Tillers vs. Cultivators

[gmtinker]

Well, after researching the crap out of compact tractors, humming and hawing over which color, convincing the CFO (aka my beautiful better half) that we need one, and scanning equipment ads, we finally bought an '07 BX1850 w/FEL from a fellow nearby. He threw in the ballast box, a scraper blade and a 4' spring-tine-type cultivator. (Guess I get to keep my membership with OTT - would have been excommunicated if we bought a green one!)

Our garden was quite underwhelming last year (sandy soil), and after shoveling 12 yards of soil into it (yes, shoveling by hand), this spring's 12 yards of amendments will be done with a loader. The current garden is 40'x40' and we are startign to develop another 50'x30' plot into a garden as well.

My question to those who have experience with such things is whether we should still invest in a rototiller, or does a cultivator suffice for basic garden soil loosening/mixing? I've heard varying things from different people about soil microbes and structure being damaged by rototilling, and wonder what general opinions were.

Thanks!

 

[Mr. K]

Stony Plain, why you're just a couple of hours up the road from the shop! And you are quite right - if you only have "that green tractor" then you'll have to turn in your OTT membership. Other members like Michael get away with it because he's still got his orange tractor kicking around taking the real abuse.

Congrats on the new equipment! You've got lots of goodies to experiment with. I agree with Vic - not a bad idea to have both tiller + cultivator, but given the choice, I'd go with tiller myself.

 

[Michael]

I have the tiller only as it came with my orange tractor when I bought it 5 years ago. I had a cheap cultivator and ended up I never used it on my 100 X 400 foot garden. I ended up selling the cultivator as the rototiller was just much more useful for me. It really mixes the soil so much better and after the tilling is done It was a lot easier to just do a daily walk thru and pull any weeds as they appeared.

The green tractor is a sissy tractor for at least the first year as the CFO who approved the purchase does not the idea of it getting scratched...

 

[dax]

I would go with the tiller too...

 

[Krump]

Hay Guys

Just wondering what size tiller i should be looking for behind my tractor it's a 33hp. Is a 60" too big for the Kubota?? Or should i look for something smaller?? Whats a used 48 to 60" tiller worth used???,

 

[Frans Klijn]

Hi, I´m Frans a Duchtman living in France and awaiting in a few days time my Zen-Noh ZB6000 (same as Kubota B6000) + Rotovator. Is a Rotovator the same as a Tiller? Am I right in thinking that a rotovator is the right tool to use in a vinyard to clean up the weeds?

 

[ptwyz]

I use my plow in the fall to plow under cut grass and leaves that I put in my garden once all the harvesting is done. I call it "on the spot composting". Then in the spring I use my tine, (spring), cultivator to break up the large clumps, (a lot of clay in northwest Ohio). Then I use my disk cultivator to smoothe out and even up the soil. Then I use my tiller to create an absolute perfect bed for my veggies. Now, do I have to do all of this? No, I enjoy, (very much), working the soil in my gardens but I don't want to over work it and turn it into cement either. That will happen if you use a tiller too many times, (in one season), on the same ground. I know, I made that mistake when I was learning how to use my tiller. But that's part of learning!

 

[RDR]

I use my plow in the fall to plow under cut grass and leaves that I put in my garden once all the harvesting is done. I call it "on the spot composting". Then in the spring I use my tine, (spring), cultivator to break up the large clumps, (a lot of clay in northwest Ohio). Then I use my disk cultivator to smoothe out and even up the soil. Then I use my tiller to create an absolute perfect bed for my veggies. Now, do I have to do all of this? No, I enjoy, (very much), working the soil in my gardens but I don't want to over work it and turn it into cement either. That will happen if you use a tiller too many times, (in one season), on the same ground. I know, I made that mistake when I was learning how to use my tiller. But that's part of learning!

It is good to plow and turn in the leaves. The cultivator will work to loosen the soil and help it dry when it is too wet for the rototiller.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I'm surprised that no one has chimed in on a reverse tine tiller. I hear they are the way to go these days with a perfect seed bed. Like one fellow said he plows under his leaves for a natural compost, excellent idea. My thoughts are, if your dirt is real sandy maybe look into bringing in a few yards of compost or even peat moss to help hold moisture in the dirt and keep the soil loose. As a landscaper its hard for me to tell you exactly which way to go for you to get great results without me seeing the ground your working. Sand mixed and blended with topsoil will keep the soil loose but theres a particular amount or ratio if you will, of sand to topsoil to get it right. Basically the sand and topsoil mixed allows the soil to stay loose and breath and the compost or peat moss hold in moisture for watering.

 

[gmtinker]

I actually forgot about this post . . .

Well, I still have the cultivator, but this fall we saved up and bought a tiller and I'm tickled for doing so - especially after the nice job it did turning in the leaves and other organic matter into our garden soil. We mulch between rows using 2 layers newspaper and hay on top, with drip irrigation down the planted rows. This fall after harvest we just pulled the crop, pulled up the irrigation lines, and thrashed it all in.

We bought the Land Pride RTR0550 with slip clutch option, 50" wide with the reverse rotation tines, and wow, does it ever chew things up. I am quite tickled with it, and would have no qualms recommending one. Talking to my Kubota dealer, he said that Land Pride is now the contracted supplier for tillers and other assorted 3-pt implements for Kubota in North America. Land Pride has a link to Kubota's U.S. site on their web site, so there must be some truth to this.

I'll keep the cultivator for now, but I'm not sure as of yet what I'm going to use it for - it's not like I'm breaking pasture or anything (don't have a plow anyway).

If you're getting a tiller, definitely get a reverse rotation unit!

 

[ptwyz]

It is good to plow and turn in the leaves. The cultivator will work to loosen the soil and help it dry when it is too wet for the rototiller.

Very good point!

 

[ptwyz]

I'm surprised that no one has chimed in on a reverse tine tiller. I hear they are the way to go these days with a perfect seed bed. Like one fellow said he plows under his leaves for a natural compost, excellent idea. My thoughts are, if your dirt is real sandy maybe look into bringing in a few yards of compost or even peat moss to help hold moisture in the dirt and keep the soil loose. As a landscaper its hard for me to tell you exactly which way to go for you to get great results without me seeing the ground your working. Sand mixed and blended with topsoil will keep the soil loose but theres a particular amount or ratio if you will, of sand to topsoil to get it right. Basically the sand and topsoil mixed allows the soil to stay loose and breath and the compost or peat moss hold in moisture for watering.

I should of said that my tiller is a reverse. Its a Land Pride 50" reverse tiller.

Sorry

 

[ptwyz]

I actually forgot about this post . . .

Well, I still have the cultivator, but this fall we saved up and bought a tiller and I'm tickled for doing so - especially after the nice job it did turning in the leaves and other organic matter into our garden soil. We mulch between rows using 2 layers newspaper and hay on top, with drip irrigation down the planted rows. This fall after harvest we just pulled the crop, pulled up the irrigation lines, and thrashed it all in.

We bought the Land Pride RTR0550 with slip clutch option, 50" wide with the reverse rotation tines, and wow, does it ever chew things up. I am quite tickled with it, and would have no qualms recommending one. Talking to my Kubota dealer, he said that Land Pride is now the contracted supplier for tillers and other assorted 3-pt implements for Kubota in North America. Land Pride has a link to Kubota's U.S. site on their web site, so there must be some truth to this.

I'll keep the cultivator for now, but I'm not sure as of yet what I'm going to use it for - it's not like I'm breaking pasture or anything (don't have a plow anyway).

If you're getting a tiller, definitely get a reverse rotation unit!

That is exactly the one I have and I absolutely love it

I got mine with my BX. That and the FEL.