Tractor mounted Roto tiller

[Boz330]

My question for those of you that might have used one is can you till unbroken ground with one? I've used small ones in my garden in the past after it was plowed, and disc ed, but it would be convenient to get it in one pass.

Thanks
Bob

[Parson]

Too many variables, depends on the ground. Under the right conditions some ground can be literally as hard as concrete. The weight, power and type of teeth on the tiller makes all the difference in the world. But under most circumstances, no, multiple times most often is necessary only very few exceptions

[Monobill]

Need more details?

[Blanket]

multiple passes, I have a 6' one on a 2640 JD. They do not get as deep as a plow

[farmbif]

what parson said. if your tilling an old pasture or land that has not been in production you have to till every 10 days or so or every time new weed seeds sprout. its not like turning sod over with a 14 0r 16" plow and the turf is turned down deep enough to rot.

[fcvan]

Years ago, a neighbor was doing a lot of landscaping, even bought a Kubota tractor. He mentioned wanting a 3 point mounted tiller. I remembered seeing a sale add in the paper for such an item. I found the paper, 8 months old, and gave the add/number to my neighbor. Lady still had it, price the same, he bought it. The soil in Tehachapi CA was hard and rocky, the 8hp tiller handled it just fine. My walk behind 5hp tiller broke tines and wore out PTO shafts on the same soil.

Sure, PTO driven tillers might be more stout than a 3 point 8hp tiller, but I wouldn't think twice about such an implement.

[contender1]

As noted,, a few more details & the conditions all warrant discussion.
I have one,, and I only use mine after land has been plowed, disced & turned enough to where the dirt can be worked. And as noted,, roots, rocks etc can ALL make a big difference in things. By plowing,, then discing, & working the dirt,, you can expose most of that stuff,, and deal with it before you try & till it.
I look at mine as a finishing tool.

[brass410]

Yes soil composition is key, if your area is composed of loamy/sand very light material then go ahead however if it is a heavy clay with a stone mix you better pull a plow or some kind of fixed soil breaker thru first, this type of soil will destroy implements faster than you can couple them up. If you can get/rent a soil pulveriser these things are the way to go for virgin ground I've pulled them over stump ridden fields littered with stones that word gut a heavy roto-tiller with little or no effect on the tractor or the equipment.They will however wind up heavy vines and hemp straw and clog (bed springs dont work good either sometimes laying in long grass)

[Ural Driver]

What are you trying to accomplish?

[SeabeeMan]

Totally depends on the tractor and tiller. With a 5 or 6' heavy duty 3 point tiller, you can probably do most things that don't involve huge rocks. But there is a big different between that and a Craftsman lawn mower with a sheet metal tiller on the back.

I have older Simplicity large frame tractors and with the HD tiller, I can chew up pretty much anything I've encountered. I've never gotten it into clay but I know of guys who use them successfully in those conditions.

[MUSTANG]

I have had 20 to 30 horse diesel John Deere Tractors with 6 foot tillers for better part of 30 years. Most have already hit the main points; but I will repeat.

(1) If ground has not been tilled in last two years; then break the ground before using the tiler to avoid damage/extreme wear and tear on tractor & tiller. Same applies in rock soil or high levels of cliche soil.

For these conditions; Recommend use of following to prepare soil before tiling:

Subsoiler - https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660637_200660637

and/or

middle Buster - https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660638_200660638

If the soil has been tilled in the last two years and/or you can easily spade the soil by hand; then use the tiller only.

[Geezer in NH]

Plus remember to set the slip clutch every time you use it. Found that out the hard way with broken gears in the tractor.

Mine works on 80% of the ground tilled, the other 20% needed the ground breaker and mold board first.

[farmbif]

size of tractor and gearing makes a difference, ive found that mine works best when in first gear in lowest gear range. ive never tried using tiller with straight gear box transmission like what is in my old ford 4000. even if I were to put Sherman range selector in low it slows down PTO rpm. you need PTO to be full 540 while wheel speed is crawling at slowest possible setting. when it hits big rocks it just jumps up if speeds are set up right.

[pcolapaddler]

When I was in high school, a neighbor had a small Massey Ferguson garden tractor. About 10 hp, single cylinder gas engine.

They had a rear mounted tiller that they used. My recollection is that it worked well. It was very heavy and there were no hydraulic systems to lift or lower - all done with the operator's arm strength.

I say it worked well. It did...right up to the point that a neighbor borrowed it and tried to till up pavement or similar.

I haven't seen a small tractor like that since.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[Froogal]

My question for those of you that might have used one is can you till unbroken ground with one? I've used small ones in my garden in the past after it was plowed, and disc ed, but it would be convenient to get it in one pass.

Thanks
Bob

Yes. It can be done, but it takes a BIG heavy tractor and heavy duty roto-tiller.

[mattw]

I have found weight and speed to be the biggest keys to a good tilling experience. If you go to fast or have a tiller or tractor with no weight things are no going to go well. When I till, I use a 50 hp tractor with wheel weights and water filled tires so it does not get pushed around, the tiller is an old unit with a cast iron frame that weighs a ton and will hold the ground.

[Handloader109]

I've a small Scut, 29hp, and a 4ft rotary tiller. I've done three different garden spots on my place, And it works great. My issue is to many dang rocks. But it'll till

[country gent]

Its going to depend on the ground how what its been used for and the actual equipment. Heavy clay ground will work harder than sandy soil. Ground thats been farmed for years will work easier. Hay fields will work very hard do to the root structure holding it together. A pasture or exercise yard even harder do to the compaction from the animals. A drive or path where equipment has been moved for years is the worst. Then theres the tractor to consider a garden tractor with a 3' tiller isnt going to be as capable as a 3-50 hp with a 6 ft. Dad had a 12 hp wheel horse with 3 ft tiller mounted on the back. In the garden it did great but this ground had been worked for years and was black sandy soil it worked up good in one pass. Put that is the yard to make a flower bed and it was struggling.

Once watched them plow a polo field at an area colledge. 4020 diesel tractor 2 bottom plow tractor was spewing solid back coal smoke out the exhaust you could hear it working and struggling with that 2 bottom plow. The years of grass roots building up and the horses running up and down it for years made it almost impossible to plow. I belive that thay even plowed it a second time a few weeks later after a rain of two. That same tractor in our ground and fields would have pulled 6 bottoms with little struggle.

[owejia]

No rocks here, have tilled up hay field ground that wasn't plowed or disced for several years, using a 70 hp tractor and 6 ft tiller. Only enough for a garden and turnip green patch though. Made multiple passes in different directions.

[MrWolf]

I have a Kubota bx23 and I think a Woods tiller on my 3 point. My soil is rocky. When I used it I took multiple passes and was not as deep as you would probably want. Mine was for creating a food plot and have it for when we do a nice size garden. I will be using screened soil for that. Good luck.
Ron

[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,,,

https://i.imgur.com/sDxlghh.jpg

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