I have a real monster, a Howard Gem. Big TJD Wisconsin twin on it, crank start and heavier than a dead priest. Probably 30-40 years old and dead reliable.
Dad lives in town and had a huge garden, people always stop to look when he is using it. Unbelievably easy to control with one hand, and handlebars swivel to either side.
One of the few examples of British engineering I have ever liked.
Farmall, have you any pictures of that rig.
I have an ooold crank start one cylinder wisconsin, that is a beast by itself.
I got a 6hp Craftsman from a friend of mine last year. He's had it for 12 years and only used it about 3 times so I bought it from him.
Starmac, No pictures, and I have no idea how to post them, but a quick search of youtube will show you one.
Not bragging, but have never seen another tiller work this well!
The guy I got it from said his dad paid over $7K for it when it was new, and some internet research seems to validate this....they are serious heavy duty machines. I was glad to give his $150 asking price for it, as all it needed was some mag work.
Well shoot, Yesterday I had never heard of one, and now I want one. lol
Just ran the 5 bottom plow through my garden yesterday. I have a 5' tiller box that goes on the tractor to break it all up, and an old 24" rear tine MTD to dig deep with.
If grasshoppers carried .45's the birds wouldnt mess with them.
Just a week or so ago my Uncle gave me an early '75 Gravely Model L, dual wheel, rotary plow, tiller, 2 mower decks. Plus the old '63 unit that I use to mow behind in the 80's, it's just for spare parts now. That rotary plow is nice. I turned over about 1200 sf in 30 minutes with it. Now i just have to runover it with the tiller a bit and smooth things out.
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. -- H.L. Mencken
The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.― H.L. Mencken
The old Gravely's and David Bradley's are neat old machines, and very versatile with the right attachments. Owned several DB's over the years, but someone always made it worthwhile to sell them....
My tiller is as old as I am. No idea who made it. All the tags are gone. I slapped a new Honda engine on it and it'll bury itself if you don't keep her going.
I vote fr raised bed too. Mine is 20x40, railroad crossties for a border (2 rows high) and filled with good top soil.
I have a Kubota BX25 tractor and I will be going to Maine on Saturday to look at and probably buy a tiller for it, about 53 inches cutting width, should be perfect. I currently use a Troy Bilt pony but because my shoulders are in need of replacement according to my surgeon I really can't use it anymore, hence the need for the 3 pt hitch unit.
Paul G.
Once I was young, now I am old and in between went by way to fast.
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
-- R. Buckminster Fuller
We plow and disk if we till, I use Gravely L8's and LI's. Rotary and Cultivators for the Gravelys.
I have a 30 year old Troybilt Horse. Last year, I hung a Honda six hp engine on it. Perfect fit.
If you're really wanting to avoid tilling, I tinkered around with "lasagna gardening" and it worked amazingly well. There are several methods that require no tilling, or maybe tilling just the first time you make a new plot. For that I think I would rent the tool for a day and let someone else deal with the maintenance.Originally Posted by waksupi
Too much of a good thing is an awesome thing!
Kubota BX25 with a 52" tiller! Gets the job done easy!
I use my dad's old Craftsman, been using it for around 45 years, Runs real good. I picked up a 42' Gravely brush hog a couple of months ago for $100.00, Nice machine. I like OLD stuff!
I have an old Till Smith that I bought used,in 1981. I use it every year in my garden (which keeps changing size), and my son borrows it once in a while. So far, I have only had to replace a gear that drives the shaft the tines are mounted on. It's supposed to have a reverse gear, but that never worked. I could have bought a 36" rototiller that you pull with a tractor, when I bought my lawn tractor, but an additional $400 was too much of a stretch. I would have liked to own that so I could plant a couple of food plots.
I got the Super Bronco and it is an awesome machine..... but I just wish it had a neutral.
You gotta crank it to move it. The design calls for the pins in the hubs to be pulled for it to freewheel if needed, but the wheels have long since rusted fast to the shaft. (for many years now)
So it has to be running, or has to be dragged with the tires locked up.
KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.
2 ford 5000 tractors, an 8 N ford tractor , 16 in 3 bottom moldboard, 8 foot disc harrows,6foot row builder, and I still use a 30 year old Troy Built. There is no better tiller made than an older Troy Built.
As my gardens got smaller over time my need for a tiller got smaller as well. I eventually got to the point of a small raised bed and now just rent a tiller when I need one. Back when I had tillers, the best one I owned was an ancient Troybuilt. I let that convey with a house and the new owner is probably still using it.
My father had a big garden tractor with a huge tiller that ran off a PTO. It was a bear to attach but a joy to use.
I have a small four stroke Troybilt w/ the tines out front. It works fine for my garden which is 10'x15'. It wasn't much fun when I broke the soil for the first time. I had the digging bar to make it easier. But now that it's broken up it works great for my needs. There is no way I'd use it for a larger garden.
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