TC30 Impliment Compatibility

[tillerkiller]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( For instance, smaller bushhogs come with standard 40hp gear boxes. That rating is to protect the implement )</font>

The TC30 is 30 hp (more or less,) will the shear pin on that 40hp gearbox (a 1/2 inch if my guess is correct) let go before damage occurs to the tractor?

If there is a drawback to heavy duty implements it is that the shear pins are often rated at the max horsepower, which can be bad on a small tractor. I wonder if anybody has a chart that shows how much pto horsepower it takes to shear a 7/16 bolt, a 1/2 inch bolt, and any other sizes that are commonly used. I have looked for a chart myself, but I have never found one.

I have also drilled holes into my shear pins when I thought I was going to be abusing my brush hog, just for some insurance. (and I have been made fun of for it too....)

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I wonder if anybody has a chart that shows how much pto horsepower it takes to shear a 7/16 bolt, a 1/2 inch bolt, and any other sizes that are commonly used. I have looked for a chart myself, but I have never found one.
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I think shearing a 1/2" bolt in a rotary cutter has a lot more to do with the inertia involved when an immovable object is hit and stops the blades. For example, I used to mow with a tractor that was around 30 hp and have sheared many bolts, but if I were to set the cutter down on something while it was not moving and tried to start it turning, it would kill the engine as I let out on the clutch without breaking the shear bolt.

Here's another example...
If I put a soft grade 2, 1/2" bolt in a vise and then hit it with a sledge hammer hard enough to break it, am I generating 40 hp? I don't think so. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'm sure a properly adjusted slip clutch is the best solution for a rotary cutter, but I would not worry about pulling a 40 hp gearbox with a 1/2" shear bolt using a 30 hp tractor. I think both the tractor and the gearbox will be protected. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[jcollins]

The horsepower rating on the gearboxes of rotary cutters designate the output horsepower that the gearbox transmits to the blades. Take for example the SQ series from Bush Hog: the gear boxes produce 65 hp to the blades while the recommended horsepower to operate them is in the 20hp area. The Rhino line is exactly the same. The shear bolt is usaully a grade two bolt. Both the cutters refrenced above are designed to cut 1" diameter material. We run into customers all the time that want to compare these cutters to ones designed for grass only. The TC30 is normaly paired with a cutter that is designed to cut 1" diameter material and smaller. I have seen a couple of people put a Rhino TW60 which has a 110 hp gear box on it and is recommended for something like 35hp and greater. They counterweighted the front end big time and they say it can do it as long as they take thier time with the cutting. TW60 has a 2" cutting capicty and slip clutch protection.

 

[JonL]

I am probably over cautious from my experience of breaking gears in a JD tiller in the early 80s. I have always strived to over spec my tractors and equipment where they don't need to be run wide open to get the job done. There is a lot less frustration and repairs that way. Once in a while, I read in this forum about guys who are unhappy with their tractor and attachments due to failures. Most of the time, I would bet they are pushing their equipment beyond it's design.

 

[HayDR]

HRS,
A TC-30 has 24 PTO HP(HST) or 25.5 PTO HP (Gear). PTO HP is what matters. If you look at our website, CCM Gear Drive Tillers you will see the recommended horsepower ranges listed for each tiller.

 

[HRS]

Thanks, Actually I have already visited your web site and have it saved to favorites. I really like the way you have the HP range listed. Some I have spoken to never mentioned a range, although it makes perfect sense.

Man how I wish I already had such a tiller. I spent most to the day working in the garden, preping the beds. We had a beautiful spring like day. Here it is near the end of Jan, and I was working in a T-shirt. Can you believe it? My little Maxim chain drive tiller gets the job done, slowly. I'm anticipating the day I can just drop in there with a pto driven unit. Maybe then I won't have to take so many Tylenol at the end of the day. Boy am I sore right now. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Bob_farmer]

I have been looking at both chippers and tillers to go with a TC33DA that I am buying. For most implements, there is a manufacturer that will list minimum and maximum hp, and most similar peices of equipment have similar ranges. Based on what I have seen, 60" in a reverse tiller is about the max implement for a TC30 or TC33. Light duty vs heavy duty is usually a difference in the build of casing, possibly the drive mechanism (gear vs chain), the number of rotors and blades per rotor and diameter along blade tips, and even forward or reverse tilling for at least one manufacturer. So the heavy duty tillers will require a little more PTO to drive more blades with a higher diameter through the soild while also moving the tractor forward with a tiller pulling in the reverse direction. Unless you bury it 7" in compacted soil though, I do not think this is a problem. Can't speak from experience yet though. Most of my tilling will be 1-2" surface prep.

I think chipping is going to be another high PTO operation, but every chipper I looked at was not really more than 20 hp minimum at the PTO.

 

[HRS]

Yes, I understand. Kind of all speculation until you are able to try it out in the real world. I do know this. The tiller I use now is about as heavy duty as they make for a walk behind. It has massive tines on it. You won't find anything like this little girl at one of the big box stores. Now it cuts a 1'8" path with each pass. Put a little rain on the subject, and I can even cut compacted soil with it and deep too. Powered by 5 hp engine, which is more than enough. Once snagged a piece of rebar and wedged it. The torque bent the belt's flywheel before choking down. Boy did I have a time breaking that wedge.

So I did a little math. 1'8" x 3 = 5'. 5hp x 3 = 15. I could run a heavy 5' unit like I have with 15hp with plenty of power to spare. From what I have used this tiller for, I don't see why a tractor dropping 25hp on the pto couldn't run a 5' tiller. I don't care if it supposedly "heavy duty". The power is there. Maybe the first time you cut a piece of ground you will have to go slow or over lap a little. So then do just that.

If you are going to work the same piece of ground season after season, this power issue will not continually be a problem. The soil will become and remain soft. Currently I have to push my tiller through my garden spot, for if I don't it will dig to China when moved to slowly. Now this soil was once as hard as a rock.

Interesting note, the cut tines on this tiller are around 2 1/2 inches wide and near 1/4 inch thick, or at least they were when new. Now they are swept to a near point on the leading edge and actually as sharp as a knife blade. I have to be careful when working on tangled vines etc. This is a big reason as to why I don't want a little light duty. The tines that engage the soil have got to be substantial, or you will be replacing them yearly. Well, at least that is what would happen to it in my hands. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bob_farmer]

I also want to go heavy duty primarily for the number of blades and flanges and reverse tilling. More blades in reverse should create a finer till leaving more of a seedbed rather than the rough result of hand tillers. I am hoping this is essentially a poor man's power rake or seed bed preper. There have been pictures posted here befoe essentially showing this. BTW, the NH tiller does not have the number of flanges or blades per flange that you will find in the 3rd party models including the generics.

 

[HRS]

Interesting observation. Buy the way, how big of a seed bed are you working on? Is this just to get some type of lawn started? 1 to 2 inches would be fine for that I guess. Now for flowers or vegetables, I've learned to go deep. Trying for between 12 to 18 inches this year. First cutting beds and then moving top soil from between beds onto the beds themselves. A loader would be so helpful here. Shovel about did me in yesterday. Had to up my medication to Ibuprofen today. Guess I'm just not as strong as I use to be. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif