Tiller Working Depth on PTO driven rotary tillers - Larry

[larrymyers]

Thanks - it was needed

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My 20 HP tractor has no problem with my 5 ft KK tiller.

 

[bilrus61]

I don't like the counter rotating tines. I think they are kind of a fad. The standard rotation tines till in green manures better. And in my opinion they kill weeds better by chopping down on them instead of lifting them up and over the tines. Tilling depth will be about half the tine diameter. If the rotor and tines are 16 inches it will get down to about 8 if you go over it about three times. Your a bit light on the horsepower but if you go slow and repeat you should be able to get down there. Other than Kuhn tillers all the tillers I've used have to be cleaned off the wrapping of the weeds unless you mow them first. Quite a chore. Tillers till wider than they are rated seems to me and I would recommend you get a 5 footer standard rotation tine one. Even that will make your tractor grunt

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My tillers are forward rotating only, and mine will till to 8" deep, so you don't have to have reverse rotation to go 8" deep. You just need a tiller designed to go that deep in the first place.

I've never needed a reverse rotating tiller so I never bought one.

SR

 

[3Ts]

I have a Kubota L235 (23.5 engine HP and 19 PTO HP) running a KK 5' tiller. It is supposed to be to big for the tractor, but as long as I take it easy, it works just fine. 1st gear so I don't go to fast and 4 wheel drive for the traction, otherwise the tiller will push the tractor. I also use multiple passes starting with a shallow depth and can get a really nice seed bed. It will also chew up some pretty hard and rocky ground.



The tiller has skid shoes to set the depth, but as the soil is broken up the skid shoes sink into the soil an inch or two. I do not know how deep it goes, but it's more than enough for anything I've ever needed to do.

 

[mapper]

Larry's tractor is a 55hp unit, a 5` tiller will not be much of a load for it. The 73" width will make tilling without tire ruts pretty difficult, a wider tiller would make more sense.

 

[deranged]

I use a 5’ king cutter behind a l3600 Kubota in good old missouri clay. To get nice soil takes a reverse then forward pass twice. Virgin soil will really make those 36 horses grunt. I really wish for a crawler gear as 1st gear is just too fast at rated pto engine speeds. I’m pretty sure if I had crawler gear I could half my passes

 

[ruffdog]

A 60" KK tiller behind my TC33D was no problem. I took the shoes off and I bury it in good soil.

 

[orangeandgreen]

I have a 6' KK tiller that has made it through its 4th season and is holding up very well.
When I bought it, I was concerned about the "advertised" 8" working depth since the tines only extend 3 or 4 inches past the skids when set to the deepest position. I called KK and asked to talk to a technician, was told the working depth is based on multiple passes that allow the skids to sink into the ground.
The KK is advertised as being Quick Hitch Ready, but the hooks on my Speeco QH wouldn't fit between the pins and frame of the tiller. My blue tip wrench made quick work of adding clearance and all is well now.

 

[CMV]

Mine is Bush Hog brand so can't comment on the 2 brands you want. But it is forward rotating and I would not want reverse. Forward it will at least climb or hop on a buried rock - I can't imagine what a good rock would do if tines were going other way - I would assume lots of broken tines or time replacing shear pins. VERY impressed with how it turned my clay into powder.... I'm using a 6' with 45/34HP but seems like there is plenty of power to spare - doesn't seem like needs nearly that much.