Who makes Agri Supply's "Tillovator" tillers

[Blkvoodoo]

I was looking at these yesterday as well, even the owners manual ( in the tube with screw on top mounted to top link brace ) did not have an actual manufacturer name in it, I looked through it several times.

There was a nice parts break down, with numbers, but I don't even recall if there was a place to order the parts.

This is enough to make me wonder about buying it.

I was also looking at the Caroni FH1400ASC (56") , it DOES come with a slip clutch as did all the others I looked at. the Caroni was priced at $1249.

BOTH models also had tags on them stating there was NO lube in the gear box or the chain/gear drives on the side.

What I liked about the Caroni was the ability to side shift it to one side or move it back centered.
The "No Name" tiller had fixed mounts.

Is the Caroni worth having ?

 

[georgia jeff]

blkvoodo,
You are looking at the same exact two units that I am. what size tractor are you going to be running it on? I have a Kubota L2800 which is 30hp gross, 28hp net, and 23.5hp to the PTO. I also noticed that the manual didn't list a manufacturer! I was hoping that there was some other manual that I didn't see that would give me more info.

I emailed Agri-supply and left a voice message with them asking about the manufacturer, the availabiliy of parts, the warranty, etc. Stay posted and I will let you know what I hear.
I do like that the Caroni can be offset or mounted straight on. However, unless I get another tractor that will be a non issue for me as my tires are 56inches wide anyway and I will keep it center mounted. The sliding hitch pins is an awesome feature and will allow me to keep my quick hitch set the same.

What did you think of the build quality of the Caroni? I noticed the tines were thinner, the shaft was a smaller diameter. This worries me a little. What were your observations? I know that Caroni has a better reputation but I don't want to pay extra money just for reputation alone.

 

[Blkvoodoo]

I've got a B2400HSD 24hp 17at the PTO.

our tractors seem to be similar in physical size, wheel track anyway. I've had little problem with a 60" box blade, though I get better results when in 4wd.

The "No Name" tiller did seem to be heavier built. but I'm not all the disappointed in the Caroni,

sure, gear drive is stronger, but I'd rather break a chain in the tiller before I break something in the PTO drive line. The tines for the Caroni are stocked ( at my ASC anyway ) and $4 ea, left or right. I didn't check on drive chain, but it shouldn't be an issue.

the AgriSupply near me has 2 of each in stock, one of the Caroni's is out in the back lot half sunk in the sand, missing the 3pt pins , one end of the PTO shaft is covered in sand.
I may make an offer on that one. the other is under the front canopy next to the entrance door, BOTH are sun faded so they have been sitting for awhile.

The Caroni is rated from 15hp to 40, the no name is 25-40hp, GEAR drive could the the difference as gear has more friction ( though stronger over all )

I almost hooked my trailer up and went back and got the Caroni last night. wife is ok with it.

we've been toying with the garden idea this year, the price of peppers and 'maters is getting stupid.

I am also wondering If I couldn't get the tractor and attachments to pay for themselves a bit by hiring out garden tilling and driveway scraping.

 

[georgia jeff]

My store has a Caroni that is all scratched up and sun faded. It is a 2008 model and looks rough. They said they would knock 10% off but it looks worse than that. I had the same exact thought as you. If I could till 10 gardens a year for $30 then I could pay it off in four years. That should be pretty easy to do I would think. I don't have to charge too much because I am not trying to make a living off of it, just pay for the tiller.

I would have already bought the no name tillovator if it weren't for the scare of not being able to find parts. What could go wrong on these things? I would be willing to bet you could find three companies that use the same exact tines. You can also have tines made pretty cheap. The only problem would be if the gearbox goes. But even King Kutter is apparantly using a chinese gear box and not having issues.

I also liked the fact that the no name tiller had a grease nipple at the ends of the tiller shaft so you could keep it greased up. Also the shaft was bolted in so it could be removed if the need arose. The guy assembling them also said they use grease in side gear box so it should never leak like a thinner oil would.

 

[georgia jeff]

Plus you can't find a used tiller around here ever. So if I absolutely hate it a year or so down the road, I can always sell it and recoup much of my money.

 

[Blkvoodoo]

looking at ASC site, Farm Machinery Parts, Tillovators there are 127 listings for parts, ALL of them for CARONI.

This could be good ( availability ) or bad ( necessity ). I did see mention of Sicma on one of the parts, some sort of plate. no picture.

Looking at Everything attachments, the Sicma is chain drive and has the adjustable hitch points and weighs the same as the Caroni.
while I have no idea how the 2 compare, at least the parts for either of those are readily available.
Not knowing if you can get parts is a deal breaker for me more than anything else, with equipment, it's not IF it's gonna break, it's when.

 

[Blkvoodoo]

Plus you can't find a used tiller around here ever. So if I absolutely hate it a year or so down the road, I can always sell it and recoup much of my money.

I've looked for the last year to find a used tiller, nothing under $1000 and "hardly used" popping for something I have to rebuild, I'm not paying near new prices.
Finding the same with trailers too.

 

[georgia jeff]

I am pretty sure Caroni and Sigma are two different companines but they are both made in Italy where apparently a lot of different tiller companies exist. I lucked up on a trailer. My father in law sold me his 16ft dual axle for $600.

 

[Ford850]

How many tines does the Agri-Supply Chinese model have, compared to the Caroni or KK you have looked at?
On the agri-supply link you posted above, look at the tine arrangement of the Chinese model compared to the KK picture at the bottom of that page. The KK tines are packed in there and have full coverage by the looks of the picture. That no-name model looks very sparse. I know when I compared several name band tillers, most used a similar pattern and had the same number of tines as the KK. If I were you, I would look closer at the tiller before buying.

 

[georgia jeff]

they have exactly the same number (42) and are spaced the same. The pictures on the webstie are deceiving. The KK shown is a 6 or 7 foot model no matter which one of their units you click on. The no name brand is a photo of a 4 foot model and not the 5ft which I am looking at.