proper vertical orientation of tiller

[msjanket]

I set up my new (to me) tiller, put it on the tractor and took it to the garden for tilling. It was a Befco, ran great, I thought it did not dig adequately deep.

I looked at the tiller, it was oriented so the front of the tiller was canted upward and the back of the tiller was canted downward. If I use the analogy of the orientation of a moldboard plow, I should shorten the lengthen of my top link and cant the front of the tiller more downward toward the soil. Of course, one could say "the rear digs deeper so why the worry"? Is the tiller going to dig deeper if the front of it is canted as I indicated?

You cant the front of a plow downward and it digs deeper and more aggressively. Will this make sense and work on a tiller?

 

[boggen]

not a clue about your tractor / tiller.

you have tillers that spin in same direction as tires on tractor, and then tillers that are reverse spin of tires on tractor.
--the reverse spin tillers more likely to go deeper. if speaking purely grabbing dirt, throwing it up into the air.
--the same spin tillers more likely till the dirt in smaller chunks.

there is also "back door / lid" having this down = dirt stays under the tiller and gets grounded up into smaller bits.
having the lid up = larger chunks but tiller more likely to handle more dirt due to not needing to grind up as much dirt at one time.

tilting deck forward / backward. use of 3pt hitch "top link" or adjuster if riding lawn mower. may adjust rear "back door" if there not one. meaning tilting it to the rear (rear is lower than front) = more dirt stays under the tiller and chops stuff up. tilting the tiller forward = raising rear up = more likely deeper tiller and larger chunks of dirt made.

DIRT / COMPACTION...
going deep = really really slow... most folks generally take a couple passes. initial pass not so deep (breaking up roots and initial top dirt) and then they might go back and let tiller go deeper and slower. trying to do it all at one time = not going to happen most likely or less really loose soil perhaps sand and like.

there is such as thing as "tilling to much" basically beating the living daylights out of the dirt from tilling the dirt repeatly one after another trying to obtain finest small grains of dirt possible.

SIDE NOTE: i have witnessed many times folks on riding lawn mowers / garden tractors. and the gas engine tillers they pull behind them. folks placing a couple concrete blocks on top of the tillers to help them sink in better.
--having ground to wet and/or to dry = bad. there is a sweet spot / grayish area that can make things go better.

 

[Baby Grand]

I set mine up about vertical - meaning the skids are flat on the ground to slightly tipped up when the tiller's lowered and spinning.
I set it that way fro 2 reasons: it seems to allow the tailgate to not run out of upwards swinging room & keeps the PTO shaft straighter when it's down & tilling.

But before you get too deeply involved in the top link length, try this:
With the PTO off, hang your tiller over a ditch and let the hitch drop to its full extent.
Measure how deep the hitch will allow the tiller to dig down.
If this is why tilling depth is not to your liking, then you may want to re-pin the lift links in a different hole (if your tractor has that adjustment) to let the tiller drop more. Or if you have more than one hole (on the tractor end) to pin the top link, that may also give you some adjustment.
-Jim

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with Baby Grand above.

I do quite a lot of tilling and since it is a rotating tool I can't see how plumb is very important. You need to be plumb enough for the skid shoes to work properly, if you are not sure then till forward slowly for a few feet and shut down, then walk back and check to see if the tiller is plumb or close to it.

For deeper tilling make sure your skid shoes are pinned up in the highest setting. On the second pass the skid shoes can sink into the previously tilled ground and will run deeper on this pass.

 

[bigtiller]

I agree also.

It won't make a nickles difference to the soil. But it will keep the drive shaft a little straighter and the tailgate at a better angle but most importantly, it just looks better. It makes you look like you have done it before and know what you are doing.

 

[powerscol]

In reading my manual for my Terraforce it indicates the skis should be level at tilling debt. To do this my skis are actually pointed down in the front at first dirt contact. If I don't have it correct I get more bouncing.

Try several positions and notice your units behavior. Find the sweet spot,then write on the unit, in permanent marker the top link length for next time. I keep a marker and small tape measure in my tool box.

Hope this helps