BX23 & Land Pride Tiller

[ametcalf]

Is anyone running a BX23 or equivalent tractor with a Land Pride RTR05 or RTR10 tiller in clay? If so what width are you using? I would also like to know what a good price for a new one would be if anyone knows. I would like to buy one to go on my BX23 to replace the 5040 Allis Chalmers/72" Agrico tiller combination that is tired and about 25 years old. If anyone has experience with the BX23 and tilling I would appreciate any advice.
Thank you, Arvid Metcalf

 

[Theekillerbee]

I don't have the BX, but my little B8200 (18HP) runs the LP RTR1550 just fine. It is perfect for my wheel width of about 54". Just covers up the outside edge of the tire tracks. I'm assuming the same width would be just fine on your little BX. I'd even bet you could go a little wider with the higher HP tractor that you have. I run mine in clay, if it is really packed in, I have to till in low range, but it seems to do just fine. I didn't pick mine up new, but I'd guess your looking around 2 grand. Steel prices have gone up a lot over the last few months, so you can plan on spending a little extra. I found mine used (in very good condition) last year for 1500.

 

[gmtinker]

Hi Arvid
I am not dealing with clay conditions in my garden (mostly organic matter, sand and some loam, now that I've worked it a few seasons), but I LOVE the job that my LP RTR0550 does with the soil. You have a few more PTO HP to play with, so you have a bit more grunt to make it through the nasty bits that clay would present. I have even used the tiller for some "poor man's excavating," such as diging out a foundation for my "screen house," a free-standing trellis frame around a 5'x16' planter (have to keep the $%^%^#$% deer out of my peas!). It chewed through the sod and tree roots very well and I just bucketed out a layer of spill at a time.
With your extra HP, I can't see a 50" having too much trouble unless you try to work the soil too wet. Are you going to mix some sand and compost into it as well to lighten it before planting?

Highly recommend Land Pride. They make good stuff.

 

[ametcalf]

Thank you for the help guys.
One thing I forgot to ask. Do you run with slip clutches or shear pins? I run my big tiller with a slip clutch but it makes an already short drive shaft even shorter so that when I lift the tiller out of the ground the u-joints get a couple of pretty good offsets in them. Over the years I have learned not to till too wet because with our clay you fight it all summer until it freezes the next winter. If it is too dry or the soil is compacted or too hard I subsoil the heck out of it before I till. I don't think my 2 bottom plow has been on my Allis 5040 in 20 years. We just subsoil and till. We have a fair amount of organic material in the top soil but we have to buy our sand here so we haven't done that. Our soil is hard to work with sometimes but it grows things pretty well. We are retired now so we have cut back to almost nothing but my wife used to raise 26 acres of vegetables. She has alot more seat time on the old Allis than I do. I was gone 20 days a month back in those days and I can't believe how hard she worked.
You are pretty close on the $2,000. That is what I have budgeted for. When I got that price I didn't know that Land Pride made anything but reverse rotating tillers so I don't know if the dealer quoted me a reverse or forward but I will find out soon.
We have had some success keeping the deer out of our tulips by putting chunks of Zest, Spring or some other strong bar soap in the beds.
Thanks again, ametcalf

 

[Theekillerbee]

Land Pride makes both forward and reverse cutters, definitely go with the reverse cutter. Their forward cutters are models that start with RTA. I think you'll do great with the 50 incher. Mine came with the slip clutch, but my tractor doesn't have as much horse power, so when the tiller binds, it shuts the tractor down. I've even tore apart the slip clutch and scuffed up all the plates per manufacturers directions, it still doesn't slip when bound up. I don't think I have enough torque to spin it. I'd bet I couldn't shear a pin either. I do have a steep angle on the PTO shaft when lifted, so I just depress the clutch and disengage the PTO before I pick it up.

Whatever you do, do not add sand to clay soil!!!! Despite wanting a sandy loam soil, don't think that sand is your friend. Sand + clay + heat = BRICKS! Stick to organic matter only. Manure, compost, peat, leaves, grass clippings, etc. are your friends. We have clay soil here, and have at least 2 active brick manufacturing facilities close by, with several more that have closed down over the years. No sand for you!!!!

Let us know when you pick it up, and how you like it. I think you'll be pleased.

 

[gmtinker]

Hmmm . . . you know, killerbee, I never thought about the brick aspect. Good point. Never had to deal with too much clay - we live on 300+ feet of sand here (old glacial moraine) and we could use more silt and clay to balance the sand, hence the organic matter (OM) and topsoil importation.

I use a slip clutch on mine, but it's never needed slipping. As well, I've used a forward rotation on my father-in-law's old Yard-Man, and I prefer the results from a reverse rotation tiller. It was ~CAD$2300 a couple years ago here in Alberta, so that would probably be ~USD$2000 in your neighborhood.

One way we build OM in our soil is that we use 2 layers of newspaper and lay moldy hay from an old hay bale on it between rows (our rows are officially 1 Edmonton Journal apart!) and then till the hay and paper into the soil in the fall. A tilling agin in spring just before planting and the crumb is really starting to build now after a couple seasons doing this. I wonder if it would help loosen your clay.

Let us all know which unit you choose!