear tine tiller recommendation
- Thread starter kubota4me
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Gary Fowler
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For that price, why not just get one to fit the 3 PH of your tractor. I only gave $1800 for my 72" King Kutter and it is rugged. I have hit rocks the size of my tractors steering wheel and did no damage. One less motor to maintain. Of course if you plan to use it to till between your planted crops, then a 3PH may be out of the question.
The problem is I will have a permanent fence around my garden and I want a walk behind tiller so I can also cultivate between garden crop rows. If all I was going to need was a garden spot tilled up I would pay somebody to till it once a year. Thanks for your suggestion though.
TimberXX
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I hate to go above you budget, but you can get the small bcs for a little under 2k.
I have bought a grillo brand from these guys.
http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/html/tractor_prices.html
Again sorry for being over budget, but this is all I have experience with.
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I have bought a grillo brand from these guys.
http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/html/tractor_prices.html
Again sorry for being over budget, but this is all I have experience with.
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Stimw
Elite Member
I had one of the walk behind rear tine. It had a spine that stuck down with the gears in it and the stupid thing kept high siding on any hard ground and was horrible to use.
I sold it and bought a 4'er 3 pt used for $500. My soil never looked better!! It looks like saw dust the tiller mixes it so well.
I sold it and bought a 4'er 3 pt used for $500. My soil never looked better!! It looks like saw dust the tiller mixes it so well.
Kubota4me.
I have exactly the same setup your talking about. A garden with a fence all around it. I purchased the husquavana DRT900H. I thought it had great reviews from my reading too.
Unfortunately for me, it has been a big lemon. It constantly surges and lacks power. I have taken it back to the dealer and they told me it was a pinched fuel line. Got it back and it is still doing exactly the same thing. I think it is a carb problem but I am not mechanically inclined with motors. I am currently looking for a dealer that will do warranty work on it even though I didn't purchase it from them.
Anyway….. I digressed a bit. I was now thinking about selling it and getting a 3pth one for my kubota 2670. I thought that if I took out a couple of 2x4s I could make them lift on and off… (My fence has two 2x4 running horizontally attached to 4x4's in the ground). As long as I could drive the tractor through the fence (with the boards off) I could use the 3pth. It may be a bit more difficult that tilling in open ground, but I think it is doable.
Like to hear your thoughts too since we appear to be in a very similar situation.
Best of luck
I have exactly the same setup your talking about. A garden with a fence all around it. I purchased the husquavana DRT900H. I thought it had great reviews from my reading too.
Unfortunately for me, it has been a big lemon. It constantly surges and lacks power. I have taken it back to the dealer and they told me it was a pinched fuel line. Got it back and it is still doing exactly the same thing. I think it is a carb problem but I am not mechanically inclined with motors. I am currently looking for a dealer that will do warranty work on it even though I didn't purchase it from them.
Anyway….. I digressed a bit. I was now thinking about selling it and getting a 3pth one for my kubota 2670. I thought that if I took out a couple of 2x4s I could make them lift on and off… (My fence has two 2x4 running horizontally attached to 4x4's in the ground). As long as I could drive the tractor through the fence (with the boards off) I could use the 3pth. It may be a bit more difficult that tilling in open ground, but I think it is doable.
Like to hear your thoughts too since we appear to be in a very similar situation.
Best of luck
sixdogs
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Took the words right out of my mouth. Buy a used 1970's Troybilt Horse with a Kohler engine that's in superb condition and I feel you'll have a better tiller than you could buy today new. Sometimes you DO NOT have to spend money to have the best.
TomSeller
Super Member
Right. Besides, they are cool looking and last forever, properly maintained. I am too much of a purist for old school things but some people retro them with new motors and seals and get lots of use out of the ones that were not kept up
the old grind
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I do have one Kubota, a 7hp rear-tine tiller. It's been a 1 or 2 pull starter for 19 yrs and has lots of safety & ergonomic features 'er despite its 'gawdawful' color. 
What I like about it:
- Chain drive in a reservoir that still doesn't leak. One nut to remove & flip a chain-case to change tine speeds.
- Two spds forward, one reverse. Tines will not engage in 'R', & 'R' won't engage when tines are engaged.
- Forward/reverse tine rotation.
- Easy lever/latch to offset handle to R/L. One bolt with T-handle to raise/lower handle.
- Full-width 'saftey' bar (squeeze to go, tines/wheels together) Easy to use/adjust side brakes for steering on the go.
What I don't like about it:
- It's 'rear-tine' & lousy for breaking hard ground.
- Nothing else. (is that a double negative?)
That dislike? IMO, with a 'front-tine' it's easier to control depth by adjusting the scarifier and learning to use it by working the handles up & down. A F-T will 'jump up and run away' easily, as the driving wheels seem to complicate things. My F-T (Senator, 7 hp B&S) is much less tiring to use on new ground(nearly as easy as using a rotary floor buffer most times) and turns more easily in corners and at the end of rows. (Raise handles, twist) All that said, the Kubo R-T is by far the better cultivator.
I don't know that cast iron or Kohler power is vital to performance, but 'ergos' and handling mean a lot, as does reliability and ease of service, and sometimes newer is better. A bulky-enough tiller might as well be a '3-pointer' and earn a gate thru the fence. With all the raves Kubo tractors get around here (well-deserved I'm sure) I'd think one of theirs would be a top choice. IMO, quality tools are always worth the bucks.
btw: I also have 60" 3PH tiller & it never gets used....
What I like about it:
- Chain drive in a reservoir that still doesn't leak. One nut to remove & flip a chain-case to change tine speeds.
- Two spds forward, one reverse. Tines will not engage in 'R', & 'R' won't engage when tines are engaged.
- Forward/reverse tine rotation.
- Easy lever/latch to offset handle to R/L. One bolt with T-handle to raise/lower handle.
- Full-width 'saftey' bar (squeeze to go, tines/wheels together) Easy to use/adjust side brakes for steering on the go.
What I don't like about it:
- It's 'rear-tine' & lousy for breaking hard ground.
- Nothing else. (is that a double negative?)
That dislike? IMO, with a 'front-tine' it's easier to control depth by adjusting the scarifier and learning to use it by working the handles up & down. A F-T will 'jump up and run away' easily, as the driving wheels seem to complicate things. My F-T (Senator, 7 hp B&S) is much less tiring to use on new ground(nearly as easy as using a rotary floor buffer most times) and turns more easily in corners and at the end of rows. (Raise handles, twist) All that said, the Kubo R-T is by far the better cultivator.
I don't know that cast iron or Kohler power is vital to performance, but 'ergos' and handling mean a lot, as does reliability and ease of service, and sometimes newer is better. A bulky-enough tiller might as well be a '3-pointer' and earn a gate thru the fence. With all the raves Kubo tractors get around here (well-deserved I'm sure) I'd think one of theirs would be a top choice. IMO, quality tools are always worth the bucks.
btw: I also have 60" 3PH tiller & it never gets used....
