Just tilled my garden with a Kuhn el 62 and checked the depth and it was 9.5 inches of tilled soil. With the leaves and clippings tilled in I like to think that I now have 9 inches of blended topsoil instead of just 2 or 3. I don't till deep all the time but when I'm tilling in organic matter I like to till it deep and slow. When I'm weeding I just till about 3 inches deep. Go ahead and take off the skids. It will take a VERY long time to wear through the side chain case.