PTO speed/rpm for couple different attachments

[dwalk19]

Hey guys i own a 2017 xj2025(25 hp), and was curios as to engine rpm and pto speed i should run a couple attachments at,

1)60" tiller, i'm assumibg slow speed and low rpm, for maximum digging

2) 60" brush hog

3) post hole digger, once again low and slow

Thanks

 

[motownbrowne]

1) I run my tiller at close to 540 PTO RPM. If the soil is soft and I just need to make a seed bed then I'll dial it back to 2/3 of that or so. If you want maximum digging, just drive slow. I'd suggest, keep the throttle high and assist your ground speed to get the results you want. If you have to drive too fast for comfort to avoid overtilling, then throttle back.

2) Full 540 PTO RPM for mowing. Doesn't matter what kind of mower. The mower will cut better at higher speeds, and the tractor can dissipate heat better also. On that note, keep an eye on your temp gauge. Radiators clog with seeds and debris very quickly in some circumstances and if you aren't careful you can be in a world of hurt. If the gauge starts rising, shut down the tractor, clean the radiator screen, and get it running again as quickly as you can.

3) I don't have a PHD, but the one time I used one, slow and steady seemed to be the way to go. I'm defer to others here though.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

1. 540rpm
2. 540rpm
3. fast idle

SR

 

[Texasmark]

Agree on the above. On the post hole digger I always liked to include an up and down motion. in short, rather than wait till it starts augering in and you consume time realizing what's happening and then reacting to it, while it's merrily churning away and burying itself you are going to have a bigger problem than if you do as I do:

If you are already on the lift control and are working it up and down, first of all you will react much quicker and the fact that you are not down for any length of time, the distance it travels before you can recover it will be less. Have your foot sitting on the clutch pedal or one hand on the PTO switch if electric to assist in stopping the rotation as soon as possible. In the event you get it stuck, just disconnect from the tractor and get a large pipe wrench, like a 24" or so with a cheater bar and just "unscrew it". Once you get it up a ways, a foot????, you may be able to reconnect the tractor and lift it out with the auger off.

 

[Fallon]

If in doubt, run it at 540rpm.

A 3pt PHD you should start at idle & probably never break 1/3 to half throttle. Go slow with the 3pt inching it down. If you just let it go, even at an idle it can corkscrew in the ground in a second, pulling the front end off the ground and/or burying itself in the ground you spend a day digging it out by hand.

 

[dwalk19]

Thanks fellas appreciate it, hopefully be taking backhoe off today to do some pto work

 

[MortOz]

As others have said, with the tiller you are generally aiming at producing a seed bed, so the trick is a fairly high tip speed on the tines (540rpm PTO speed), and a low ground speed so that you get a nice fine tilth on the soil, as the tines get multiple opportunities to break up any clods, as well as to lift any weeds and shake the soil loose from their roots so they dry out and die quickly.
On the post hole digger, I have found idle to a bit above is fine, and I use a nice slow approach - use the linkage to put just a little weight on the digger, then pause while it cleans the hole at that depth, then a little more, etc.
A good trick if the soil is loose is to lift the auger, add water to taste, and then lower, stir, stop and and lift, move a bit away and spin it off, repeat as needed - saves a lot of shovelling. (But easier to do on a skid steer than a tractor.)
The slasher is designed to cut with a calculated tip speed on the blades for a clean and efficient result - that will be at 540rpm PTO speed, so stick with that for the best results.
Have fun!