Just like other equipment, rototillers come in a mix of sizes and need regular maintenance. I have two tillers: one, a hand-held unit, attaches to the end of my Echo P266 power head. Purchased for my wife’s use, it has become a great mid-season assistant for weeding the vegetable gardens. The second, a Befco three-point PTO unit, is for the tractor.A third type, the walk-behind, is available in four different drive versions:
Example of a full size tractor 3pt hitch combo.
- engine belt driven to a gearbox that drives the wheels and tines
- engine belt driven to a shaft that powers a worm gear and then the tines with trailing idler wheels
- engine belt driven to a chain which powers the tines also with idler wheels
- engine direct to a gearbox that drives the wheels and tines
If you are looking for a 3pt unit it is necessary to research your purchase to ensure it marries up to your power unit. The Befco unit that I purchased is very heavy built. It has a PTO driven primary gearbox that is shaft-coupled to a secondary chain drive propelling the tines which are suspended at both ends by sealed bearings. This unit is rated up to 40 hp. and can be equipped with either a shear pin or optional adjustable slip clutch on the PTO drive. I chose the slip clutch version, which had to be adjusted to the lowest tension to marry up to the power source.
I pressure wash this unit removing all debris every time it’s used. Entangled weeds have to be physically removed and will wear off the paint at the ends of the shaft at the bearings and wind themselves right into the bearings if not removed after use. If paint wears off, more should be applied to prevent rust.
For any on-tractor maintenance or cleaning, the tractor is turned off, left in gear, the brake set and vehicle stands are placed under the raised equipment, standard procedure for any 3pt equipment.
Maintenance on the three-point version is relatively straightforward. I start with the PTO shaft by removing it and pulling it apart on the bench, then remove the plastic guards. Next I clean off the small shaft with diesel fuel and lubricate it with lithium grease. Then I check the “U” joints for signs of wear and clean off the nipples. Now an application of lithium grease is made into the “U” joints until the old grease is expelled. Lubrication should also be applied to the lock pin. The guards are refitted and the shafts put back together. Don’t forget to grease the guards using the attached plastic nipples; this allows independent free movement between the guards and the shaft. The theory of this is to allow the plastic guards to stop rotating if something (such as your arm) becomes entangled on the drive shaft. It is not recommended that you test this if the equipment is rotating, nor is it recommended that you operate equipment without the guards in place.
The gear box is showing signs of oil seepage, the bolts were re- torqued and the oil level checked.
The primary gear box is next. Start with a visual check which will usually show evidence of oil leaks as the dust created by the equipment will stick to any leaking oil revealing the source of the leak. The PTO end of the gearbox shaft should be checked for excess play by simply wiggling it up and down and pulling it in and out. There should be very little play. If there is excessive play on the shaft or if oil is leaking from the seal, the gearbox play should be checked against manufacture specifications and if necessary, repaired. Remove the oil filler bung and check the level with a dip stick. The manufacturer’s specifications will advise on the proper level and viscosity of oil that is to be used.
The secondary drive unit may use grease or oil as a lubricant. If it’s grease (as mine is) the only way to check if it has a sufficient amount is to remove the cover which is supposed to be checked once a year. If its lubrication is oil, there should be a bung that you can remove allowing you to dip the level. In either case, the secondary drive is chain driven which means it will have a tensioner in the casing which should be checked at least every year.
It is a good idea to walk the garden prior to tilling to remove any stakes and in this case, marking line that was left behind and now wrapped around the shaft.
Lastly, I lift the unit as high as the 3pt will go and block it with vehicle stands, then crawl underneath with a scraper and remove all vegetation, soil and string that has wrapped itself around the tines. After the maintenance I spray the under-carriage including the rear flap with Smart Earth multi-purpose lubricant spray, a Canadian-made biodegradable product which has great creeping capabilities and keeps everything protected from rust and free moving.
To expedite these tasks, I write the bolt sizes right on the equipment with a permanent marker. All the maintenance requirements are listed in the owner’s manual, which can also be obtained via the Internet. If yours is unavailable, a model that is close to what you own can be used to give you an idea.As my unit is rated up to 40 hp and I’m running a 17 hp tractor I adjusted the slip clutch on the PTO so that it slips just before the engine wants to stall. To do this I had to remove half of the tension springs and bolts and then make the adjustment. This was a trial and error session that took about an hour. The rototiller will now break new ground without slipping but will still slip if a rock is struck, preventing damage to the drive unit or tractor.
Writing the wrench size on the equipment with permanent marker cuts down the time trying to get the correct tool.
The walk-behind units, require more maintenance than the PTO versions because they have their own engine. Here, the standard maintenance schedule as set out by the manufacturer is followed on an hourly basis and will include oil changes, filter changes or cleaning, along with sparkplug attention. The belts will let you know when they need changing by slipping too much. The final drives, either gearbox, chain or worm gear, will have a bung allowing checking of oil levels and filling. On some units the cluster of tines are removable and should be removed from the drive shaft and lubricated yearly or they will rust together. As with the PTO versions, removal of tangled vegetation is a must after operation and an overall spraying when put away with a product such as Smart Earth will keep everything coated, preventing rust.
The small unit I purchased for my wife is a straight-shaft eight-tine unit which couples to an Echo P266 power head and requires minimal maintenance. Removal of vegetation, a check of the gear oil level and a quick filing of the cutting edge is all it needs after each season; it’s basically a powered hoe that cuts garden maintenance by about 75 per cent.
The three-point units provide a nice garden base on a one pass basis once the garden is established. I have found that initially with new ground it takes three passes to give the acceptable results demanded by my boss.
- Dan Kerr