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Post by ogeechee on Nov 4, 2012 10:25:23 GMT -5
Joseph,
If your tines are worn You really need to change them. I purchased replacements on eBay for $70 including shipping. I makes all the difference in the ground prep. You need to make the first pass about 3 or 4 inches and the next pass about 6 or 8 inches or adjusted all the way down. I have great South Georgia mixed sandy black soil, no rocks but I do have a lot of tree roots on new tillage. The tiller does not care for them but does cut them so they can be removed by second pass. The two maintenance items at the tines and a small 20 inch belt that will eventually wear/slip needing replacement. You will know when because it usually chirps under load. In my soil and and conditions I can walk beside the tiller and use a one hand light touch.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 4, 2012 11:51:49 GMT -5
No easily tilled sandy soil for me. I figure if I get down to 3" in multiple passes then I'm doing great. I have to deal with hard clay/silt which many times is the consistency of potters clay waiting to be fired. I till my brother's sandy garden frequently, so I know what that's about. I'm not complaining though. I could have oxbow farm rocks, which are honest rocks.
I don't know how to buy tiller tines... My biggest problem with tines is that they bend out of shape. (Combination of rocks in hard clay/silt, and mallow weeds.) So I want tines that are heavier duty than the $70 sets that are sold on eBay, but I don't trust random strangers to actually be honest with me about what is a heavy duty tine and what is just a regular tine being sold at a higher price.
I keep thinking that I would really like to rig up some type of cultivator teeth so I could use the tiller as a power source to drag the cultivator. One cutting blade on the depth setting bar might be sufficient to chop off the perennial weeds that the tiller misses because of the shaft.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Nov 4, 2012 18:06:47 GMT -5
Try looking for "rental tines" they tend to be a thicker, heavier duty tine for the tiller rental market.
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Post by ogeechee on Nov 4, 2012 19:02:37 GMT -5
The tiller tines I purchased are suppose to be hardened. There were another set for about $15 dollarsmore ($85) that advertised to be hardened, better than factory replacement. If the tines are warn, thinner width, are 5 inches or more between the left and right inner tines (next to the gear drive) they should be replaced....Bent tines! WOW, I think your clay was fire before you tilled. I lived in North Georgia in the red clay area and when it was dry you could not dig a hole or plow. I had to wait until it rained so I could till.
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Post by littleminnie on Nov 4, 2012 19:48:53 GMT -5
I am not getting the tiller. Mostly I didn't try it because hub said I couldn't store it at the field in the barn but it had to go in the garage and there is no room there. But also the way I till is always between plastic paths so I thought it wasn't worth trying.
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Post by ogeechee on Nov 4, 2012 22:23:31 GMT -5
Quote ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joseph, I ran across this on another website and thought you might find it of interest to combat your hard soil. Have you thought or tried a subsoiler. This is a short video about how 50 thrifty Vermont Yankee dairy farmers are fixing the problem of compacted soil. I think this can be a common problem in gardens that get a lot of tractor traffic and/or shallow tilling. It might be a great fall/winter cover crop. Just think... soil aeration, conditioning and capturing your nutrients so they don't leach away over the winter. In any case, this video will at least make you smile. www.wcax.com/story/19193065/how-giant-radishes-help-vt-farmers-make-better-milk |
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Post by steev on Nov 4, 2012 23:40:34 GMT -5
Those daikon radishes are useful, tasty enough (they can be made into kimchee), but I think when used in gardening (not pasturing) and tilling them in, they can be a bit sulfurously stinky.
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Post by steev on Nov 4, 2012 23:50:02 GMT -5
Back when Troybilt was Troybilt, they made "pick-tines" for breaking horrible soil and a "sweep-blade" for cutting a swath ~1/2" below the surface, to chop weeds off. We're losing useful tools as these older companies are dying.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 5, 2012 2:05:06 GMT -5
I found an ended eBay auction that had an interesting troy-bilt attachment. I'd plain old take the tines off the tiller and use this weeding sweep. I'm thinking that it would do a better job with morning glory than the tiller does. |
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Post by ogeechee on Nov 5, 2012 15:40:13 GMT -5
Joseph,
I do not believe you have to remove the tines to use either of the attachments shown. The one on the left is a hiller-furrower with a set of wings that attach to the furrower...It can be attached and removed in a minute or two.with the depth adjuster it and be adjusted to barely scratch the surface to making rows. You can lower the furrower to up to 8 inches and make a trench for planting plants. You attach the wings to cover and kill weeds for side dressing plants. These attachment s should only be used in soil recently 'throughly' tilled... which is why the tines are left on , I suppose. It is recommended to walk behind the tiller and use 2 hands to guide the tiller when using these attachments...I would recommend you sharpen these attachments including the V-sweep before using to make them more efficient. I have the manual for the Troy-Bilt Horse and the info on the 8 horse power Koler engine and some info for the 6 hp Tecumseh. I can make copies of any section you want. If you would like info PM your address.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 5, 2012 16:57:45 GMT -5
I checked the tines a few minutes ago. I didn't realize how bad the tines have actually gotten. Replacing them is a project to complete before spring. Even cheap tines would be better than what's currently on it. If it had better tines I might not be daydreaming so much about a sweep cultivator, except for a small one right in the center where the tines miss things with a robust root. I just bought a 6" cultivator sweep on eBay for $15 shipped. I guess it can be rigged up to mount in place of the furrower. Another winter project.
Alas, I must have a newer model furrower, because there is no depth adjustment on it. It only has one depth: Too deep.
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Post by circumspice on Nov 5, 2012 18:13:07 GMT -5
No easily tilled sandy soil for me. I figure if I get down to 3" in multiple passes then I'm doing great. My dad's Troybilt tilled to a depth of about 6-8 inches. I thought that was awesome. My dad laughed at me & said that was nothing compared to what a plow & mule could do.  But he said he was happy with it because we had very sandy loam in that garden. I wonder what he would have thought about my clay & limestone slabs? |
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Post by ogeechee on Nov 5, 2012 20:26:52 GMT -5
Joseph,
I purchased the hardened tines for $69.00 which included shipping. They look good except they have China stamped on them! That was not in the listing. I have found in the past the steel from Other countries to be inferior to ours in that it tends to be softer. Your sweep should work fine. Do you have the furrower/hiller that was also in the picture? If so it should attach to the same piece the furrowerer attaches if the angle is off that an adapter to bolt on giving the correct angle should not be difficult.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 5, 2012 21:23:37 GMT -5
Do you have the furrower/hiller that was also in the picture? If so it should attach to the same piece the furrowerer attaches if the angle is off that an adapter to bolt on giving the correct angle should not be difficult. Looks like about the same furrower/hiller that I have. I ain't much of a mechanic/machinist. I do a lot of that kind of stuff, but I'm slow as can be. Anyway the adapter is something I am looking forward to working on this winter. I have been daydreaming about a weeding sweep attachment for several years. While I'm at it, I might as well see if I can modify the furrower/hiller's cut to be shallower. |
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Post by ogeechee on Nov 5, 2012 22:39:50 GMT -5
Joseph,
The depth of the hiller-furrower is controlled by the depth setting on the tiller for plow depth. If you do not have a manual I can copy the section on the connection/installing and use of the hiller -furrower. Dan
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But he said he was happy with it because we had very sandy loam in that garden. I wonder what he would have thought about my clay & limestone slabs?