Re: Tillers - BCS
We have an 8hp BSC with a wide tiller (BSC offers 2 tiller widths), furrower, and the sickle bar attachment. We are very happy with this arrangement. We grow only for our own use - 1/2 acre tilled garden beds. At 57 and of slight build I do not find the BCS sickle bar too jarring to operate. It does take some getting used to though. It is much slower than a riding mower and is a workout to use. All nuts must be tightened properly and the 2 nuts/bolts that hold the bar on the front MUST be treated with lock tight to keep them from rattling loose. (Not the nuts that hold the attachment on the engine unit.) After loosening a few when mowing, I got a supply, then used lock tight. I have not lost any since. Regards, Jay's dad I'm looking at the 8hp BCS right now. Do you think that it is too small? Good season's end pricing on it. 26inch tiller: $1700 I don't want to buy one too small, but my only goal is to get a mower attachment (sickle) for it, beyond tilling. _ Join the worlds largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com
Re: Tillers
This does bring us to where my mind went this evening. Would you be better off more in keeping with threefolding by contracting for chisel or even subsoil tilling of 3' beds. Then get a quality mower to keep the paths landscape set for work and as Hugh L. saz - feeding worms-. We here in the Us set such a huge value on purchasing equipment to do it ourselves. What do we loose? Who did we fail to bring into our sphere ... . I find more more, the contacts born of need as well as synchronicity pay a hundred fold over outlay. Just a meditation I had. What you mention, my friend, requires a village. We are far from having a village here outside of Washington DC. For example, we offered free Friday passes to the two 'organic' vegetable farms minutes down the road from the conference. This meant they could see hugh courtney, Elaine Ingham and Howard Shaprio...something for everyone. Not one of them showed up. Worse yet, no apologies. ;-) My experience of hiring custom farmers is to receive a torrent of abuse, usually revolvign around YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! MY GRANDPAPPY FARMED LIKE THAT, BUT NOW THERE ARE MORE BUGS!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!! YOU'RE JUST WASTING SOMEONE'S MONEY (actualy quote) So, yes, I will hire tractors to do some stuff, but I want to know that on that day when a seed bed needs to be made because we're two days past a 5 day rain, and so on, I want to know I can lay it out like magic. All by myself, if that's what it takes.
Re: Tillers
allen, absolutly right on, if you can find someone to fhire, and if they have the right equipment and if they'll actually do it when you need it done... too many ifs. we never could find someone to cut and bale hay as kc says if you want something done do it yourself on another note we did get a nighbor to prepare our pastures for reseeding and with all the wondrous rain theres a haze of green coming up... i do feel it was a response to prayer and luck we even found him, i noticed his tractor riding by. :)sharon PS... anyone know where bcs tillers are available? address? none around here in southern Delaware.- Original Message - From: Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 11, 2002 9:55 AM Subject: Re: Tillers This does bring us to where my mind went this evening. Would you be better off more in keeping with threefolding by contracting for chisel or even subsoil tilling of 3' beds. Then get a quality mower to keep the paths landscape set for work and as Hugh L. saz - feeding worms-. We here in the Us set such a huge value on purchasing equipment to do it ourselves. What do we loose? Who did we fail to bring into our sphere ... . I find more more, the contacts born of need as well as synchronicity pay a hundred fold over outlay. Just a meditation I had. What you mention, my friend, requires a village. We are far from having a village here outside of Washington DC. For example, we offered free Friday passes to the two 'organic' vegetable farms minutes down the road from the conference. This meant they could see hugh courtney, Elaine Ingham and Howard Shaprio...something for everyone. Not one of them showed up. Worse yet, no apologies. ;-) My experience of hiring custom farmers is to receive a torrent of abuse, usually revolvign around YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! MY GRANDPAPPY FARMED LIKE THAT, BUT NOW THERE ARE MORE BUGS!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!! YOU'RE JUST WASTING SOMEONE'S MONEY (actualy quote) So, yes, I will hire tractors to do some stuff, but I want to know that on that day when a seed bed needs to be made because we're two days past a 5 day rain, and so on, I want to know I can lay it out like magic. All by myself, if that's what it takes.
Re: Tillers
Title: Re: Tillers From: Allan Balliett Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 Subject: Re: Tillers ;-) This a tear in your eye, right. there is in mine. St Jude is becoming the patron saint of farming. In Love Light Markess
Re: Tillers
Title: Re: Tillers From: Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Tillers Someone said GOLDINI, but I'm not familiar with those machines. What else? I'm very interested in hearing of the experiences of others with any of these machines. Allan, I have 2 BCS's love the older 9 horse with the Acme engine. Huge torque, nice engine sound, if any sound in the landscape from engines is . If you can find one have it shipped to you - all it's componates are great. The most important is it's balance. Tills beautifully even handles rock in a somewhat graceful manner. Then I have a larger 12 Twin-V Briggs Not a good engine, runs very hot hard to keep clean, poor balance so you have to hold it up use a tiller wheel to move any distance. it runs a chipper very well as it dose the brush hog. I mainly rent it out. I don't know about the present product. L*L Markess
Re: Tillers
Thanks for this good information, Markess. I'm looking at the 8hp BCS right now. Do you think that it is too small? Good season's end pricing on it. 26inch tiller: $1700 I don't want to buy one too small, but my only goal is to get a mower attachment (sickle) for it, beyond tilling.
Re: Tillers
Allan, 1st is your last about a sickle mower it had better come with a 20 year old to run it. It will beat you the equipment to a pulp, it does mow well but you think the spader is slow! Now maybe a sulky and a laptop would make it bearable. But don't forget the engine is in your face while mowing. (my Farris is also) hmm, I rented a troybilt sickle mower a few years back. (not twenty then, either) and happily mowed an acre of johnson grass mixed with datura and amaranth. Like butter. I felt like a greenland Paul Bunyan. The troybilt model is discontinued. I wouldn't be looking for one for regular mowing, but for recovery or initial mowing. I have a rolling line trimmer now, but find it very slow and am so very tired of both installing new line and of finding bits of line EVERYWHERE. What are you recommending as a tiller width? I could live with 3ft wide beds but I don't know that I could horse around a 3ft wide tiller. And if I did, at what horsepower? (9hp?) Thanks
Re: Tillers
Title: Re: Tillers hmm, I rented a troybilt sickle mower a few years back. (not twenty then, either) and happily mowed an acre of johnson grass mixed with datura and amaranth. Like butter. well as ron wrote but that sickle bar will shake and rattle you to death! Keep a wrench handy; What are you recommending as a tiller width? I could live with 3ft wide beds but I don't know that I could horse around a 3ft wide tiller. And if I did, at what horsepower? (9hp?) Mine is 32 and the 9hp worked well and the 12hp no better but my soils are great to pretty good.( we have spader in a barter for planting this year and spoiled does not fill out the praise the Linda has expressed at the beds ease etal.) This does bring us to where my mind went this evening. Would you be better off more in keeping with threefolding by contracting for chisel or even subsoil tilling of 3' beds. Then get a quality mower to keep the paths landscape set for work and as Hugh L. saz - feeding worms-. We here in the Us set such a huge value on purchasing equipment to do it ourselves. What do we loose? Who did we fail to bring into our sphere ... . I find more more, the contacts born of need as well as synchronicity pay a hundred fold over outlay. Just a meditation I had. L*L Markess
Re: Tillers
Why don't you get a Perfecta, with those serious S-tines and the roller basket??? Stay away from moving parts dude. First pass with the Perfecta, then spade. What about a disc. Those small bcs machines have there place but you have to work with what you have. That Kubota was a nice lookin tractor, make it do the work...sstorch
Re: Tillers
Down the road from the conference, to the left there were some nice small tractors for sale, Yanmars, that you could put a small tiller on and other small implements, they were 4wd, looked in good shape find out how much, there were two, maybe I'll get one...sstorch
Re: Tillers
Allan: Yeah, ive got 3-4 Troy carcasses stored .. waiting for when i have the time to adapt them for specialized uses. I've been quite impressed with my BCS, and i keep it around for skimming a rough surface to make a seed bed in smaller areas; as well as a tote gote for various jobs. Made a chariot for it as well! It's an older model..10 hp, but can have all the attachments. I think you pay a premium for that potential feature, but you just cant beat the shaft drive...especially if you have wheel weights. Ive heard the Goldini is comparable. I recall seeing a similar American-made version (i think)advert in the back of an Organic Gardening magazine a few years back, and they had 12 and 14 hp available ...as does BCS. I would stay away from Briggs and Stratton engines. Historically they have not had the solidity of Kohler engines. The newer B/S may be different (worthy) though, if they have a pressurized oil system. I sure am curious why you are happy to have a break from the spader. I've only had one for this season, but am glad not to be tillering. Unless you need the walking tiller for small areas, you could pick up a new/used pto tiller for less $ than the walkbehind. I have used the pto tiller for skimming a large sod surface before mulching, because of the easier shallow-depth control/cut of the tiller. .Till next time. manfred - Original Message - From: Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 5:10 PM Subject: Tillers I know, I know, but... If you hadn't heard before, I'm moving to new ground this fall. This means I've got to move through lots of sod, one way or the other. After several years with a spading machine, I'm pretty happy to think about working with at tiller again. This is not an endorsement of tilling, this is just me saying that what I'm doing with soil will more than compensate for the damage I do when tilling at startup time. I've been using a troybilt Horse model. It's about had the course, needing a new carb and new tines and, really, a new rearend. For the cost of those repairs, I should get the type of tiller that I should have bought in the first place. I'm looking at the BCS line. I'm also looking for other recommendations. Someone said GOLDINI, but I'm not familiar with those machines. What else? Of course, I'm interested in hearing about well-cared-for machines that are for sale. I'm very interested in hearing of the experiences of others with any of these machines. Thanks -Allan
Re: Tillers
Down the road from the conference, to the left there were some nice small tractors for sale, Yanmars, that you could put a small tiller on and other small implements, they were 4wd, looked in good shape find out how much, there were two, maybe I'll get one...sstorch Steve - I guess the problem here is that you are in landscaping and I'm in vegetables. I don't have the bucks for a tractor and, frankly, I'd rather work with a fork and a spade. I have to work fast, though, so the tiller will be very nice. Yes, if I had a tractor, I would use it. -Allan
Re: Tillers
I sure am curious why you are happy to have a break from the spader. I've only had one for this season, but am glad not to be tillering. Unless you need the walking tiller for small areas, you could pick up a new/used pto tiller for less $ than the walkbehind. I have used the pto tiller for skimming a large sod surface before mulching, because of the easier shallow-depth control/cut of the tiller. It's probably a personal problem, but I was not getting the depth of fracture that I expected from a spader. The tiller won't do better, of course, but I think it will do as well. By the time we come to actually creating soil structure, I expect to be off the tiller and back onto the hand tools. As Bruce Blevins used to say 'The only excuse for bringing petro into a BD garden is to find a way to get it out and keep it out.' In otherwords, start with power but evolve to handtools
Re: Tillers
Allen, we've been in this evolving course to farm/garden with hand tools/mulch and horses for about 10 years on our small 5 acre piece. we can't afford a tractor the right size either, also have an almost worn out tiller, troy built horse with kholer engine. we now have raised a team, have the harness , collars, plow, cultivator, built a sled for pulling, paid for a little bit of professional training, still not there,but as kc's dad says we're gaining on her. the mare is 9, her teammate is 1-1/2. I was trying to send a letter and photo to be published in the Small Farmers Journal but couldn't send the photo. They wanted a picture of me and the foal. Any advice on how to send it, with out a shortcut? Anyone?.The computer would always disconnect, it would take so long. They have a new column about connecting people with each other called hello ,my name is . Well Allen, you want to borrow a horse for the season?Do you know how to work them?I most definately got inspired by the conference. We went to the Winters today, got manures, will be making preps and spraying for the next few days. Our landscape is transforming to more of a permaculture situation with the small handworked gardens becoming rotational grazing, and the pastures being put into horse cultivated garden,/pasture areas... least thats the plan. I hope you can make it over to visit , and with the Winters as well , after the season slows down.:)sharon - Original Message - From: Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 10:14 PM Subject: Re: Tillers Down the road from the conference, to the left there were some nice small tractors for sale, Yanmars, that you could put a small tiller on and other small implements, they were 4wd, looked in good shape find out how much, there were two, maybe I'll get one...sstorch Steve - I guess the problem here is that you are in landscaping and I'm in vegetables. I don't have the bucks for a tractor and, frankly, I'd rather work with a fork and a spade. I have to work fast, though, so the tiller will be very nice. Yes, if I had a tractor, I would use it. -Allan
