Looking for a Reversible Tiller

[SilverBulletZ]

I did a quick search, and I couldn't find anything on this.
I am in the market for a tiller, and at one time I had found a brand that is changeable from reverse to forward tilling. I am looking for this because I will be breaking new ground, and I have learned that a forward till is better for that. Then, after the ground is broken, I want to reverse till it to smooth it out.
Does anyone know of any company (reasonably priced) that still makes these?
I contact KK, and they say that theirs aren't reversible, which stinks, because they are the easiest to find and get parts for in my area.
The tiller will be on an l345dt, and I am looking at anything over 60 inches to be wider than the tires.

 

[Diydave]

I did a quick search, and I couldn't find anything on this.
I am in the market for a tiller, and at one time I had found a brand that is changeable from reverse to forward tilling. I am looking for this because I will be breaking new ground, and I have learned that a forward till is better for that. Then, after the ground is broken, I want to reverse till it to smooth it out.
Does anyone know of any company (reasonably priced) that still makes these?
I contact KK, and they say that theirs aren't reversible, which stinks, because they are the easiest to find and get parts for in my area.
The tiller will be on an l345dt, and I am looking at anything over 60 inches to be wider than the tires.

The only tiller I am aware of that was both mounted and reversible and mounted to a tractor was a Howard. They are also good at testing the strength of a rear end of a 50+HP tractor, LOL. I would suggest a plow, and a disc, then till with a much more tractor friendly regular tiller. Or, Kill off sod in fall or early spring, with roundup, and rip up with a subsoiler, then till. You'll save lots of bucks, as a used serviceable Howard will likely run in the $3000 range...

 

[Dieselbob]

I am looking for this because I will be breaking new ground, and I have learned that a forward till is better for that. Then, after the ground is broken, I want to reverse till it to smooth it out.

Funny you should say that, because I have always found the exact opposite to be true. My experience has all been with walk behind tillers, but I have always found forward rotation tillers completley useless for breaking new ground. I used to borrow my cousin's Snapper that was reversible, and I would break new ground with it reversed, and then level the ground in forward. Since I don't garden and only use a tiller to break up ground, I ended up buying a Craftsman reverse tine unit. IF I can ever swing a tiller for my BX, it will be a Land Pride reverse tine.

 

[SilverBulletZ]

I thought about using a plow/disc, but the fields are all just around one acre (three of them), and by the time that I buy a plow and disc, I will have spent more than the cost of a tiller (unless I buy used, and even then it's comparable to a new tiller)
I'm alright with multiple passes, and this year it will need to be done, the ground hasn't been turned over in a few years, and one field has never been broken up.
I was looking for a reversible so that I could forward till to get a quick break-up, and then make it easier for reverse tilling.
I did find the brand I was looking for, it's a Tarter, and they have reversible gearboxes/tines. I may not ever need to convert it to a forward till, but they are the same price as other tillers, and it would be nice to have the ability to if I ever needed it for whatever reason.

 

[philztoy]

I have been watching this thread and am curious what people think about the reverse rotation tillers.

That Tartar unit looks interesting, albeit some work to convert from one direction to the other.

Land pride has the reverse rotation models which look like they do a good job in the videos. I have been using forward rotation tillers and it seems to take a couple passes to bury most of the sod. And then again a week or so later before I seed the area.

I used to have a Case "big wheel" 448 gas tractor with a Hydraulic tiller set up. That unit just required a hydraulic flow change to rotate the tines in either forward or reverse. It has been awhile but I do vaguely remember the reverse rotation making a nicer finished surface.

You would think there would be more options out there for a switchable forward or reverse unit.

 

[SilverBulletZ]

The reverse rotation creates a better seed bed or surface. BUT, if you're area is hard soil, with large rocks, roots, etc... My ground is quite hard due to the soil type, and I do have a lot of rocks in it. As a matter of fact, we are at the top of a hill, and it's nicknamed rock hill.
This is the only reason I have debated a forward rotation. A reverse rotation will work fine, but it will jam up more with large rocks due to the rotation. All good units come with a slip clutch, and if it's adjusted correctly, it won't damage the unit or the tractor.

 

[SilverBulletZ]

Finally have my tractor back, and I'm in heaven!

After needing two gears in the PTO, and a new clutch, the beast is back in service! The first thing I did was hook up the tiller and get to work. This thing is awesome!
I went with a 6" tiller from Tractor Supply, it is a County Line model, which is built by Behlen (this one is anyway), to Tarter specs. It IS reversible, but I currently have it set to forward tilling since I am breaking up new ground.
I did a couple of passes on the middle depth setting, and 2nd gear in low range. It never bogged, chugged or even seemed to be working hard. I managed to find a metal t-post, chunks of wood, LOTS of bale twine (it used to be used as a corral), and a bunch of high-tension cable. There was absolutely no damage to the tiller, it spit everything except the twine and cable out.
I have been amazed at how simple it is, how nice the ground looks, and how easy it breaks it up.