Tiller Depth - for Sub-Compacts

[rossn]

Hello,

I'm looking for a tiller for my MF GC1705. I am curious how meaningful are the advertised tilling depths?

For instance, the following tilling depths are advertised:

KK XB 50": 6.5"
KK (non-XB) 48": 8"
Land Pride RTR0550 50": 5"

Seems like a pretty broad range, and that deeper would be much more useful. i.e. the Land Pride seems limited. However, I'm unsure if in practical terms people are able to till deeper than the manufacturer specs without issue.

Thanks!
Avery

 

[bigtiller]

My advice, don't buy the Land Pride, you don't have enough horse power. The RTR really sucks it up.

You don't have enough tractor for the non-XB KK tiller. It is pretty tall and may be a little too heavy.

The KK XB50 would be just right.

Most tillers in this class will till about 6" on the second or third pass. The length of the tine from the axle to the tip of the tine will tell how deep it will till. But if you keep grinding, they can go a little lower but it takes more HP to kick the loose soil out the back and out of its way.

 

[rossn]

My advice, don't buy the Land Pride, you don't have enough horse power. The RTR really sucks it up.

You don't have enough tractor for the non-XB KK tiller. It is pretty tall and may be a little too heavy.

Maybe that is why this sub-compact edition of the tiller only has a 5" tilling depth? Totally value the information, and was asking because I may be able to get a good deal on one used in like new condition. I did hear in the MF forum that someone was running the non-XB KK tiller with a GC1705 and they seemed to think it worked OK, though I don't know their soil type or condition.

 

[JFoy]

For a subcompact, it is my understanding that forward till is better for two reasons. First, the HP needed for a reverse till is substantially greater. This is because the reverse tiller is trying to walk the tractor backwards while you're trying to drive forwards. The second reason is that you can over pulverize the dirt unless you're experienced enough to know what forward speed you need at that moment. Soon as it rains on over pulverized dirt, you now have a nice hard roadbed. So, forward tilling for a subcompact is usually better. Yes, you may have to make two passes with a forward tiller but it's easier on the tractor and you don't over till. Of course, all this depends on your soil type and my comments are based on red clay. Disclaimer: I actually will be buying my first PTO tiller this week but I've spent hours researching the topic and am sharing what I've learned thus far.

 

[vsteel]

It isn't a subcompact but I have a John Deere 2320 with 18hp at the PTO, it is considered a compact. I am pulling a 655 John Deere tiller which is 55 inches wide. My tractor does it fine but it does take a bit of horsepower to run it. It is a forward rotation style and I don't think I could make it work if it was a rear rotation tiller. I have it set for 8 inches but a first pass of breaking ground will probably yield about 3 or 4 inches, to get the 8 you are going to have to take 2 passes, maybe more depending on soil. Speed is also a factor, I had a neighbor who asked if I could help him out and just till the top two inches on a bad lawn so he could reseed it and start over. I didn't adjust the tiller at all, just by going faster I was able to do it.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I use a LP RTR055 with my BX which has 17 HP at the PTO. Works great. Once the soil is loosened up after several passes I get a 6-7" + depth, buries the tiller shaft in the soil. I have added a lot of organic material to my garden area (only area I till) over the years so the soil is pretty loose.

Ron

 

[Ed of all trades]

I just sold a 5' KK that was not the XB that I pulled with the GC2400 that I had. It pulled it fine and I often pulled it at 1700 RPM's and the 540 PTO RPM is 2500. So that shows you that I had HP to spare. I had to use 4x4 and the loader helped with turning on wet grass. If I was to buy a new sub-compact tractor and needed a tiller I would buy another one just like it. Ed

 

[JFoy]

It pulled it fine and I often pulled it at 1700 RPM's and the 540 PTO RPM is 2500.

Looks like I'm getting "schooled" on the topic, which is good. Curious though about your comments Ed. You say you pulled at 1700 RPMs so I'm curious as to what your idle RPMs are. My BX25 idles around 1500 so 1700 would be really low for me. I also don't understand your comment "540 PTO RPM is 2500" as I thought the 540 RPM was fixed at 540 RPMs. What am I missing?

Thanks,
JFoy

 

[TerryR]

540 RPM is the "standard" PTO speed. Actual PTO speed on your tractor depends on the engine speed. What Ed is saying is that on his tractor, the PTO turns at 540 when the engine is running at 2500. Your tractor should have a tachometer, with a symbol somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 that indicates the engine speed at which the PTO turns at 540.

When he says he is tilling at 1700 engine speed the tiller is running at 68% of the rated speed.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I don't think HP is of a big concern for tractor tilling. IF you can lift it with the 3 PH you can likely rotate the tillers. Usually on subcompact and compact tractors, the tillers weight is your limiting factor. Check your operators manual for the maximum lift your tractor can handle then compare that to the weight of your selected tiller. Your OEM may also recommend the maximum width of a tiller.