Pull Disk in sandy soil

[Robert More]

I'm trying to match up the right size wheel disk for the sandy soil we have.
My tractor is fwd 52 eng. and 47 hp pto .
I found a good deal on a new 8' tufline out of state, that I want to order

Any input would be appreciative

 

[leonz]

I'm trying to match up the right size wheel disk for the sandy soil we have.
My tractor is fwd 52 eng. and 47 hp pto .
I found a good deal on a new 8' tufline out of state, that I want to order

Any input would be appreciative

If it is integral-meaning three point hitch mounted you should be fine as the disc harrow will be directly behind the tractor at all times.

Is the disc paired with notched discs in the front rows?

Is the disk set with the discs offset and behind the front or are both rows of discs inline with both rows parallel or both rows at shallow angle to each other?

 

[Robert More]

It's not built yet leonz, I was going to go with , 9" BLADE SPACING, 20 blades, 20" notched blades on front, plain on rear.

I've been using a cross drawbar on the 3pt. to pull a older 6' offset drag type disk with 18x20
and I use full throttle (in low 4th gear fwd.) that pulls around 5 mph.

I'm very new to this tractor I just got it , its a MF 451

Here a picture of how my disk is going to be set up, not the same size disk though.

 

[leonz]

You should have zero problems with that disc harrow.

The one thing I would think long and hard about is whether
I would really want a set of smooth discs on the rear.

One quick cheat with towed implements is to attach a pair
of heavy chains to the corners and tighten the chains
up to make the harrow follow more closely in turns.

Its especially handy when you want to back up and the
implement has a mind of its own and goes where only
it wants to go.

 

[Robert More]

I'm not sure what you mean (heavy chains to the corners and tighten the chains) Do you mean to have two chains attached from the tractor to the corners of the implement ?

And to the blades I first was thinking of going all smooth , I figured they would last longer.
But maybe smooth disks are harder to pull in sandy soil conditions like we have here.

Another option they have is grease-able trunnion bearing housing, compared to triple sealed bearings that comes standard.
Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[wolc123]

I would go with a 10 foot wide, un-notched blade, pull-type disc for a tractor of that size and sandy soil. Smooth blades last up to 4x longer, and notched style are not necessary in sandy soil. Most folks here relate more to 3 point discs which are far more common on CUT's, and an 8-foot 3-point would be the right size for that tractor. You are definitely on the right track with the pull-type disc, which do a far better job than a 3-point, the most significant improvement being aproximately 30% less fuel usage to do the same job, assuming equal weight per disc 3-point and pull-type. I have an 8-foot pull-type disc that is sized perfectly for, and I use often behind a 28 hp, Ford 8n tractor. I also use it on occasion behind a 20 hp Allis Chalmers C (a little bit much for on more aggressive settings), or a 46 hp, 4wd, JD 4120. Honestly, the JD does not even seem to know the disc is back there, even at the most aggressive cut angle, and could probably handle a 12-footer. It pulls that disc easily thru plowed ground at relatively high ground speed and the engine at idle speed, as long as the 4wd is engaged. Other than a front-loader, I can think of no implement that benefits more from 4wd than a disc. With your 4wd tractor, you can definitely bump up the disc size compared to what a 2wd tractor of the same weight could handle. Again, fuel economy comes into play here and your 4wd will get the discing job done using around 25% less fuel. If you add these two factors together (pull-type disc and 4wd), less than half the fuel can be used to do the job compared to a 2wd tractor with a 3-point disc. In these days of $4.00 diesel, I think folks are crazy trying to work any serious ammount of land with the latter.

 

[jenkinsph]

That disk should work well for your tractor, I would prefer smooth disks front and rear for sandy soil. Notched in front and smooth in rear is okay too. 9" blade spacing is what I prefer. If it were me I would prefer an 8' pull type with 22" blades on 9" spacings with scrapers. Tuffline makes a nice disk, you should be good to go.

 

[leonz]

I'm not sure what you mean (heavy chains to the corners and tighten the chains) Do you mean to have two chains attached from the tractor to the corners of the implement ?


"exactly!, it limits the "wild willie" factor when backing and avoids excessive overlap" and the front discs are made more aggressive by restricting the amount of swing off the pivot.


And to the blades I first was thinking of going all smooth , I figured they would last longer.
But maybe smooth disks are harder to pull in sandy soil conditions like we have here.

Another option they have is grease-able trunnion bearing housing, compared to triple sealed bearings that comes standard.
Thanks :thumbsup:

"you will not make a mistake buying a harrow with grease fittings"

 

[Don87]

"you will not make a mistake buying a harrow with grease fittings"

As long as the grease gun is used regularly.

 

[wolc123]

It is good to get in the habit of greasing the disc after every use. That way, it will be ready to go when you need it and the grease will protect the shafts/bearings during inactivity. I cant imagine sealed bearings holding up very well on a disc.