Tiller sizing on a BX23S

[Tractor_Chunks]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a 3 point tiller for my BX23S. I'll have mostly residential applications where I'll be completely redoing terrible lawns, likely bringing in compost and churning that in. So I assumed I wanted the smallest Land Pride tiller, which is the RTR1242/RTA1242, so I could get into tight areas. My dealer pointed out that most customers don't go for that size since the tiller width doesn't actually cover the 48" tire base of the tractor. He suggested the 50" version which is the RTA1250/RTR1250. He said the BX23S would pull either of them just fine. He also said that reverse rotation tend to work better, and it also makes a lot more sense to me, as a woodworker, to always push the stock against the direction of blade rotation. If there are rocks or other debris in the soil, I want to work it out and remove it, not push it down and bury it.

Can anyone comment on this?

I expect for what I'm doing there will still be a fair amount of hand-work to get an nice finished surface. I need to start by loosening up potentially very compacted soil. I'll also be playing around with a box scraper and it isn't yet clear to me what combination of the two implements will work best.

The price difference between an RTR1242 and RTR1250 is small: $2100 for the former and $2200 for the latter. One thing I did think about is if I ever needed to sell the tiller, I'd prefer to own the one with the better resale value. I assume that's the 50" one given what my dealer said about customers wanting it to cover the wheelbase. I'm just rather hesitant to have attachments wider than the tractor knowing that I'll be in a lot of tight spots.

Thanks!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I'd get the 50" tiller. As you say it's just a bit wider than the overall width of the BX23S. I haven't checked but I'll assume these tillers do not have a 'side shift' or 'offset' option. This allows you to move the tiller left or right. My D-14 has a 6' width, tiller is 5', so I've right shifted the tiller.That leaves the left tire print in the soil,but no right one.
If you're going to be redoing a LOT of lawns, ,I'd get the box blade WITH scarifiers. Pull that over the entire lawn N-S then E-W, to get the teeth to 'chew up' the sod into turds. THEN mount rototiller and make several passes, again N-S ,E-W,S-N, W-E. This pattern will evenly till the ground. Trying to get a tiller to chew up old lawns is very ,very hard on everything..the tiller, the tractor and YOU. It's also very time consuming. A small veggy garden,say 50x100 can take 2 hrs of 'bronco busting'.BTDT.
Jay

 

[jkcolo22]

My dealer tried to sell me a 48” for my BX25D. I picked up a barely used 50” reverse land pride gear drive and it works great, but I’ve never tried it on ground that hasn’t been tilled previously. I imagine it would work fine if you started with the discharge gate open and tines set higher up. Definitely get a slip clutch model whatever you do. A little bit more maintenance but beats constantly changing out shear pins.


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[Tractor_Chunks]

My dealer did tell me not to bother looking at the RTR05 series as the small savings just isn't worth the lighter build quality. Looks like the RTR12 series has a category 3 slip clutch standard, which I think is what you're suggesting. The 12 series are also about 140lb heavier and have a 10 year warranty on the chain & sprocket instead of 2 years on the 05 series.

I guess I'm not just worried about the tilling width but also that one 4ft fence gate that makes me wish I'd gotten the smaller attachment.

I read the tillers can be offset but not when using the quick hitch.

I suppose it is hard for anyone to give me a great answer. It's kind of one of those 'I wish I'd gone bigger' / 'I wish I'd gone smaller' things.

I will also be getting a 48" box blade (BB1248). I'm not a tractor person yet, but I've encountered some soils compacted enough that I'd be hard-convinced that a tiller is going to work from the start.

 

[jkcolo22]

My dealer did tell me not to bother looking at the RTR05 series as the small savings just isn't worth the lighter build quality. Looks like the RTR12 series has a category 3 slip clutch standard, which I think is what you're suggesting. The 12 series are also about 140lb heavier and have a 10 year warranty on the chain & sprocket instead of 2 years on the 05 series.



I guess I'm not just worried about the tilling width but also that one 4ft fence gate that makes me wish I'd gotten the smaller attachment.



I read the tillers can be offset but not when using the quick hitch.



I suppose it is hard for anyone to give me a great answer. It's kind of one of those 'I wish I'd gone bigger' / 'I wish I'd gone smaller' things.

There is definitely something to be said for “covering your tracks”. I actually don’t understand how you could manage with always having a tire track left on one side.


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