PTO Rototiller: who's got one and tips on using. . .

[Evans, Marv]

A six foot blade is pretty large for your tractor. A 48 in. box scraper might serve you better for cutting a small road, plus it's much more versatile than a blade for most applications. I doubt you'll be pulling with the blade, but pushing with it backing up the tractor with the blade turned around.

[Tim Hancock]

Unless you plan on growing lots of sweetcorn, you probably will find you only need 1/3 of that area for a big family sized garden. Congrats once again on moving to heaven.

[MotoSook]

I got the blade for $200 so can't complain. I already used it to scrap an area of stuff. It pulls and pushed OK but then I haven't pulled a road.

The road is going to be filling in a swampy area on the side of the pond so I plan to push clay/gravel into it building up the road as I go. A box won't work for me.


I wish I had a front loader and backhoe

[MotoSook]

It is a great place to be, Tim.


My parents and wife will fill in that area pretty soon. Mom wants sweet corn. Usually they grow quite a bit. Old Asian people love veggies and love growing a variety. It's how we lived in the old country. We eat what we can grown and rarely bought food we didn't grow or catch.

Unless you plan on growing lots of sweetcorn, you probably will find you only need 1/3 of that area for a big family sized garden. Congrats once again on moving to heaven.

[Seahawk]

Nice work!

A few things:

I have an auger for one of my larger tractors. When we built the horse fencing (almost a mile) it was invaluable; but, it is a two person operation and be really careful! The auger had more potential for mayhem than any other single piece of farm equipment I own.

Front end loader. I use it more than any other tool on the farm. Incredibly useful.

Beautiful place, Souk.

[vash]

that faint grass trail to the upper right of photo.?

run that little tractor up there and plow that area..plant a big soy bean clover patch up there!!! about 20 yards from a sturdy tree. i'll see you in the fall!

i'll bring dim-sum. heheh.

[MotoSook]

Thanks, Paul. If the Carrrera sells...I'm getting a front end loader ... sign of the times..man goes from fast cars to slow tractors.


Cliff, no need. They come to water at the pond just out of view to the right. My grapes are going in on the hill in the background. They'll probably love that...you can hide out in the well/pump house

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Soukus

Thanks, Paul. If the Carrrera sells...I'm getting a front end loader ... sign of the times..man goes from fast cars to slow tractors.

Trust me, I know...I sold my '83 SC after we bought the farm in 1995!

One other piece of equipment I have found absolutely critical is a small, electric powered sprayer that is towed behind the tractor. Nothing saves more time in weed management than this this:



I have a 25 gallon without the boom and an industrial one that holds 100 gallons, has both a boom and sprayer and is gas powered. Essential for the fields and fruit trees.

NorthStar Tow-Behind Sprayer With Boom — 26 Gallon, 2.2 GPM, 12 Volt | Broadcast + Spot Sprayers | Northern Tool + Equipment

[MotoSook]

Funny you mention sprayer...I bought one a couple weeks ago to get ready to spray the fruit trees. We're trying to keep all pesticides or herbicides to trace amounts of toxins in order to keep the pond free of toxins. So I'll only be spraying the fruits and veggies with neems and dormant oil. The weeds will have to be dealt with mechanically.

I bought a 25 gallon sprayer with a 2.1 GPM pump. It's getting mounted on the front of the ATV ( via its own subframe so it can be removed and installed quickly) which should make it more easy to weave through the orchard.

[Seahawk]

Perfect solution. A friend of mine owns a Christmas Tress farm and did the exact same thing given the terrain on his place.

Still no ATV (yet)

[vonsmog]

Soukus,
My garden is about half of yours, and I just use 6' T-post and 5' wire fence. This way I can take the fence down when it is not needed. Also it makes it much easier to till with no fence in the way!

[MotoSook]

Von,

I already bought posts and 12 guage wire. I'm going to go with chicken wire on the first 12-24 inches to keep the small critters out, then string the 12 g wire the rest of the way to keep the deer out. The fence will actually be at least 5 feet out from the tilled area so I can get the mower in there and mow the perimeter. I'll make one end of the fence "removeable" for tilling next year. If that doesn't work for the deer...I'll just run some current through the wire at night

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Soukus

Funny you mention sprayer...I bought one a couple weeks ago to get ready to spray the fruit trees. We're trying to keep all pesticides or herbicides to trace amounts of toxins in order to keep the pond free of toxins. So I'll only be spraying the fruits and veggies with neems and dormant oil. The weeds will have to be dealt with mechanically.

I bought a 25 gallon sprayer with a 2.1 GPM pump. It's getting mounted on the front of the ATV ( via its own subframe so it can be removed and installed quickly) which should make it more easy to weave through the orchard.

We spray for weeds even though we have a pond that we get our drinking water from and it is stocked with very large healthy bass, bluegill and frogs. We have been doing this for the 15 years that I have lived here and the previous owners did for many years prior. I try to keep my spray pttern a few feet away from the pond but I later come back with the hand wand and spray the last couple feet.

I have a 26 gallon sprayer with the same GPM pump that quick attaches to the rear rack of my ATV. It sprays about a 16' swath thru 4 nozzles. It has spring loaded arms so you can slowly drive past a tree and let the boom spring back and then forward again as it brushes past the tree.

I dump 2 quarts of Trimec weed/dandelion killer in each 26 gallon tankful and drive slowly somewhere around 5-7 mph. My 5 or so acre runway takes about 2 1/2 tanks full and my 5 or so acre yard takes about another 2 1/2 tanks. All together, I go through about (1) 2.5 gallon jug of the Trimec each spring. I have tried other brands over the years, but the Trimec works the best for me at killing "some" of the clover I always end up with on my runway. The clover dies better spraying in the fall, but I am too cheap to buy two jugs of Trimec each year and the spring spraying takes care of most of the dandelions.

I typically spray when the forecast is for a couple warm/hot rain free days in a row (which means I have NOT sprayed yet this year ). I get up real early and start spraying at sunrise so I can better see my previous tracks in the dew covered grass and because the wind is typically light in the morning (do not spray in the wind unless your wife does not care about you killing her flowers and other plants )


PS If you can, you will want to mount yours on the rear rack also as when it is full, the weight over your front wheels will make it VERY difficult to steer if mounted to your front rack.

[Tim Hancock]

Proof that I don't have cancer growing on my face and our fish do not have 3 heads from spraying the yard near the pond .

[jyl]

I don't really understand how you guys can stand living where you do. Where do you get your traffic jams and panhandlers? You probably don't have enough folks around to muster up even a half-little bottleneck. And you must have to bus in your bums. I feel sorry for you.

[turbo6bar]

Soukfu, I really like your spread. Glad you like the tiller.

Since I've been so busy lately, my dad decided to till his 100 x 50 garden with his rear-tine tiller. After two passes over several hours, my mom took mercy and called me. It took me about 20 minutes to run over it with the 6' tractor tiller and pulverize the dirt into smooth, black gold.

I, too, am averse to using herbicides, but I believe responsible use is key. I have three sprayers: 4 gallon backpack, 18 gallon z-spray for yards, and a 55 gallon 10' boom sprayer with PTO-powered pump. The biggest sprayer is great for large areas. When I first bought my place (7 acres), I had a local company spray the yard with MSMA to control the grassy weeds. After paying $500+ for one spray, I decided to buy a sprayer, $650. I paid it off the next year. I've always had great results with Lesco's 3-way herbicide with winter/spring weeds.

Be careful with the posthole auger. It is a very dangerous tool. Nevertheless, once you own and use a tractor, there is zero doubt you're a man. It becomes an extensive of you.

[MotoSook]

Tim- good point about the weight up front. I'll try it and if it is an issue I'll just put the sprayer in the dump trailer I have for the ATV. As for the herbicide: it's probably something manageable but I'm not overly concerned about the weeds with 3+ acres of lawn and 13 acres of natural growth and forest. At some point I may rent out organic garden plots so keeping the place chemical free is the plan.

Jurgen- we are really enjoying the place, but it's been a lot of work. The PO didn't groom it as well as it could have been so now I'm trying to fight back years of natural growth. Hopefully in a few of years we'll have a respectable orchard, vineyard, fish pond and garden...lots of work ahead. I enjoy the labor to be honest. Modern equipment makes it more enjoyable.

[rusnak]

This is an interesting thread.

I would probably second the recommendation to get a bigger tractor with a good 3 point hydraulic hitch, lights, and maybe a gas powered or pto spray rig (500 gallons would be a spray rig).

Here's my tractor. I just "disc"-ed our property. Tilling is not an option. A disc is a form of tillage, but you blow through the dirt pretty fast, and still go about a foot down.

[turbo6bar]

Soukus, you may find that your spread of land becomes a way of life. If you manage to keep the 13 acres in trees, you'll maintain some peace. Get used to the tractor, but realize eventually you may need more horsepower and more ass (weight). There will be times when you have a load of compost that needs to be moved from A -> B, and a front end loader and a tractor with enough ass will be vital. Enjoy it. I know you will. Jurgen

[MotoSook]

Blieve me guys, I would love a bigger tractor with a front bucket and a back hoe. Anyone want to trade such a beast for a Carrera?