Please excuse my ignorance as these may be silly questions. Is there a difference between a disc plow and disc harrow? Also I have noticed that some discs have 2 straight rows that are offset which would look like a ">" if looking from above, while the other kind of disc have 2 rows that hinge in the middle so the inside discs are foward from the outside discs. I hope I have explained this well enough. Also is one type better than the other?
Disc plow/disc harrow
- Thread starter Leonard
- Start date
oldnslo
Super Member
The disk type that looks like > is called an offset disk. They are typically used for first pass field cultivation like a chisel plow. They are usually a heavy frame disc meant to cut deep.
The disc's that look like this >< or hinge in the middle are tandem discs. They leave a smoother finish and can be used for first pass or finish pass cultivation. They are usually lighter frame and don't cut as deep as the offset versions.
Disk plow, these are getting rare but the are a single row or disc's that look similar to a mold board plow and perform a similar task.
Roy
The disc's that look like this >< or hinge in the middle are tandem discs. They leave a smoother finish and can be used for first pass or finish pass cultivation. They are usually lighter frame and don't cut as deep as the offset versions.
Disk plow, these are getting rare but the are a single row or disc's that look similar to a mold board plow and perform a similar task.
Roy
OldMcDonald
Platinum Member
No question is silly unless you already know the answer. A disc plough is exactly what it says it is - a plough that uses discs to turn over the ground instead of a mouldboard. They come in a large range of sizes. I have never seen anything less than two discs (suitable for compact tractors) and had an 18-disc unit in Australia. The discs on these wide ploughs are in a straight line with each other and slightly trail one another in use. allowing the trailing one to begin cutting at a suitable distance behind the previous so that the furrows lie well - similar to a multi-furrow mouldboard plough. I am sure you can find pictures and probably videos with an Internet search. My description is not the best!!
As with disc ploughs, disc harrows come in a wide range of sizes too. Again do a search. The action is different in that there is more than one line of discs, and as you have already obnserved they cut at different angles. They are particularly good at breaking up ploughing after mouldboard, or in bigger models are frequently used in between planted trees to keep the ground clear and break up falling branches. Hinges, if any, depend on the size of the harrow, and possibly the designer of the unit.
As with disc ploughs, disc harrows come in a wide range of sizes too. Again do a search. The action is different in that there is more than one line of discs, and as you have already obnserved they cut at different angles. They are particularly good at breaking up ploughing after mouldboard, or in bigger models are frequently used in between planted trees to keep the ground clear and break up falling branches. Hinges, if any, depend on the size of the harrow, and possibly the designer of the unit.
OldMcDonald
Platinum Member
An overlap in posts, sorry. I was typing whilst the previous post was being made.