jeff9366
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 12,386
- Tractor
- Kubota Tractor Loader L3560 HST+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3,700 pounds bare tractor, 5,400 pounds operating weight, 37 horsepower
I live in north-central Florida. My soil is nearly rock free sandy loam, what rock there is consists of soft lime-rock. My soil presents a MINIMAL CHALLENGE for disc harrows.
February 28, 2013 I took delivery of a Howse 3-Pt. disc harrow, Model DLHT16822B, from my local Kubota/Howse dealer. The dealer, from who I bought my tractor, recommended I consider the DLHT. At the time I was researching Land Pride, Everything Attachments (ETA), TSC/Countyline and Monroe Tufline.
Howse DLHT is a box frame 16/18 disc harrow, meaning 16 discs, each 18" in diameter. It cuts a swath nominally 5'6" in width, adjustable by moving the disc hangers. Howse, Land Pride, ETA and Tufline box frame discs referenced in this post are spec'ed as 16/18, 5 to 5'6" wide for consistency. Most manufactures also offer a 20/18 option.
Howse conservatively describes the DLHT series as MEDIUM DUTY. The Howse DLHT16822B weighs 587 pounds. It has a 1" axle on sealed flange bearings. I paid $950 delivered. (No sales tax in Florida on ag or forestry equipment.)
( Howse also sells DHT Series disc harrows with 20" discs and 1-1/8" axles, which Howse describes as HEAVY DUTY. )
Default Howse configuration is 16/18. My primary objective involves CUTTING, opening new game feed plots, maintaining vegetation free fire breaks and renovating pasture, not smoothing plow furrows. The harrow weight on 16 discs, rather than 20 discs, puts more cutting weight on each disc. (There is a T-B-N consensus that to cut effectively disc harrows should have 40+ pounds weighting each disc.)
Tractor users with SMOOTHING (plow furrows) as their priority may want to consider the 20/18 or 20/20 configuration.
Disc harrows come with two types of discs: notched and smooth. Notched discs cut pasture grass and crop stubble better; in open soil notched blades jerk out trash, meaning vines and tree roots, which often stick in the notches. If you have a load of rocks in your soil, bear in mind notched discs deform easier than solid/smooth discs. The Howse DLHT ships with notched discs front and rear, good for my conditions and objectives.
Discs for compact tractor harrows come in 16"-18"-20" diameter. The issues with diameter are concavity, wear and lift. Smaller diameter discs have less concavity (less "float") than larger discs, so they cut deeper. Larger diameter discs will wear longer before needing replacement and, with greater concavity, move more soil laterally. Discs of larger diameter require more lift from the three point hitch. A disc harrow heavier than the Howse DLHT may have thicker, heavier discs.
Generally speaking sub-compact tractors will use 16" diameter discs, mid-size compacts 18" discs; 50+ horsepower utility tractors may opt for 20".
The Howse has a dropped double clevis to receive the draw pins. On a compact tractor a dropped clevis is nice; it allows the 3-Pt. to lift the harrow sooner. Note pictures showing harrow in the air. Minimum disc height above ground is 14-1/2". I prefer a wide double clevis to accept draw pins. The TSC Countyline has "open" draw pins attached to the harrow frame; in a "normal", undropped position. The Land Pride DH1560 has dropped "open" draw pins. The Howse, with its wide, dropped, double clevis is the easiest implement I own to mount in the 3-Pt.
( Most difficult is 60" King Kutter Rotary Harrow.)
The local Tractor Supply Company (TSC) sells a seven foot wide, box frame 20/18 Countyline disc, manufactured by Tarter, of similar design to the Howse, as HEAVY DUTY. Tarter's Heavy Duty description is perhaps "trade puffery". (Tarter/TSC disc in three photos is 7' width.)
The Howse and TSC Countyline/Tarter harrows have same system of gang adjustments, but the Howse has five adjustment holes, the TSC four. Both have three through bolts/nuts clamping upper and lower adjustment plates, which have two rib guides on the top plate mirrored by two rib guides on the bottom plate. To adjust the gang angles, the two outer bolts/nuts are loosened, the center bolt removed, then the gang is pulled and jiggled to line up holes in sliding adjustment plates with fixed holes in harrow frame, using gang lenghth for leverage. The center bolt is replaced and all three bolts/nuts tightened. {Loosening/replacing bolts/nuts is a time consuming process.} I have applied wax lube to the harrow frame over which the adjustment plates slide. Right now, new, it adjusts pretty easily. I understand with use, rust, dust, deformity, etc., gang adjustment becomes harder. However, I expect to settle on a 'default' setting soon and only change the gang angles infrequently thereafter. Photo #5: Currently the front gang is set one hold forward from "flat", the rear gang is set all the way back, as "flat" as allowed but still at a shallow angle.
Some TBN threads suggest substituting a 5" pin as a pivot in lieu of the center bolt. With only a center pin, it seems possible the center support could "jump" the guides; stay with the center bolt and nut.
Relative to the TSC, the Howse is a slightly simplified/KISS design, its parts more precisely cut, welded and finished.
Two 5' - 6' disc harrows could be accurately described as HEAVY DUTY, by design and by weight. Both adjust gang angles more readily than the Howse/Countyline friction plate system but cost more $$$.
Everything Attachment's ETA-XD-BF-DH-16-18 disc harrow weighs 686 pounds and is priced at $1554 delivered to Fanning Springs. The ETA disc has two long gang adjustment screws, one on each gang, to adjust the gang angle of attack. I admired ETA disc at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Georgia. Leinbach box-frame disc harrows use a functionally identical screw adjustment.
Monroe Tufline's THE71618BF disc harrow (1-1/8" axle) weighs 670 pounds and was quoted at $2100, plus a local delivery charge. The Tufline has lever adjustment of the gang angles. I researched the Tufline 'THE' discs on Tufline's very basic web site. I have not seen a Tufline live but the Tufline brand has an excellent reputation.
Price is not the first priority when I purchase attachments. However, my sandy-loam is not challenging to disc so I bought the Howse as adequate and a good value.
I pull the Howse behind a Kubota B3300SU tractor/loader ( 33-hp / 1,900 pounds / 4-WD / 58" tire width ) Tractor and DLHT disc are a good match.
It is important to tighten the four axle nuts regularly on a new disc harrow; they loosen. My Howse vender told me that if the axle nuts are tightened regularly the entire gang assembly settles in eventually and thereafter axle nuts require tightening infrequently. As an experiment I have replaced OEM split ring lock washers on left side with Swedish Nord-Lock anti-virbration lock washers. (See Photo #4) The right side is OEM stock. I will report results. A secondary test for tightness involves "ringing" the discs with a mallet when the harrow is elevated above soil. A loose disc will give off a flat tone.
If axle bolt is not kept tight, disc hubs and axle will work each other, ruining one or both.
After around 20 hours pulling the Howse its ground engagement has been completely satisfactory.
Howse offers its harrows in Kubota orange paint. Thank you, Howse. Standard Howse color is red.
Two complaints: No operator's manual with the Howse. I like manuals. Photo #10: When adjusting the rear gang I found the left clamp bolt to be 4-1/2" long, instead of 5" like the other five clamp/adjusting bolts. Sloppy assembly. So I drove 20 miles/round trip to Tractor Supply for a 5" replacement. I am adding upper/lower flat washers to six gang angle adjustment bolts to preserve the paint.
HOWSE LINK:
https://store.howseimplement.com/in...en/disc-harrow-16-18-blades-w-ball-brg-1.html
February 28, 2013 I took delivery of a Howse 3-Pt. disc harrow, Model DLHT16822B, from my local Kubota/Howse dealer. The dealer, from who I bought my tractor, recommended I consider the DLHT. At the time I was researching Land Pride, Everything Attachments (ETA), TSC/Countyline and Monroe Tufline.
Howse DLHT is a box frame 16/18 disc harrow, meaning 16 discs, each 18" in diameter. It cuts a swath nominally 5'6" in width, adjustable by moving the disc hangers. Howse, Land Pride, ETA and Tufline box frame discs referenced in this post are spec'ed as 16/18, 5 to 5'6" wide for consistency. Most manufactures also offer a 20/18 option.
Howse conservatively describes the DLHT series as MEDIUM DUTY. The Howse DLHT16822B weighs 587 pounds. It has a 1" axle on sealed flange bearings. I paid $950 delivered. (No sales tax in Florida on ag or forestry equipment.)
( Howse also sells DHT Series disc harrows with 20" discs and 1-1/8" axles, which Howse describes as HEAVY DUTY. )
Default Howse configuration is 16/18. My primary objective involves CUTTING, opening new game feed plots, maintaining vegetation free fire breaks and renovating pasture, not smoothing plow furrows. The harrow weight on 16 discs, rather than 20 discs, puts more cutting weight on each disc. (There is a T-B-N consensus that to cut effectively disc harrows should have 40+ pounds weighting each disc.)
Tractor users with SMOOTHING (plow furrows) as their priority may want to consider the 20/18 or 20/20 configuration.
Disc harrows come with two types of discs: notched and smooth. Notched discs cut pasture grass and crop stubble better; in open soil notched blades jerk out trash, meaning vines and tree roots, which often stick in the notches. If you have a load of rocks in your soil, bear in mind notched discs deform easier than solid/smooth discs. The Howse DLHT ships with notched discs front and rear, good for my conditions and objectives.
Discs for compact tractor harrows come in 16"-18"-20" diameter. The issues with diameter are concavity, wear and lift. Smaller diameter discs have less concavity (less "float") than larger discs, so they cut deeper. Larger diameter discs will wear longer before needing replacement and, with greater concavity, move more soil laterally. Discs of larger diameter require more lift from the three point hitch. A disc harrow heavier than the Howse DLHT may have thicker, heavier discs.
Generally speaking sub-compact tractors will use 16" diameter discs, mid-size compacts 18" discs; 50+ horsepower utility tractors may opt for 20".
The Howse has a dropped double clevis to receive the draw pins. On a compact tractor a dropped clevis is nice; it allows the 3-Pt. to lift the harrow sooner. Note pictures showing harrow in the air. Minimum disc height above ground is 14-1/2". I prefer a wide double clevis to accept draw pins. The TSC Countyline has "open" draw pins attached to the harrow frame; in a "normal", undropped position. The Land Pride DH1560 has dropped "open" draw pins. The Howse, with its wide, dropped, double clevis is the easiest implement I own to mount in the 3-Pt.
( Most difficult is 60" King Kutter Rotary Harrow.)
The local Tractor Supply Company (TSC) sells a seven foot wide, box frame 20/18 Countyline disc, manufactured by Tarter, of similar design to the Howse, as HEAVY DUTY. Tarter's Heavy Duty description is perhaps "trade puffery". (Tarter/TSC disc in three photos is 7' width.)
The Howse and TSC Countyline/Tarter harrows have same system of gang adjustments, but the Howse has five adjustment holes, the TSC four. Both have three through bolts/nuts clamping upper and lower adjustment plates, which have two rib guides on the top plate mirrored by two rib guides on the bottom plate. To adjust the gang angles, the two outer bolts/nuts are loosened, the center bolt removed, then the gang is pulled and jiggled to line up holes in sliding adjustment plates with fixed holes in harrow frame, using gang lenghth for leverage. The center bolt is replaced and all three bolts/nuts tightened. {Loosening/replacing bolts/nuts is a time consuming process.} I have applied wax lube to the harrow frame over which the adjustment plates slide. Right now, new, it adjusts pretty easily. I understand with use, rust, dust, deformity, etc., gang adjustment becomes harder. However, I expect to settle on a 'default' setting soon and only change the gang angles infrequently thereafter. Photo #5: Currently the front gang is set one hold forward from "flat", the rear gang is set all the way back, as "flat" as allowed but still at a shallow angle.
Some TBN threads suggest substituting a 5" pin as a pivot in lieu of the center bolt. With only a center pin, it seems possible the center support could "jump" the guides; stay with the center bolt and nut.
Relative to the TSC, the Howse is a slightly simplified/KISS design, its parts more precisely cut, welded and finished.
Two 5' - 6' disc harrows could be accurately described as HEAVY DUTY, by design and by weight. Both adjust gang angles more readily than the Howse/Countyline friction plate system but cost more $$$.
Everything Attachment's ETA-XD-BF-DH-16-18 disc harrow weighs 686 pounds and is priced at $1554 delivered to Fanning Springs. The ETA disc has two long gang adjustment screws, one on each gang, to adjust the gang angle of attack. I admired ETA disc at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Georgia. Leinbach box-frame disc harrows use a functionally identical screw adjustment.
Monroe Tufline's THE71618BF disc harrow (1-1/8" axle) weighs 670 pounds and was quoted at $2100, plus a local delivery charge. The Tufline has lever adjustment of the gang angles. I researched the Tufline 'THE' discs on Tufline's very basic web site. I have not seen a Tufline live but the Tufline brand has an excellent reputation.
Price is not the first priority when I purchase attachments. However, my sandy-loam is not challenging to disc so I bought the Howse as adequate and a good value.
I pull the Howse behind a Kubota B3300SU tractor/loader ( 33-hp / 1,900 pounds / 4-WD / 58" tire width ) Tractor and DLHT disc are a good match.
It is important to tighten the four axle nuts regularly on a new disc harrow; they loosen. My Howse vender told me that if the axle nuts are tightened regularly the entire gang assembly settles in eventually and thereafter axle nuts require tightening infrequently. As an experiment I have replaced OEM split ring lock washers on left side with Swedish Nord-Lock anti-virbration lock washers. (See Photo #4) The right side is OEM stock. I will report results. A secondary test for tightness involves "ringing" the discs with a mallet when the harrow is elevated above soil. A loose disc will give off a flat tone.
If axle bolt is not kept tight, disc hubs and axle will work each other, ruining one or both.
After around 20 hours pulling the Howse its ground engagement has been completely satisfactory.
Howse offers its harrows in Kubota orange paint. Thank you, Howse. Standard Howse color is red.
Two complaints: No operator's manual with the Howse. I like manuals. Photo #10: When adjusting the rear gang I found the left clamp bolt to be 4-1/2" long, instead of 5" like the other five clamp/adjusting bolts. Sloppy assembly. So I drove 20 miles/round trip to Tractor Supply for a 5" replacement. I am adding upper/lower flat washers to six gang angle adjustment bolts to preserve the paint.
HOWSE LINK:
https://store.howseimplement.com/in...en/disc-harrow-16-18-blades-w-ball-brg-1.html
Attachments
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