Why a tiller?

Tinkerer · Dec 23, 2004

There is a thread on another forum about gear versus hydro for running a tiller. Never having used a tiller, I can only go by what I am reading and it seems that in order to use one, you must go really slow. One poster said about 8 feet per minute? If you have to go that slow, why would you use one? Why not just plow and disc?

DocHeb · Dec 23, 2004

The figure of 8 feet per minute is a worst-case scenario - breaking up virgin sod over clay to a tiller's maximum depth.

Tillers are helpful for smaller plots, help break up clay soil into smaller pieces so a seed bed can be established. incorporate organic material into the soil better, and aerate the surface.

That said, some claim tillers break up the soil "structure" too much, and tilling to a constant depth repeatedly leads to a hard "pan" that can resist water permeation into the deeper soil.

That said, incorporating organic material into deeper laters can increase the depth of viable topsoil, and the deeper hardpan can be broken up on a yearly basis with a sub-soiler.

DK35vince · Dec 23, 2004

When I first purchased my tiller I thought it might not get used much just for gardens.
But it ended up I use mine all the time for lots of differant things.
I had 6 acres of rough field I wanted to make lawn, I tilled all 6 acres. The tiller took off all the small humps and bumps and mowing is much better now.
I used the tiller to break up all the sod/topsoil to build my 600' driveway, made it very easy to remove with a smooth surface underneath for spreading the stone.
After backfilling 1500' of utility line ditchs I used the tiller to smooth and level the area (worked real nice too).
On top of that I till my garden, my parents and a couple of my co-workers.
So a tiller for me was more versitile for differant jobs and much easier to move on a trailer than a disc and plow

kensfarm · Dec 23, 2004

There are a lot of things you can do w/ a tiller.. if you set it up to barely touch the ground.. you can de-thatch a grass lawn for reseeding. I'll do some skim-tilling on a corn field after I've harvested & bushhog the stalks.. to mix the plant material into the soil before planting winter wheat.. you can go a good speed doing this. W/ multiple passes you can level areas out flat. For areas of the garden that I'll be putting in hills for planting.. tilling deep makes it easier to make the hilled planting beds. Also makes a good counter weight for FEL work. If you don't have a plow, disk, or boxblade.. or you intend to plant a small garden plot.. you can make do w/ a tiller and the FEL.. maybe not as efficient.. but you can get it done.

KiotiJohn · Dec 23, 2004

( On top of that I till my garden, my parents and a couple of my co-workers.)
I can understand you doing your garden, but tilling your parents and coworkers has to be against the law!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Happy Holidays.
There are other uses for a tiller that make it a good choice as for landscaping duties where disks would just not be the right tool. As anyone who uses disks knows you often have to make several passes and even add weight to get them to cut as much dirt as is needed. In virgin areas (never plowed before) disks can be fairly difficult to get the result one may want. Of course, tillers have their drawbacks as well, as you mentioned, the speed, and also, the ground needs to be fairly clean of roots and rocks as well, or the tiller can have a hard time doing what one wants. John

Bob_Skurka · Dec 23, 2004

Why a tiller? . . . I suppose the most correct answer is "because we are guys and it is a power tool."

A more correct answer might be that even with my rock hard clay soil, if the moisture content is right, I can turn it into something that resembles plantable soil in just one pass. Or that I can incorporate manure, compost, sand, dirt, moss, etc into my clay to improve it to turn it into something that is not only plantable but reasonably healthy soil. Or that I can break up sod and turn it into garden or planting beds for the lovely Mrs_Bob in one easy step. Under SOME conditions you have to go very very slow. Under SOME conditions you can move along at a reasonable speed. It really depends. But if you consider a plow, you can go faster, but a plow typically breaks the soil into fairly large clumps and clods, so you then have to go back over it with a disk or drag or both and you end up making several passes and your total time might end up being about the same as if you simply used a tiller. And a plow and a disk still might not give you the fluffy soil that a tiller is capable of producing. I think that a tiller is useful for smaller patches, I'm not sure I'd want to do several acres with a tiller, at least not without a large commercial uint. For those of us with small tractors and small plots of land, who pretend to be weekend farmers, a tiller is simply and easier tool to use to achieve the results we need to achieve.

Tinkerer · Dec 23, 2004

As far as I'm concerned, your power tool answer is good enough for me!

Bird · Dec 23, 2004

( One poster said about 8 feet per minute )

I suppose you could go that slow, but I never did. The Bushhog manual mentions 1 to 3 MPH for different conditions and I figure 1 MPH is about 88 feet per minute and that's about the slowest speed I ran mine.

chriswheeler · Dec 23, 2004

Some real good reasons for a tiller have been posted already, I use mine for most of the above and one other can think of. Weed control. House where the tractor is at has a problem with tumble weed. I find the longest lasting way to control it has been to rototill. After we retire to this house ( 16 months ) and the animals are here, I can picture tilling in the manure into the ground for fly control and to improve the ground at the same time. Tiller was among the first implements I got with my tractor, ( not from the dealer ) if I had to pay the full price for one from a dealer, would have thought about it more about it at the time. Now that we have had a chance to use one for several seasons, I'd step out and pay the full price for a good one from the results. They save alot of time and work. Haven't had a chance to use a gear or hydro drive but the chain drive that I do have seams more than adequate. As for speed, in 2nd gear, 1800 RPM I get great results, in 1st gear, 1800 RPM I can turn the ground into powder. I have 30 PTO HP on the tractor, and the tiller is 55" wide, and at full depth tills 6.6" deep. On the hardest ground I have the tractor doesn't know it is there, no strain.
Chris

pifan · Dec 24, 2004

I use a tiller on my garden I have hard clay Ive been tilling leaves and manure in it for about 6 years I'd like to plow it next year . I am getting hard spots where my tiller actually raises over them and dosent till deep enough do you think plowing will help also weed controll the weeds seem to get worse every year what do you all think?