Jump to content

Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

Opinions on tilling


B112_son

Recommended Posts

I am looking for opinions on what tractors work best for tilling, geared vs hydro, hi low needed? I have my dads B112 and have been looking for a tiller. Then I started wondering if the variable speed would be troublesome? Then I'd like to find a nice 917 for mowing and I wondered if the hydro is better for tilling. Any opinions? I know everyone has one but that's what I'm looking for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The B-112 will do a fine job with the vari-drive. You do need the low speed for roto tilling, that it provides. My B-112 is my dedicated tilling tractor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i used to use a big ten to till. it came with the 6 inch pulley which i changed to ,i think, 10 inch to slow it down. then i started using a '64 landlord with hi-lo. much better.

the big ten has hydro-lift which i did not like for tilling. the landlord has the armstrong which i like a lot.

i have no expirience with anything else.

a friend of mine uses a varidrive and swears by it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

B 112 will work great. The variable is like having a hi-lo and I am sure that was the intent with the variable speed design. The hydro would even go slower than the variable speed. I prefer the hydros over the gear transmissions. That is just my opinion though. You can adjust them to creep. One thing with Simplicity they never went backwards on quality like others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hydros are ok also. You don't need WOT to til. Most of my tilling has been at a speed less then quarter throttle and not much more then a creep in ground speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My preference has been a 3-speed with hilo and hydrolift. I like the lift to float the tiller and it's much more comfortable than reaching for the armstrong all the time. I prefer the low gear for it's consistent, slow speed, and a big wheel works, but if you have any distance to cover getting to and from the garden, it's a 2-3 beer ride. I don't mind a hydro, but it seems like I'm always hunting for the right crawl. The nice thing about the hydro is the instant speed control, at the end of each pass, vs shifting...BUT...who here is in a hurry anyway? ;) (that big pulley slow ride is starting to sound better now that I think about it...need to add more cupholders!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hard to beat a 917 hydro for tilling, unless it's a 920 or 7790. Put a smaller driven pulley on the tiller, throttle back and adjust speed as desired. At the end of the pass, you have hydraulics to do the lifting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely helping. See there aren't very many old allis or simplicity around here. Even My local dealer looks at me like I'm nuts when I go in for parts, most recently a drive belt for the B112. I don't even have a garden YET. But I would if I had a tiller. Anyway I just like to show off what these great machines can do. Most people think it takes something with much more horse power than my 12hp. But when my neighbor couldn't move the 8" snow we got a month ago with his JD345 I went ahead and did his driveway too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He's got ags but no weight and all he did was spin. I've got fluid and chains. It was a particularly wet heavy snow. I was surprised too. Ive used some JD and own some.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been using an Allis 416H. 16 HP. Kohler, Vickers hydro transmission, Electric lift, 36" tiller with the 10" tine extensions. It does a beautiful job and is a wonderful set up for tilling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • gwiseman
    • oldsarge
    • StanD
    • TheFlash300
    • Darl Swartz
    • Tarheel
  • Recent Status Updates

    • gwiseman

      gwiseman

      Site programming updates were made 3/23/2024. As a result some things have changed including dues payment options. We will continue maintenance and work with technicians to regain credit card payment option and clear up minor challenges. On positive it appears attaching pictures is now easier. Good day. Gene 
      · 1 reply
    • gwiseman

      gwiseman

      Site maintenance scheduled to begin 10a CDT on 3/16/24
      · 0 replies
  • Adverts

×
×
  • Create New...