Tiller Used Tiller Source

[Kernopelli]

That's about all we got around here too are those imported rice tillers for a used market. The guys around here with 35 hp utility tractors try to use them they just trash the rice tillers, I mean wade up the draft arm lugs and tear all the tines off. What I've done now three different units is to strip 'em down to bare tubes and make a new 3 point cat 1 hitch with half inch plate, then cut off all the nubs where the tines are mounted and weld back half rounds, predrilled for the tines of course, three eighths plate flanges to make full flanges and bolt kk tines on. These are pretty heavy duty tillers then. It's not cheap or easy but I had the time ,in the winter, and scrounge some plate and the tines were available from the local KK dealer for a reasonable price. Those riice tiller tines are expensive and seem to fly off at the mere sight of a rock. After a couple of years of the guys tillin' our sand/rock soil they seem to be holding up. Good used tillers with flange mounted tiness are a rarity around here also. bjr

Good point on the rice tillers. The tines sit in lugs and are held in with a bolt, the bolt holes are where the tines usually break at. Standard tillers use heavier tines that bolt to plates in two places and are much sturdier. I have a 55" grey market tiller I've used for 5 yrs. I loaned it to a friend once, he used it to till a very large area that was hard pack clay...he brought it back to me with 3 tines left ( don't ask, it's still a tender subject!). However, the rice tillers work very well in loose soils. If the soil is filled with large rocks you will break tines eventually or if rock hard soil, it should first be broken before tilling (I use the scarifiers on my box blade when tilling an area that has never been broken before). When using mine in an existing garden that was tilled the year before, I have had no problems with just going out and tilling without breaking the soil first. I really don't think that if you were tilling sandy soil (with no large rocks) or loam, that you would need to break a virgin area first but it is always better to err on the side of caution though. I think that as long as they are used with a little foresight they are a very good "bang-for-the-buck" purchase.

 

[California]

I should mention that the Yanmar tillers include a special top link, two separate pieces, and I've seen one ebay seller who doesn't provide these essential parts. (If you just use a standard top link, the tiller frame will hit the tires when you lift it.)

I described this with photos in this thread.

If the seller doesn't include that special 'bridge' and short top link, run away. The guy doesn't care if you can't get it set up correctly.

In my case, we discovered my tractor wasn't standard it, has longer 3-point arms. My tiller dealer went the extra mile and gave me a free pto extender to make it all come out right!

As for destroying the tiller - just don't run it with a larger tractor than it was intended for, and as Kernopelli noted, break up rock-hard ground with something else first. I don't think you can hurt it tilling the same garden year after year.