Tiller Tiller help...

[AgentWD40]

Hey,
I'm looking for a tiller to add to a friends tractor. He doesn't have one yet but he is about 99% certain that he will go with a Kioti LB1914. It has 20.5 HP and 17.1 PTO HP. You can read more specs here.

The soil is mostly hard clay without many rocks if I recall correctly. I haven't been to the property in a little while but that is what I recall. It is 5 acres in Clarksburg, Ca (about 15 miles south of Sacramento). He wants to use the tiller for a garden and possibly the landscaping of his house.

I was told that the tillers work well around here in this sort of soil. I was also told you need a tiller that will be wider than your rear tires. You of course need enough power to run one as well. Given the Kioti LB1914 how wide of a tiller will I need and will it have enough power to run one? Also is this the correct tool for the job? Would he be better buying/renting a self powered tiller?

Does anybody know a good place to buy one (Sacramento, Ca area) for a reasonable price (also what brand/model)? Are there any companys that I could order from and have it shipped? Thanks a ton for the help.

 

[OkieG]

This Spring I bought a King Kutter (KKwebsite) brand tiller at Tractor Supply Company. TSC has stores all over, maybe in Sacramento, too. My tiller is a 60" model that covers the 50"+ wide track of my 19PTOhp tractor. Cost was around $1000. KK also makes a 48" model that is offset, so only one tire track is covered. If you make each pass the same direction, tracks will be covered just like with the larger tiller. The KK 48" tiller costs the same as their 60" model. As I recall, my tractor is a bit underpowered (according to the KK literature) for the 60" model, but it works great from my limited experience. My admittedly novice suggestion is to lean toward a 48" offset model if you're running 17PTOhp, unless you can try a 60" model (before buying) and are happy with the performance.

Other good brands are out there. Some for less and some for more money. Most are Italian imports labeled with domestic logos. Most are gear drive (as opposed to chain drive) and I believe the consensus is gear drive is best. KK is the brand I know just a little bit about, and I am happy with how it has worked in my mostly clay garden.

There are several recent threads on tillers that will give you a few other brands to consider.

OkieG

 

[yoyo]

I've got a First CHoice 52" sideshift tilLer on the way. I am worried about my tractor not being enough to handle it( CK25HST). Will post report when I get to use. This tiller is chain drive and can be setup either straight behind or offset.

David

 

[KiotiJohn]

Try your best to match the PTO HP with the specs of the tiller. While a PTO may turn an oversized tiller with seemingly no problems, it is overload, and damage is being done over time to the PTO shaft etc. They spec these tillers for a reason:to keep you from damaging your tractor. For the LB19114 I wouldn't go over a 48" tiller. Contact Mark (CCI) an advertiser/member on here to find out the size he would recommend for your tractor. He may be able to ship one to you for a great price. John

 

[Yankee]

Soil conditions in that area may overwhelm any tiller's specs as considerations. When I lived in CA, my yard had to be jackhammered (no joke) to put in an irrigation system. I went out to start it myself, swung a pick and barely chipped the surface. I also had a large Troy-Bilt tiller and tried watering to loosen soil, then till, etc., but was defeated by the depth and type of the clay. It was either hard as concrete or complete muck. I have no doubt that a tractor-mounted tiller would be more successful in any but the worst of the sun-baked conditions, but my tendency would be to stay smaller to best leverage the available PTO power.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I use a 50" side shifting tiller (Land Pride RTA1550) with TC24D (24hp w/48" wide rear wheel track) and a B2910 (30hp w/54" wide rear wheel track) tractors. I have heavy hard clay and am glad I did not get a bigger tiller. I have not bogged down either tractor using the tiller, but in some areas I have tilled the same spot 3 or 4 times to break up the clay. Many people buy large tillers just to cover their wheel path and end up making 2 passes to till their soil, using double the time and double the fuel. Some people are lucky and have great soil and have the power to run a large tiller on a small machine, but I don't believe that their individual experiences are representative of the average soil conditions or the average user's experience. I also believe too large of a tiller places undue strain on the tractor that over time will shorten the life of the machine (JMHO). Follow the tiller & the tractor manufacturers PTO hp recommendations for the appropriate tiller size and given your clay conditions, play to the conservative side of the size range.

 

[KiotiJohn]

I agree totally with Yankee and Bob. Smaller is probably better in your conditions. You will find the same is true when using different backhoe buckets, as the smaller ones will dig in with less resitance than a larger one that has more contact area to deal with, and boxblades using less rippers sometimes will do a better job for the same reason.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color="blue"> "I'm looking for a tiller to add to a friend's tractor." </font>

I want to be your friend, too. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[AgentWD40]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> "I'm looking for a tiller to add to a friend's tractor." </font>

I want to be your friend, too. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

He is buying. I'm just looking. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks for the help thus far. What is the width of the rear foot print? Is it Width 46.5" (1180mm) or Rear Tread Ag Tires - Max 37.0" (940mm) or is it not any of these numbers (both were pulled from Kioti's web site)? I assume a 48" tiller would cover the tracks as long as it is one of those two numbers.

 

[OkieG]

<font color="blue"> While a PTO may turn an oversized tiller with seemingly no problems, it is overload, and damage is being done over time to the PTO shaft etc. </font>

Gosh John, I sure hope you're wrong. Anyone who has ever mowed a patch of thick grass knows what it feels and sounds like when the PTO is working hard (ie engine bogs down). Not that that necessarily causes damage. My tractor is the best one to tell me when it's overloaded. I won't argue manufacturer's recomendations (MRs). But, even most new tractor owners can tell when their tractor is struggling and when it's not.

I guess I'm just a bit skeptical of the politics and motivations of manufacturer's when they generate their recomendations...and have grown more comfortable with the feedback my tractor gives me. MRs are a great guideline and to be seriously considered when planning a purchase.

OkieG