Tractor mounted Roto tiller

[Thundarstick]

I'm going to say, no, no you probably can't make a garden from a pasture in one pass. What they will do is keep a garden spot ready in one or two passes. I have two large garden spots, an old 20hp Yanmar, single bottom plow, disk, field cultivator, and an Italian 54 inch tiller. I rarely hook up anything but the tiller anymore. This is in West Tennessee with about the best soil structure in the world!

[Elkins45]

We have heavy clay soil here with the occasional flat limestone rock. My tractor is 38hp and a six foot tiller will definitely not break new ground in one pass. I did a couple of sections of pasture and it took at least two passes just to find the big rocks and get them free so I could pull them out, then a couple more to break up the biggest clumps, and that was after I had crisscrossed it with a subsoiler. It could be done with a tiller alone, but not in a single pass.

[upr45]

I have a 5 ft king kutter on a Ford 8n 1950. One wheel extends outside the tiller. I used it to tear up some swamp grass which is a thick root netwtwork. It took a few passes and a few more a couple weeks later to kill the swamp grass. I planted sunflower a week after the final pass. They got about 3 ft before the deer !owed them all down. I was happy with how well the tiller worked, tried disking but disk didn't do much prior to tiling. Very low ground with standing water after heavy rain or snow melt. I use in a garden that is 120ft x 330 ft. The tractor tiller and Ford are just about right size for the garden. I can run down the sweet corn stalks after harvest. With the troy built wall behind i would have to run thru shredder before tilling, with tractor tiller no shreding needed as the tiller has the power to chew up and till in. A real time saver!

[white eagle]

I used one and did as you want to
I tilled up part of my field that was just field grass and weeds
worked real well now I plow then disc without a tractor mounted rototiller
that item was rented but like I say it worked very well

[SweetMk]

Remember, if you are using the tiller for a garden, ANY tiller destroys the tilth of the soil.

(TILTH , the condition of tilled soil, especially in respect to suitability for sowing seeds.)

You are better to never plow, disc, cultivate, or rototill your garden soil,,, EVER.
Ruth Stout preached this probably 50+ years ago.

In reality, because of weeds, most of us till to control weeds.,
Ruth Stout covered unplanted soil with straw to keep weeds down.

I kinda practice both, I can not get enough organic matter to keep all of the weeds down.
Mostly, now, my tilling is done with a Mantis,,
I have a TroyBilt Horse, and a Gravely with a rotary plow, and power cultivator.
Those two mostly live in the shed,,
And, as far as a tractor tiller, I have the tractor,, if I wanted a 3 point hitch tiller,,,



In the spring, I just plant,, no tilling necessary,, Why chop up all that organic material??
Let the worms do it,,,

[fcvan]

I used to listen to a podcast and they guy had a very efficient tiller. He made a small movable pen for his english hogs. They would root up everything, he just moved the pen every couple of days until his garden plot was done, and also fertilized some. I got a kick out him describing sending his sows for a 'romantic weekend' and keeping everyone informed on the arrival the new 'bacon seeds.'

[Boz330]

Thanks guys, that is the info I was looking for. I have a small farm that spans rocky hill sides to good bottom soil, but there is clay in between. I have a Mahindra 40 HP 4 wheel drive tractor with liquid in the tires. I was just thinking if the tiller would work that it would reduce time and expense of plowing then discing and harrowing. I don't run cattle anymore just plant stuff for the wild life. I planted prairie grass back when the F&G was giving away the seed and supplying a planter but put in clover for the deer and turkey on a rotating basis in the fields that aren't warm season grass.
Part of the farm is dedicated to my shooting range and I've been planting 200 to 300 trees every spring along the creek to try and stop my creek from transporting the good soil; down stream.
Thanks again

Bob