Tiller question

[HowlinHills]

Hello PT Owners,

I first want say thanks to all of you who have been posting to this site. The information that all of you have provided has been of tremendous value in my decision process on what to buy - especially the discussion on the 422 vs. the 425. I am planning to purchase a 425 with the following attachments: mini-hoe. 60" mower, grapple bucket, forks, stump grinder and tiller.

My question is about the tiller. I live in upstate New York with very rocky soil (rocks with some soil in between). When I first moved to the area I purchased the top of the line Sears tiller - it lasted 4 hours before it literally fell apart into multiple pieces (Sears actually took it back, I returned the pieces in 3 crates). Bought a Troy Bilt and it has lasted for 26 years but it takes 4.5 hours to till the garden once. Is the PT tiller reliable in rocks with some soil? I have read the threads about the tiller jamming up on rocks; sounds like I will need to make a modification to the shield/support bar to allow rocks to pass through. Anyone with a PT tiller in rocky soil - How has it worked for you? Is it worth buying?

While I'm at it - question on the stump grinder. I was also thinking of using it as a trencher by making up a blade for it using some of the tiller tines from the Troy Bilt. Has anyone used the stump grinder as a wheel trencher? How did it work?

Any and all comments would be appreciated. Any comments on the 425 or the other attachments I am planning on purchasing would also be appreciated.

I know about the sale and will be making the purchase before March 15th. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Sorry I can't answer you tiller questions, as I don't have one /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I do have the 60" mower and forks, however. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I like them very much.

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue">While I'm at it - question on the stump grinder. I was also thinking of using it as a trencher by making up a blade for it using some of the tiller tines from the Troy Bilt. </font>

Dittos on the welcome. Sounds like you are planning to modify stuff before you even buy it. We like that a lot. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Good to have you on board. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Egon]

Rocky ground???

My tiller has spent many hours on rocky ground located on a drumlin sidehill.

I have found that leaving the back flap up will let some rocks go out the back. I also removed the outward facing tines on each side as they had a tendency to jamb rocks and break tines.

Set the slipclutch as low as it will go and leave a little slack on the three point hitch. This allows the tiller to move when a large rock is hit.

If a rock jambs in the tiller many times they can be removed by disenging the PTO, lowering tiller and backing up.

I also pick rocks as I till.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[pajoube]

Welcome
Keep us updated on your purchase and projects you have planned.
I have the tiller but to be honest I have no rocks on my land other than what I hauled in.
PJ

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

My soil isn't too rocky, but my wife's garden seems to attract the ones that are around. The tiller of my PT1845 has no problem with rocks. If small enough, they spit through. If bigger, they may jam the tiller and stop it, but are easily dislodged by turning off the PTO and rolling the tiller. No damage so far in several seasons, and the tilling is excellent. -- out front and easy to do passes forward and backward to erase the tire tracks.
Welcome aboard TBN.

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> Set the slipclutch as low as it will go and leave a little slack on the three point hitch. </font>

We gave up slipclutches and 3pt hitches for Lent! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Spiffy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( We gave up slipclutches for Lent! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

Just slipclutchs? MR you're slipping in your old age, no self respecting 425 owner knows what a 3pt is.....now us 24XX guys, while we're black sheep or something! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MossRoad]

Noted! I edited my post to reflect that. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue">now us 24XX guys, while we're black sheep or something! </font>

We use to call that "supporting a legacy system". Now I think they call that "back-wards compatible". /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Egon]

Sorry fellows. Seems I got a foot in the mouth before any thought process were enabled. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Ahh well - good for a chuckle! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Spiffy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( "back-wards compatible". /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif )</font>

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue"> ...no self respecting 425 owner knows what a 3pt is... </font>

Careful..........some of us are part of multi tractor families. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Spiffy]

/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Also fitting that catagory, I can't even plead ignorance! Any other PT guys have a tractor with a 2pt (yes 2pt; no not the PT)?

Sorry, OK back to tillers; I might know more in a month, but haven't even cut soil with that yet.

 

[J_J]

All my implements are 3pt on my 1445. That's the way it was back then. It still works fine, but I have to work at hooking up more than you guys. It would cost a small fortune to convert over to QA.

What is a 2pt, and who has one? I need a picture of that.

 

[DHS]

HowlinHills,

My garden does not have rocks. However, I till my 165-foot beach a few times a year. I have a few self-inflicted rocks on my beach. Rocks about the size of my fist and larger occasionally stop the tiller. Usually, I can turn off the PTO raise the tiller and shake out the rock. Occasionally, I have to get off and manually rotate the tines to free the rock. The tiller is heavy duty and the rocks have not damaged it.

I use the stump grinder to trench 8 inches deep for ¾ sprinkler pipe and some control wiring. I changed the stump grinder rotation so I can trench driving forward. A big improvement. It works OK as a stump grinder if you are not doing it professionally and time is not money and you have lots of patients. Use it on a cool day because it heats the hydraulic oil rapidly.

Dale

 

[Spiffy]

2pt was way before the PT days. It was supposed to compete with the 3pt - only faster: back up, snap the implement in. The trade offs being that it had to lift at an angle and 3pt doesn't put torque on the arms; so as tractors and implements got larger, the 2pt got left behind.

As far as 3pt; I thought Egon was talking Cat1 like on a CUT, same as can be mounted [in place of the BH] on the back-end of a 24XX. Oh yeah, toss the old PT mounting system in the mix, now we can really have some fun! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The picture is of a blade; the male arms tell the story better then the female.

<font color="red"> edit: added smilies; improved grammar </font>

 

[Spiffy]

Here's a 3pt conversion (from 2pt) kit I saw on the internet. Pull the 3pt arms out of the female 2pt arms, loose the toplink and there's a 2pt.

I have the draw bar in the 2pt so don't have any 2pt implements.

 

[ernemats]

I have a 422 with a tiller and I also have fairly rocky ground. No real big stone just saucer size and smaller. I have used the tiller some but it gets tiresome having to unjamb rocks every few minutes lodged between the tines and the housing. Most of my rocks are just the right size to get jambed in there. It is not hard to get them out just turn the power takeoff switch off and usually they will fall out or just put down pressure on the tiller and back up. The tiller does an excellent job tilling without the rocks and it is very durable and heavy built. Would I buy it again probably not . I would just use a regular plow and disk which I have for my bigger tractor. Last year I had my tiller listed for sale on power trac site but I decided to just hang on to it for occasional use.

 

[pah]

My soil is also very rocky. If I had it to do over again I would not get the power-trac tiller. I think they should post on their website NOT FOR ROCKY SOIL.