Tiller tiller or pulverizer?

fieldnforest · Jan 31, 2014

Hi,

I'm going to buy either a tiller or a pulverizer for my ex450 yanmar. I put in food plots for myself and a few others. I have used tillers and discs before, but have never used a pulverizer. The reason I'm considering the pulverizer is I end up tilling areas with a lot of roots and rock, and it looks like the pulverizer would till up the top few inches of soil enough for a good seed bed and roll over rocks and roots(big roots). Most all of the seed blends I plant don't require deep tillage anyway.
The tiller takes a while where as the pulverizer looks fast, but does a guy have to go over an area multiple times to break up the sod? It also looks like it would be easier to level the ground with the pulverizer.
I want to buy the yanmar brand, because its at the dealer and the equipment is made by woods.
So anyone have any experience using one versus the other? Any thoughts on one versus the other for the application I'm talking about?

mikehaugen · Jan 31, 2014

I have a gill pulverizer, and it is worthless on fresh sod. I bought a cheap used one in hopes of smoothing out about an acre and a half of my property that is bumpy and not fun to mow. I went over the area 3 times at different angles and barely got any loose soil. Tried it in damper soil, and dry soil. I used a 2 bottom plow on my garden in the fall, then in the spring used the pulverizer on it in the spring and it was awesome. They really are only intended for soil that is loose to begin with it seems, or at least that was my experience. Next step for me will probably plow over the entire section of yard one fall then try it in the spring as I did with my garden.

As you said, they are faster than a tiller, as is a plow. Could be possible to plow and pulverize in less time than tilling, especially if you have to till more than once.

Gary Fowler · Jan 31, 2014

I am not sure I know what you are calling a pulverizer? Got a photo or link to one? I just bought a 72" KK tiller and it works much better than the 8 foot disk that I had been using and just as fast start to finish. Disking travel speed is a bit faster but took about 6 passes to work up the soil and still not worked as thoroughly as 2 passes with the tiller. I ran the tiller in L range 2nd gear vs L and 4 or M and1. My tractor has 20F/20R speeds. I could travel with it fine in L 3 but it didn't seem to mix the leaves and mulch as well at the faster speed.

bjr · Jan 31, 2014

A mould board plow and a disk then use a landscape rake of heavy piece of chainlink fence or old box springs bed to drag around. The tiller is good but if rocky tines wear fast. bjr

jd870 · Jan 31, 2014

I would stick with the disk.

Baby Grand · Feb 1, 2014

For anyone who doesn't know what a pulverizer is (I didn't) here's EA to demonstrate it's function & use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVvG-FnE7-8

orezok · Feb 1, 2014

I have an attachment called a Blecavator. It's a reverse tiller, screener, stone burrier, screeder and compactor all in one machine. I got it for next to nothing at an auction.

It truely is a one pass machine. While it seems to be very slow in action, one pass does it all. No changing implements and making multiple passes. It was designed for landscape contractors to use for sodding.

Heres a video of it in action.

Blec stoneburier on TYM 273HST - YouTube

oldballs · Feb 1, 2014

It sounds like to me.....that a lot of rocks and roots would tear up just about anything you'd put in it, even shallow. What then?

fieldnforest · Feb 2, 2014

Thank you all for your replies.
You guys are right you can't beat the good ol' mould board plow and disc. Used it many times. Though, that blec was a pretty impressive piece. I can see where that would save you time too. Keep in mind I don't need to make the ground powder. I just need to ruff up the topsoil before I seed and drag.
By the way. I've been renting attachments from the dealer in town. He has a disc, mould board plow, cultivator, and tiller.
Mikehaugen, does your gill have two rollers on it or one?
Gary Fowler, If I use a tiller I usually till pretty light. That's the reason why I considered the pulverizer. I also do a lot of small plots and that's where the tiller is nice. I don't need to constantly move around to work ground. As long as the pto is moving, the work is getting done.
http://www.yanmartractor.com/files/...-002_AttchBrochure_Attachments_medium_res.pdf
If you look at page 16 it looks like the pulverizer would do a really nice job, but now I'm leaning towards the tiller.

Gary Fowler · Feb 2, 2014

I don't have any experience with pulverizers but from looking at the photos it looks like those are used after some other tillage equipment is passed over, either moldboard plow or disk, something has to loosen up the soil. I could see them being beneficial after a moldboard to break up the large pieces of sod. I don't think you can beat a tiller unless you have lots of roots and rocks. They can be set for 2" -8" till depths and at shallow depth, one can roll pretty fast to get some loose dirt if that is all you want and they really tear up the standing sod better than a disk.

I had passed a disk over my garden area 5 times trying to till in a bunch of leaves that I had added for organic matter. There was still enough loose leaves on top that it would keep a burn going on top just like burning off a grass field. I put two passes with the tiller and it broke up the leaves and incorporated them into the soil nicely. This was my first time using a PTO powered tiller and I like it much better than the walk behinds, it does a much better job and leaves the dirt behind it flat and smooth when dragging the back door plate. Not to mention, no strain on the back or arms fighting the walk behind and only getting 18-24" coverage. I did my sister in laws garden that took my brother in law most of the day to till with his walk behind, it took me two passes to cover the whole garden and it was much better tilled than 10 passes with the walk behind.