Tiller Tiller Shopping

HayDR · Feb 21, 2003

Ken,
I'm glad you brought this up. Lets take First Choice tillers since they offer both Chain and gear drive tillers,
RT10-58 = 613 LBS (Chain Drive)
RT10GE-58= 623 LBS (Gear Drive)
These are the same tillers with the only difference being the side drives. That 10 LBS is likely not going to make a difference. IMO you likely mean most MFG's only offer the gear drive tillers in their heaviest models which are not designed for compact tractors. Unlike other MFG's CCM has gear drive tillers designed specifically for compact tractors. The MR Series is a gear driven tiller that has a target market of the compact tractors.

JohnMiller3 · Feb 21, 2003

These Howard's are not exactly... ( You asked for Kubota orange and you have it )[color] ...but close... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

some smaller Howard Rototillers...

Anonymous Poster · Feb 22, 2003

These are the same tillers with the only difference being the side drives. 

Mark, Most anyone that would want gear drive would also like heavier construction as well. Even though some mfgrs make the same model with only drive modifications, The best seller for gear drives, would be a gear drive in a lot heavier frame. Putting gear drive in a standard frame 34-48-57-66 inch roto tiller is sorta like putting a bulldozer engine in a volkswagon. It simply does not add up. At any rate, as explained by someone earlier on this forum, replacing a set of gears is a lot more expensive than a $4.00 drive chain--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.

JJT · Feb 22, 2003

Bill, I'm with John Miller on the KK. I have a 6' KK gear drive that easily done over 100 acres of tough tilling. I also have the heavy clay soil you talk about. Without HST this would be too much tiller for my L3710, (37hp) and heavy soil. You'll be fine with the JD4710.

Last summer I saw this tiller for $1200 at TSC.

My only maint in 5 years has been to tighten the tines bolts, adjust the slip clutch and changing the gear oil.

My tilling method - till, pick stone, till again. After the stones are gone I till in as much organic mulch as I can lay my hands on, (manure, old hay, leaves, sawdust etc).

HayDR · Feb 22, 2003

When that $ 4.00 drive chain breaks the following usually happens:
1-Replacement of the Side box housing & seal average cost $85 for the parts
2-Replacement of the chain adjuster- $20
3-Remember that 2 sprockets are what the chain is running on & they are $70+ each.

It is no cheaper to fix a chain drive tiller than a gear drive tiller but as JTT says you seldom if ever repair a gear drive tiller.

Bird · Feb 22, 2003

( you seldom if ever repair a gear drive tiller. )

Seems to me the same could be said for the chain drive. I know mine had lots and lots of heavy duty use, to the point of abuse at times, for 7 years and no repairs of any kind. I changed the grease in the chain case once, and the tines showed some wear, but still had lots of wear left when I sold it.

Egon · Feb 22, 2003

Think the replacement link for my broken tiller chain cost about a buck and a half. Didn't see all those other broken items.

Me thinks it's all about design and strength rating, not gear or chain.

Egon

HayDR · Feb 22, 2003

I'm not speaking from the personal experience of one or two tillers but Thousands of tillers. I was responsible for having parts in stock for thousands of tillers. The incidence of failure in chain drive tillers is 10 times more per unit sold than in gear drive tillers. The question is how much do you depend on your tiller? Tillers do not break in the shed but in while in use. If you are using a tiller in a commercial situation, down time is the biggest cost not the repair bill. Not everyone wants to drive a Cadillac but with CCM tillers you can own the best for less money than the lighter units being sold in the market today.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 23, 2003

The incidence of
failure in chain drive tillers is 10 times more per unit sold than in gear drive tillers 

Hello Mark--That was because the company you were with was selling at least 20 times more chain drive tillers than geardrive (According to First Choice)--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.

Egon · Feb 23, 2003

Re: Gear versus chain drive tillers.

Emperical data is what is required to resove this issue. I have a 48" farm king tiller with chain drive That has had numerous chain failures and tine breakage. This unit has been used in very severe conditions.

If someone will send me a gear drive tiller of the same size with at least two sets of replacement tines I'm quite willing to subject it to the same working conditions and report the findings of both drives in a very objective manner.

There would be no charge for this service.

Egon