First time tractor buyer..
- Thread starter r49740
- Start date
Had bought the Kubota M6060 and have a 6' tiller and brushog for it. FEL and loaded tires. Liking this machine more and more as I am getting fields ready to plant. For those that run this or a similiar machine, what gear do you run it and at what RPM when you are pulling the tiller around? Max n/m on the tiller is 540
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
When I started, I used traditional tillage with a 2-bottom plow followed by a tiller. I changed my ways after learning how much damage I was doing to my soil watching the "Ray the soil guy" USDA NRCS videos. I've since moved to min-til/no-till methods and my soil is slowly recovering. I'm getting much better nutrient cycling and using much less fertilizer now. I bought a little 4' Kasco no-till versadrill. For some situations it works best. In other cases I use straight throw and mow with no tillage at all. Still in other cases, I use min-till.
That is where the tiller comes in. Using it traditionally riding on the skids, even with them down all the way, still tills to deep with new tiller tines. I actually use the 3-pt hitch to lift the tiller so the feet are off the ground and the tines are just touching the top inch of soil. This is enough to throw a little soil with the vegetation to help it desiccate after the gly kills it. When I'm done tilling a field it looks much more green than brown from a distance.
Using this method, I go pretty fast. I run the rps at about 540 or a little more. I gear up so the tiller is not on the ground long enough to do much. My tractor (Kioti DK45) has 12 forward gears, 3 levels, Low, Medium, and High and 4 gears per level. Low is almost creeping and I don't recall using it for any tasks with any implements. I typically run it in Medium 4 or High 1 depending on conditions.
Beyond the soil health benefits, I find this method of tiller use has other benefits. First, you are moving much faster so the tillage time drops to a fraction of traditional tillage. Second, tiller time wear is greatly reduced. With traditional use of the tiller, my tines required replacement every few years and that is not cheap. My tines now last many years. They do still wear slowly. I simply reduce the how high I hold the tiller with the 3-point hitch. Eventually they wear enough that it rides on the skids in their highest position. As they wear from there, I raise the skids exposing a bit more tine. It now takes many years before tine replacement is necessary.
This year I did some experimenting with a light angle iron disc and was able to get similar min-till results. This is not a disc sized for my DK45. I just ordered a disc sized for my DK45 for firebreak use but it will till much too deep, even when the gangs are set pretty straight, to do min-til on food plots.
When it comes to tillage, less is better. Less in depth and less in frequency. The "Ray the soil guy" videos can give you the science and principles. Crimson and Camo has a Throw and Mow thread that applies those principles to guys with small equipment. Both are good resources.
Thanks,
Jack
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
The "turtle " icon, second gear and crank the RPMs to ~450-500......works well in my hands
"Rabbit" icon makes for a carnival,bumper car type ride
bill
Thanks for both replies. Tilling is my preferred method for this year and next. Property hasn't been worked, planted, or anything for about 25 years. I wouldve liked to have plowed and disked last year, but was way to wet. So this year and next will be tilling everything while working in lime, manure and fertilizers. After next, soil samples will be redone and then will change up field prep.
I had been in turtle icon, but the more I learn, I didnt have the n/m high enough. I will do a final till today and sunday and will set as you have listed above. Will see how that works for me.
I had been in turtle icon, but the more I learn, I didnt have the n/m high enough. I will do a final till today and sunday and will set as you have listed above. Will see how that works for me.
