To study the effect of soil translocation by different upslope tillage intensities on water erosion, we took the slope runoff plot in the Dry-hot Valley of Jinsha River as the research object. A series of scouring experiments were conducted in three runoff plots (2 m×10 m) with three slope gradients (5°, 10°, 15°) and a fixed flow discharge of 0.6 m²/h. Three soil depths (0.05 m, 0.10 m, 0.20 m) were set on the downslope positions of the 10° slope representing the soil loss by continuous tillage for 80, 69 and 46 years respectively. Runoff and sediment were collected at the outlet of runoff plot to examine the effect of different tillage intensities and gradients on runoff rate, runoff amount, detachment rate and total sediment yield. The main results showed that: (1) The more intensive tillage was, the more easily runoff in the 10° slope. The runoff rate, runoff amount, detachment rate and sediment yield increased with the increasing tillage intensities: 46 years < 69 years < 80 years, suggesting that soil translocation caused by long-term upslope tillage accelerated water erosion. (2) The runoff started time after the initiation of the scouring decreased with the increasing slope gradients on the 69 years slopes. In the experimented slope range, the runoff rate, runoff amount, detachment rate and sediment yield were as follow: 5° < 10° < 15°, showing that the increase of slopes further promoted water erosion. (3) A positively exponential correlation was found between runoff rates and detachment rates. The increase of tillage intensities enhanced the exponential growth, but the increase of slope gradients weakened the exponential relationship of water and sediment. These results provide references for revealing the affecting mechanism of long-term upslope tillage intensity and slope gradient on water erosion in the dry-hot valley region.