Plow first or go right to tiller?

[nybirdman]

A fairly inexpensive middle buster($150 or so) will make it much easier on new sod.My experience;the tiller would just bounce off.Everyone's soil conditions vary.Mine is run on 32 and 44 HP tractors.

 

[gwdixon]

Have to agree with the middle buster recommendation above. ^^

It is much cheaper than a plow with far less maintenance and technique necessary. Especially so if the area to be worked is an acre or less. You can get one with a subsoiler option for really tough going. Or simply replace the plow blade with a chisel plow tip.

CountyLine Middle Buster - For Life Out Here

Chisel Plow Points Spikes New 15" Long x 2" Wide x 5 8" Thick Made in USA | eBay

Now, a middle buster (and/or a plow) will make for a bumpy finish on the soil. You might have to go over the area several times with a tiller to get is perfectly smooth. The wear and tear on the tiller will be drastically reduced.

King Kutter seems to be the preferred brand of tiller on here. Not many complaints at all.

 

[4570Man]

I plow first, but if you don't have a plow I think you will be ok. I have successfully ran a 60" tiller with 19.5 pto hp. I would mow the grass as short as possible and either bag the cuttings or rake them up. Long grass tends to get tangled up in the tiller.

 

[tcreeley]

I used my 5' tiller to turn some pasture into a garden last year. 150'x100' or so. The horse pasture used to be a hay field 40 years ago. It was rocky. The tiller handled it well but I made about 5 passes over it to get it good. It is not a quick job, but very doable.
I have a 30hp TC30 and the tiller is one I bought from agrisupply a year ago in March.
Tillovator-Rotary Tiller | Agri Supply #7771

 

[Fallon]

I ripped my pasture with a subsoiler then tilled with a 62" KK2 tiller. A subsoiler (or middle buster, same thing except for the foot plate) will be cheaper than a plow, much less finicky & probably more useful in the long run.

I have a L3200 & things were slow going especially with the tiller. Being 7hp? short of my rig, but otherwise identical machines, you'll be hurting but able to get it done. The fact you have a HST is your only saving grace as you can just baby that go pedal to not stall the tractor. You might not be able to pull it off with a gear machine.

 

[Ugarte]

More good advice, thanks. I've just returned from TSC with a middle buster (cheap at $139.00 on sale). I'll give that a try if and when it ever stops snowing (and thaws, of course). I'm leaning toward the KK Pro 60" tiller from Rural King, but given your advice, Fallon, and the manual's tiller limit of 54", I may opt to go with a 48" or 50" offset (but I really don't want to). This L2501 is a tricky unit to size implements for (but it has many other attributes that make it superior to a B series, at least for me).

 

[flusher]

A fairly inexpensive middle buster($150 or so) will make it much easier on new sod.My experience;the tiller would just bounce off.Everyone's soil conditions vary.Mine is run on 32 and 44 HP tractors.

That's what I used with my Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine) when I landscaped my new house in 2005. King Kutter middle buster ($125) and a used Yanmar RS1200 rototiller ($250, 48" wide).

 

[Jj1479]

I plow first now. Tiller found a rock that didn't move. They told me the slip clutch was adjusted already.

 

[kubotacres]

I had initially thought of buying a single bottom plow when I first started gardening. However I found running my disk first would break it up enough for a fine soil tilling. Of course I already had a disk, so if you don't it would be cheaper to just go with a plow.

 

[SSdoxie]

I have broken up sod areas for 2 garden plots using 60" tiller only. Mow first short as possible. Let the grass or weeds dry for a few days the till one pass and let grass, weeds, roots dry out. Longer grass wrapping around the tiller shaft is worst part. After it has dried good then till multiple passes to get extra depth and finer soil.
If I had a plow I would use it, but can't convince self the investment is worth the little I would use it.