10 acres Tiller or Disk Harrow?

[Dillier23]

Morning,
This has been asked before but it seems not to this large an acreage. I have about 10 acres of corn field on a property I recently purchased that I would like to try to start farming. I have the agronomy background and large farm experience to do the job, but this will be my first time commercial farming on my own. I have a Case DX40 tractor, 40hp, and a 6' KK tiller. I have estimated that I can till the entire 10 acres in a long day (8-11 hours continuous) but I would like to know if anyone has a comparison between what a tiller will do vs a 7'-8' disk harrow. Speed is of some importance, I would like to perhaps become a bit larger in the future.

Would this HST 40hp machine handle a 7'-8' disk effectively? Would a tiller be able to leave a rougher tilled path, I don't want a bed of powder?

 

[jeff9366]

1] I have about 10 acres of corn field. I have a Case DX40 tractor, 40hp, and a 6' KK tiller. I have estimated that I can till the entire 10 acres in a long day (8-11 hours continuous) but I would like to know if anyone has a comparison between what a tiller will do vs a 7'-8' disk harrow.

2]Would this HST 40hp machine handle a 7'-8' disk effectively? Would a tiller be able to leave a rougher tilled path, I don't want a bed of powder?

1] Few people use PTO powered roto-tillers for plots larger than 1-1/2 acres, but that is partly dependent on field shape. Roto-tillers work good for small plots and irregularly shaped plots.

Disc Harrows are another form of tiller, better for tilling ground in long strips. Disc Harrows are not effective at tilling pulled too slow, nor too fast. Optimum speed to pull a Disc Harrow is 4 mph to 5 mph. Too slow and the soil will not mix, too fast and the Disc Harrow pans tend to ride on the ground rather than penetrating and cutting.

2] You need to select a Disc Harrow primarily by diameter of its discs/pans/wheels. Secondarily by its (variable) width.

Here is a thread on selecting Disc Harrows for tractors, which amplifies:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/308251-disc-harrow-selection-18-45-a.html?highlight=

 

[Fossil Farm]

Tiller is out for 10 acres. It would be costly and very slow. Use it for your garden. Depends a bit on your soil conditions and how aggressive your disk harrow is. A disk harrow on first pass may work or primary tillage with a chisel plow, then secondary tillage with your disk harrow plus spring tooth harrow pulled behind the disk to prep the seed bed and then plant.

 

[JSanders10]

In my experience, you will find the pricing jump from a 5'-6' to a 7-8' quite significant.

I would recommend a good heavy duty 6' disc harrow with added weight to the tiller, and one that is adjustable from straight cutting to angled cutting.

 

[txdon]

I have a KK tiller like yours on a 50hp tractor and would not use it on 10 acres. Go with the Disc Harrow.

 

[Raised on a Deere]

I have a KK tiller like yours on a 50hp tractor and would not use it on 10 acres. Go with the Disc Harrow.

I have a 7 footer and it is fantastic on a couple acres (48 HP tractor), just got lucky on an equipment deal years ago on a used tractor. But for 10 acres I would go "no till" or breaking plow and disk harrow, or a really heavy disk harrow alone.

 

[AKfish]

I have a 8' disk that I've pulled with a JD110 @ 43hp (gross). It's a lighter, "finish" type disk. I usually add 500lbs of concrete blocks to it. Tractor will pull it but not real fast, 3mph or so and it won't really cut sod or hard pan soil very well. Need to make several passes to get the soil worked and its best to "crosscut" the field.

Couple of questions, however. Does the field have corn stubble on it? How/what are you considering to re-plant the field with?

If the field has corn stalks - you'll need a 'heavy' disk. I have also used a 5' 1/2' HD disk with my JD 4720 @ 66hp (gross). That disk would CUT and was harder to pull than my 8' finish disk.

That said, if there's stubble you'll need to break it down and incorporate it into the field so you can plant it. A couple of passes with a HD disk will get the field into "winter fallow" shape. Rough enough to limit erosion; yet, the stalks worked into the ground enough to begin degrading.

Rototilling the 10 acres would chew up and incorporate the stubble and leave you with a nice, highly erodible seed bed...

Small tractor, small disk - lot's of time in the field to get it into planting shape. Small tractor, rototiller -lot's of time in the field to get it into planting shape.

More passes with the disc... Fewer passes with the tiller. (I've got a gear drive tiller, too. Used it to till 3-4 acre fields.)

AKfish

 

[Raised on a Deere]

I have a 8' disk that I've pulled with a JD110 @ 43hp (gross). It's a lighter, "finish" type disk. I usually add 500lbs of concrete blocks to it. Tractor will pull it but not real fast, 3mph or so and it won't really cut sod or hard pan soil very well. Need to make several passes to get the soil worked and its best to "crosscut" the field.

Couple of questions, however. Does the field have corn stubble on it? How/what are you considering to re-plant the field with?

If the field has corn stalks - you'll need a 'heavy' disk. I have also used a 5' 1/2' HD disk with my JD 4720 @ 66hp (gross). That disk would CUT and was harder to pull than my 8' finish disk.

That said, if there's stubble you'll need to break it down and incorporate it into the field so you can plant it. A couple of passes with a HD disk will get the field into "winter fallow" shape. Rough enough to limit erosion; yet, the stalks worked into the ground enough to begin degrading.

Rototilling the 10 acres would chew up and incorporate the stubble and leave you with a nice, highly erodible seed bed...

Small tractor, small disk - lot's of time in the field to get it into planting shape. Small tractor, rototiller -lot's of time in the field to get it into planting shape.

More passes with the disc... Fewer passes with the tiller. (I've got a gear drive tiller, too. Used it to till 3-4 acre fields.)

AKfish

I definitely would not hesitate to till a few more acres under all the ground situations being discussed and for a one time situation I would use my tiller to do the 10 acres with no concern knowing that the extra time and fuel is just for this one project. But if it was a yearly process I would not head down that road thinking tiller. I would be hunting for a plow, disk harrow combo of some sort. Heavy disk does not leave as good a finish but could be made to be the fewest passes as compared to plowing and then disking. Take that all with a grain of salt as you consider your tractor size vs mine and your personal time and resources constraints and of course what you consider to be fun. I would probably be happy if I thought the world would not stop while I tilled 1 hundred acres with a 25 horse using a 4' tiller even though I admit that somewhere along the line it would get old.

 

[nybirdman]

With your size tractor(similar to mine) a tiller will work fine.It will take some time but so would 5-6 passes with a disc.I do ten acres every year between food plots and gardens.
I brush hog any standing plots,plow with a two bottom and till.
You can't compare these small tractors with large AG tractors pulling monster discs,they have way more weight and power.

 

[AKfish]

I definitely would not hesitate to till a few more acres under all the ground situations being discussed and for a one time situation I would use my tiller to do the 10 acres with no concern knowing that the extra time and fuel is just for this one project. But if it was a yearly process I would not head down that road thinking tiller. I would be hunting for a plow, disk harrow combo of some sort. Heavy disk does not leave as good a finish but could be made to be the fewest passes as compared to plowing and then disking. Take that all with a grain of salt as you consider your tractor size vs mine and your personal time and resources constraints and of course what you consider to be fun. I would probably be happy if I thought the world would not stop while I tilled 1 hundred acres with a 25 horse using a 4' tiller even though I admit that somewhere along the line it would get old.

Just as soon as you venture down that row... of farming with small equipment - the time required will eat ya up! Even if he finds a good, heavy disc; he can only pull a 6' at best! And they (discing) won't give you a good seedbed until you ride that field into submission; probably 4 times across that field - especially if there's corn stubble!

No.... a tiller is NOT a long-term solution for 10 acres on an annual basis. But, really; is a 6' disc any better?

IMO - the time it would take to rototill the field twice is probably gonna be the same as it would take to disc the field 3-4 times before you could plant it.

I wouldn't want to do either one year in - year out.

That's all the more reason to plant it to hay or pasture!!

AKfish