The Bercomac Tiller Story (on an L120/K66) - Part 3

[ryanpf]

The Bercomac Tiller Story (on an L120/K66) - Part 3

Here we sit, all mounted up and plenty of open land to till. Oppps! That's the neighbor's lawn I was eyeing. Guess I'll have to find some of my own to try it out.



Went down to my wife's established little garden plot and took one test run. At the end of the run I turned around and couldn't believe it. It looks like a planting bed out of Organic Gardening ready for seeding. It's just beautiful! Lucky I didn't snag any of her precious raspberries in the process...



Okay, enough delaying. Here's the first 34'x30' plot slated for destruction. I've marked it with white paint lines (very faint in picture) and a test dig to see if it will actually cut through the sod. You can see the grass is real spotty here and it's never been a good lawn candidate. You'll see why in a minute.


Here's the after picture about ten minutes later. I took one run at 3" depth and it went off with out a hitch. Well almost...



On the last swipe through, right in the middle of the plot, the tiller bounced, the L120 shook, then died. This little gem jammed in the tines. No panic, just a "unintended delay". The rock popped right out and after a few choice words, I was back on my way. The tiller showed no effects, not even a scratch. I'm pretty sure I heard it chuckle as we started off again. It sounded like "Ha, ha ha, eh".



Since that run I've tilled it three times, going deeper each time. I'm getting real good at knowing when it "feels" one of the boulders underneath and hitting the PTO button. I've found that it wasn't so much a poor lawn as it was a great rock garden. The brother to the one above is pictured here with #1. Since then I've had at least four more, with the biggest one that's bigger than these two combined. I think I'm about through with tilling rocks, but we'll see.



This week I'm ordering 9 yards of mushroom soil and tilling it in. After a little touch up, I should be ready to plant the onions and potatoes before April Fools. Oh, traction was never a problem. A regular K46 would handle this with ease. Since its forward spinning tines actually pull the tiller through the soil, you have to feather the motion control pedal to keep from going too fast. Now, were this a plow, then traction might be a problem. The only downside I've seen so far is the lengthly initial setup time, especially when you're doing it alone on a "nonstandard" model. Oh, and of all the 3 supplied drive belts for all manner of tractors, none fit properly. The instruction manual even states that you may have to figure this one out by yourself since this IS a "Universal" model. They supply an A58/4L600 that's supposed to fit an L120, but it was a bit toooo loose. The idler pulley was almost against (~1/8") the primary tiller drive pulley. I opted for an A56/4L580 from TruValue down the street (*). That fits fine and the pulley now has over 1 1/2" clearance. Other than that, nothing to speak of.

So, bottom line, what do I think of the tiller. I'm thrilled!! I've used 8 HP walk behinds and mantis type tillers to work our land. This is by far the way to go. It takes up less space in the garage, has only one grease fitting to tend to, no engine to service, leaves a fantastic plot to work, and it's built like a brick shi... oh, sorry...brick shack. It's expensive, sure, but you can't take it with you, and I'm not sure how long I have to spend it. So, go buy one now and keep Canada afloat (while we sink...)

Paul

P.S. Let me know if you want pics of any particular section or part.

(*) Be careful if you go to an automotive place (like NAPA, AutoZone, etc.) for belts. They are usually from the 3Lxxx series and not up to handling the load of a tiller, snowblower and similar machinery. They ARE cheaper, but consider how often you want to change the belt(s).

[John@Reliable]

looks like a winner

[Umaxman]

Thats reall nice ...I need one and to think its Canadian

[mhussey]

Impressive, nice write up and great pics!

[craigbaill]

That was a GREAT info thread! I was reading parts out loud to my wife and we had some good chuckles. Great pics and thanks for the info , as I am contemplating a Bercomac snowthrower. It always helps to see how a company makes ALL their equipment.

[PA318Guy]

Nice fab on the berco install, and you just can't beat a tiller pulled by your tractor. Much easier to drink the beer than with a walk behind.

[ryanpf]

Thanks for the comments Craigbaill. After trying for eight years to make adult education classes interesting, I've developed a slightly warped sense of humor.

If Bercomac's snow thrower is built anything like their tiller then it has to be one solid unit. I'm now thinking I should have bought the Berco snow thrower instead of the JD 44" snow thrower, but it's too late now.

There were a few moments during installation that I thought to myself, "Of course they had to design it this way, it's a *universal* tiller. That's pretty cool!".

If you spring for their snow thrower, post a pic or two.

Thanks again,
Paul

[mundro]

I have both the tiller and 40" blower. They are built like tanks. The blower is finishing up it's 6th season and I love it. My tiller is starting it's 5th season and all that I have done to it is replaced a pulley(which was my fault anyway). Great machines. Just keep in mind parts can take a while to get sometimes. Why, I'm not sure.

[Umaxman]

I was interested in one of their soft cabs for my LA145 and emailed the all dealers listed on their web site and none have gotten back to me ?
I emailed them directly also and they said to contact a dealer ...I guess they don't want to sell anything to bad..
Anyone know how much the soft cabs are through JD ?

[albertj03]

Forgive me if you already posted it but how much does the tiller cost?

Thanks!

[Hugh-SS/16]

so what is the power source? where does it connect to the PTO?

[mhussey]

Originally Posted by ryanpf

If Bercomac's snow thrower is built anything like their tiller then it has to be one solid unit. I'm now thinking I should have bought the Berco snow thrower instead of the JD 44" snow thrower, but it's too late now.

My neighbor works for a Toro dealer and came over to look over my JD 44" snowblower after I installed it. He said it was made by Berco for JD. I looked at Bercomac's website and I tend to agree with him until proven wrong.

[wmupaprmkr]

nice job on the tilling, looks like a sweet setup!

[ggsteve]

Originally Posted by Umaxman

I was interested in one of their soft cabs for my LA145 and emailed the all dealers listed on their web site and none have gotten back to me ?
I emailed them directly also and they said to contact a dealer ...I guess they don't want to sell anything to bad..
Anyone know how much the soft cabs are through JD ?

Up in Canada, you're lucky enough to get Craftsman labeled Berco stuff. If you order the Craftsman cab up there I think it's the Berco. I think it's universal fit.

[Umaxman]

Thanks ggsteve I will check that out ..