Advice on disc harrow and planter

[Blu 82]

I am still very new to this farming stuff but really enjoy it. I need your expert advice on a disc harrow and planter. I have searched the forum on these two topics and don't really have good answers to most of my questions. Here is my situation: Mahindra 7520 4wd 75 HP tractor, 125 acres in FL panhandle (mostly sandy, loamy soil with fairly flat ground--yea its FL--my family lovingly calls it Flabama--a term we coined that fits pretty well), about 7 acres cleared, about 20 acres to still clear (large bushes, trees), and about 50 acres in pine trees and the rest in mixed forest. Plan is to be able to plant corn, melons, squash, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, numerous fruit trees, maintain pasture/grassy areas.

I need a disc harrow and planter (currently borrowing both). I am using a 3pt disc about 6.5 ft wide. I have looked at several discs online (Hardee, K&M, Tufline, Lowery Manufacturing, Brown, Taylor-Way, Brown, Dale Phillips...) and they obviously have some differences (angle iron vs tubular, disc spacing, weight, 3pt vs wheel/pull type, price, etc). Plan for the disc is for primary tillage for planting, leveling ground after clearing, and for cutting fire lanes. From this forum I have gleaned that more weight is better, larger spacing between discs helps with tilling ground more aggressively and smaller spacing is better for "smoothing". What I need help with are the following: recommendations on 3pt vs pull type, quality of various makers, spacing and size of discs, proper uses of disc for my situation or are there better implements. From what I know and have learned I "think" I want a 3pt tandem disc, 8-9ft wide with 9" disc spacing in frnt and 7" in back and 20-22" discs (cutout blades). Seems like discs are fairly expensive pieces of equipment considering the simplicity of the tool--could buy a car for the price of one of these and a car is quite a bit more complicated.

For planters, I have looked at several (White, Monosem, Starco, Yetter, Vence Tudo, Conington. I am currently borrowing an old 2 row plate planter that has seen better days (skips, won't plant all seed in box, chain comes off fairly often... but it does work ok I guess). I think I would like a 4 row planter wth solid fertilizer boxes but not sure which make, whether buy used or new, plate vs vacuum/air seed handling, no-till vs other... I would like to plant a variety of vegetables including about 5-10 acres of corn, maybe a couple acres of melons, squash, other? And boy are these things expensive so I want to make a good choice the first time.

So, that is my situation. What I need is quality equipment that will work for a long time but doesn't cost me an arm and leg. All help is appreciated.

 

[JoeinTX]

An 8-9' 3 pt disc will probably work for you just fine. Both 3pt and pull-type have their pluses and minuses....3pt. generally simpler and pretty handy....pull-type are generally heavier overall. For any I would go with full boxed or tube-type frame over the angle iron jobs (they are pretty light duty for the most part.....gardens, wildlife plots, etc...okay for stuff like that)

It sounds like you'll still want to add weight to it so being able to do that might be a consideration in buying. As you know, in a lot of cases what you want and what you get may not be the same thing if time or money are pressing and anything in the 7-10' range will ultimately do what you want to do.


Sorry, I'm not much on the planter scene so I can't provide anything there.

 

[N80]

I used to live near Crestview, over in Niceville. The soil is indeed very very sandy. Fine sand too.

I don't have much to tell you either. A pull type disk will usually plow and cut better than a 3pt but it may not be as versatile and a 3pt is a lot easier to manuever and transport. I would think any of the brands you mention would be fine. An offset disk is also likely to dig better than a tandem, but I've got a light 7' (800 pounds) tandem 3pt type with 20" disks and it cuts my hard clay just fine without additional weight. Make sure that ALL the tubing is box type. At least one member here has had serious problems with a nice Tufline disk that the front cross piece was angle iron while the rest of the very heavy disk was box. The angle iron broke at the hitch points on both sides.

Pillow block bearings are considered more durable than the flange type bearings you see on most lower end disks (like mine). They are easier to replace and work on too. Make sure the lower hitch attachment points are real beefy if you get a 3pt type. A captured pin design is best.

As far as planters, I can't help you there. I'd think a no-till drill would be great for your soil type but they are expensive and complex.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Planters;

There's John Deere, then there's everyone else. Deere planters have more aftermarket support, are more "adaptable", and you'll find more free advice on the internet because of the vast number of experienced owners/former owners. If I were looking for a new or nearly new planter, 4 row or bigger, I'd look at a Deere MaxEmerge/MaxEmerge II series. You'll find many very nice used models, as well as new from Deere. For most of my years of farming, I used a 4-row Deere #71 Flexplanter. I still plant a garden with a 2-row #70 to this day. The Yetter version of the 71 is relatively unchanged. They are extremely simple, stone reliable, and relatively inexpensive compared to a new plateless planter.

Other brands offer some good models. Where you can run into problems is with parts support. NO ONE can provide parts and service back-up like Deere. Their sheer volume of sales, both past and present allow them to stock parts for just about every planter they've ever produced.

I'm don't bleed green. I tend to favor all brands. But when a certain brand has a leg up on the competition on a given model or certain implements, I give credit where credit is due.

Do yourself a big favor. Buy a Deere planter if at all possible.