Tiller Tiller. Walk behind vs 3ph

[pickeringchris]

So in a couple days I will have my new kioti ck27.
I own a honda frc800 walk behind tiller that is a great machine. I believe it has 12" tine diameter.

So besides the fact that I have to walk my lazy *** behind the Honda is there any advantages of a 3ph tiller? Can I get a deeper till?

Thanks.

Chris

 

[leonz]

No matter the tiller except for the www.Northwesttiller.com
you will not go through the hardpan layer unless you have a subsoiler.


Short of purchasing a one bottom plow with a fluted coulter and installing a Weiss conservation tillage plow share to get below 14 inches deep you may be better off just buying s single shank subsoiler or buying the one bottom plow and installing the Weis tillage share The Weiss is designed to use very little power per foot of moldboard and also have excellent suck to draw the plow in with barely a grunt from your tractor.


It all depends on how much you like to garden and also break the hardpan which can really ruin a nice garden if its not broken up due to poor growing conditions over time.

 

[Don87]

So in a couple days I will have my new kioti ck27.
I own a honda frc800 walk behind tiller that is a great machine. I believe it has 12" tine diameter.

So besides the fact that I have to walk my lazy *** behind the Honda is there any advantages of a 3ph tiller? Can I get a deeper till?

Thanks.

Chris

The tiller on the tractor will be about 10 times faster, and will probably dig deeper.

A 60 inch tiller will dig about 7 inches deep.

As leonz has stated, you'll need to use a subsoiler to break up the hard pan........opinions here on TBN recommend 3 year intervals on using the subsoiler. The same thing can be accomplished with a potato plow also, which is a 'multipurpose' implement.

 

[DK35vince]

I have a walk behind rear tine tiller.
I also have a King Kutter II 72" 3 point tiller.
No comparison. The 3 point tiller is much easier, tills at least 10 times faster, tills better, tills deeper.

 

[Big Nate]

My 3pt tiller was probably one of the best implement puchases i ever made gives a much smoother till a little deeper and i can till my 1/2 acre garden in about an hour plus if you ever want to get rid of it they go on the first day on craigslist.

 

[pickeringchris]

Thanks guys. Speed is not really an issue for me. I can till down to 6-8" with my Honda in one pass. If I was to sell the Honda and buy a 3ph tiller I'd likely be in the hole around $1000. If the difference in quality was only marginal it would not be worth it.
I do plan on buying a Fred Cain subsoiler. From my Internet research I hear that is about the best one.
Weiss, I can't find anything for them on google.

 

[buck12]

I have 5' 3 point tiller and it does a great job. I use it most for food plots and for the garden. If all I had need to till was my smallish garden and had a good walk behind tiller I would not purchase a 3 point tiller. On the other hand if you have large garden the 3 point tiller may be worth it.

 

[pickeringchris]

The garden I use the tiller is only 5000 sq'. Couple hours to do a good job with the Honda.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I have used both and own a 50" tiller. They really don't compare, one you can sit on the tractor, enjoy a beverage, the other you can walk behind and get your shoes filled with soft dirt. With my tiller it breaks a lot, but that is part of pulling it out of a barn fire and cleaning it up to work again. IMO, if you have a smaller garden I would stick with the Honda but if you have a bigger garden I would opt for a 3 point tiller. The nice part about the 3 point tiller, you can till your garden, and with the extra time you have go and till some other gardens for a small fee.

 

[bigdad]

I guess it all depends on how and what you garden. In my case, I own and use a 3 point, a Troybuilt Pony and a Mantis. They all have their specific uses.

 

[Don87]

Thanks guys. Speed is not really an issue for me. I can till down to 6-8" with my Honda in one pass. If I was to sell the Honda and buy a 3ph tiller I'd likely be in the hole around $1000. If the difference in quality was only marginal it would not be worth it. I do plan on buying a Fred Cain subsoiler. From my Internet research I hear that is about the best one.
Weiss, I can't find anything for them on google.

The difference in quality is more than marginal.(IMHO)

A King Kutter tiller, which is gear drive, will last you a lifetime.

Benefits are:

1). you now only have one engine to maintain, instead of two.

2). several hours with a walk-behind, about 30 minutes with a 60" 3ph tiller(allows more time for other projects).

3). less fuel usage, overall

4). less neck, back, arm and leg strain(if your young it isn't so bad.......things catch up to ya later in life though).


To each his own though.

For me, and my 3,500 sq.ft. garden, the 3pt. tiller was the way to go. I'm a truck driver and have one full day at home per week.

I also mulched the heck out of my garden to cut down on weeding time. This fall I planted a cover crop of rye that I will be using as a mulch next year.

 

[Baby Grand]

That walk behind could be useful after you have planted, to till between the rows. I have a 60" KKII - one of the best investments I ever made. Only problem is after stuff starts growing the battle with the weeds begins. Sometimes I need to work up a little area and the KK is just too big with the tractor attached to it, compacting the soil. You really can't sneak it into the middle of the garden without making a big job out of the resulting tire tracks. I can see how you might be wanting both of those tillers.

 

[jshwhite]

I've got a 5 ft King Kutter 3pt tiller. Absolutely no comparison to a walk behind (other than maneuverability if you're trying to till between rows). They don't bounce around and are a lot nicer to run than a walk behind. It will till up anything - mulch, cover crops, old plants, hard soil. I've even had 3/8" steel rebar coiled in the tines and never even knew I hit anything. They are great tillers in my opinion.

 

[bigtiller]

The garden I use the tiller is only 5000 sq'. Couple hours to do a good job with the Honda.

I Googled your tiller and found out it is a 20 inch wide model. That is a good sized tiller that would work good between the rows after the first tilling in the spring with a 3 point tiller behind your tractor.

5000 square feet is about 70 foot square. That size of garden will take about 45 minutes in the black dirt of Iowa with a 4 foot tiller. I am guessing you have some sand in your garden spot?

 

[Don87]

I've got a 5 ft King Kutter 3pt tiller. Absolutely no comparison to a walk behind (other than maneuverability if you're trying to till between rows). They don't bounce around and are a lot nicer to run than a walk behind. It will till up anything - mulch, cover crops, old plants, hard soil. I've even had 3/8" steel rebar coiled in the tines and never even knew I hit anything. They are great tillers in my opinion.

I did the same with my Bush Hog.

Totally amazed me. Used the FEL to knock the corn stalks down, mowing with the MMM at the same time. Threw the tiller on and after 2 passes absolutely everything was chopped up and buried.......corn, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, tomato, pepper....vines and all.........totally gone

 

[pickeringchris]

Once again guys, thanks. I am great-full for the advise.

Just out of curiosity, what sized machine are you guys using to pull the tillers? I looked on the KK site and they have HP ranges for each tiller. Most of which are beyond my Ck27. I am not sure if their "suggested" requirements are tractor or pto hp.

Yes BigTiller. I do have sand. I added 25 tons 2 years ago.
I am curious why you asked??

C

 

[jshwhite]

I've got a 37hp Kubota. Not sure what is recommended though.

 

[bigtiller]

Once again guys, thanks. I am great-full for the advise.

Just out of curiosity, what sized machine are you guys using to pull the tillers? I looked on the KK site and they have HP ranges for each tiller. Most of which are beyond my Ck27. I am not sure if their "suggested" requirements are tractor or pto hp.

Yes BigTiller. I do have sand. I added 25 tons 2 years ago.
I am curious why you asked??

C

Because you can do it in 2 hours with a 20 inch tiller. That size garden would be a several hour job in my neighborhood for the first tilling of the spring when the soil is packed down from the winter.

 

[Gregster613]

The horsepower question is one that has puzzled me also; and it doesn't just pertain to tillers either, look at chippers, etc., etc. Seems like most PTO powered implements come with a suggested/recommended HP. But...It's never exactly specified as to whether they mean "engine" or "PTO". I wonder if that's just a manufacture ploy to get you to call and inquire?
Like the OP states, I'd like to know just what PTO power is required to operate (effectively) any implement offered for sale.
Greg

 

[Combustix]

Picked up a 48" Ortolan off craigs list last summer for 300 had to retine it though and pull it with a B2710. I do like how it runs. Can do some good swaths in no time. Will be getting several areas ready this spring to convert to good pasture