disc vs spring tooth harrow on plowed land

[887]

hi everyone i already have a roto tiller but it make the soil too fluffy. i want a disc or spring tooth or harrow to go over plowed soil. so what im asking is would a spring tooth harrow do a good job after a couple passes to break up the soil? what horse power is required per foot of cultivator? i have 40 hp
4wd i now i need a 6 - 6.5 foot disc but could i pull a 8 foot cultivator?

 

[2458n]

depends a good deal on the soil and how deep are you running it? A ford 8n would pull a six foot disc and they were 24 hp. The 40 hp and 4wheel drive pull the disc and I think that what your wanting, was what a disc is designed to do.

 

[jenkinsph]

hi everyone i already have a roto tiller but it make the soil too fluffy. i want a disc or spring tooth or harrow to go over plowed soil. so what im asking is would a spring tooth harrow do a good job after a couple passes to break up the soil? what horse power is required per foot of cultivator? i have 40 hp
4wd i now i need a 6 - 6.5 foot disc but could i pull a 8 foot cultivator?

A roto tiller does make the soil a little fluffy but it does settle down quick enough. I run a roller over tilled soil to provide an even compaction.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

How about running a cultipacker over it after the tiller?

 

[flusher]

Disc or cultipacker. You could pull a 6-ft disc or a 10-ft cultipacker with your tractor.

Good luck.

 

[CharlieS]

hi everyone i already have a roto tiller but it make the soil too fluffy. i want a disc or spring tooth or harrow to go over plowed soil. so what im asking is would a spring tooth harrow do a good job after a couple passes to break up the soil? what horse power is required per foot of cultivator? i have 40 hp
4wd i now i need a 6 - 6.5 foot disc but could i pull a 8 foot cultivator?

Actually you're asking different things here, the accepted definition of a cultivator pull's the soil into rows such as seen in a cornfield, while providing weed control in the furrows between the rows.
Before deciding on a disk vs a spring tooth harrow, or both, the type of plow needs to be considered. If you're using a breaking plow then a disk to reduce clod size will be needed interim to smoothing the soil with a harrow.
If you're using a chisel plow then probably just harrowing afterwards will be sufficient.
Bottom line, different tools require different methods of finishing the soil.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Is this what you mean by a "spring tooth harrow"?
King Kutter Field Cultivator
I've never heard them called anything other than a cultivator.

The amount of trash & organic matter makes a big difference on what you use and how you do it also what finished product you are looking for/crops to plant.
Around here atleast, more trash/sod means you need a disk. Less trash (soybean stubble for example) often only gets a quick swipe with a cultivator then planted.


Then there's always the "use what ya got" factor

 

[Kioti Tom]

This is a spring tooth harrow and a spike tooth harrow for clarification...

 

[oldnslo]

Spring tooth harrow or field cultivator will pull more rocks to the surface than a disk. Like some one else said they will also plug in trashy conditions like corn stalks or grass.

We used one all the time behind mold board plow on corn stubble or oat stubble, usually had to disk the alfalfa sod at least once before using the field cultivator.

5000 Ford with duals would pull a fully mounted 18 1/2 foot as long as you had weight on the front to keep from star gazing.. Pull type 13 foot was all it would handle.

 

[tessiers]

Way I always understood the old way is to plow to cut the sod and turn it over to put the weeds down where they will compost into the soil. Then disc to cut the sod, roots and such up into finer pieces for a smoother seed bed. Then spring tooth or spike tooth harrow to form a consistent and reasonably even surface for final planting. Also in there could be a subsoiler or chisle plow for breaking up and aerating the hardpan, mostly for deep root crops. There is a seperate implement for making rows called a row hipper or bedder. All this hapens before planting. A cultivator is used to control weeds after the planting, and come in many forms including disc, tooth and plow types. They can also be used for aerating the soil before planting. Cultivators generally are set up to disturb the soil between rows and have specific row spacing although there are exceptions. This is the way we reclaim old hay fields, rototillers do a nice job as well but are harder on the soil, and we have all the old equipment but no rototiller. We also do a small garden plot but spend more time changing implements than working the garden. As to HP that depends on a lot of factors. I have an old ford 3 point 6' tandem disc that will stand an 8n on its rear axle quicker than you would believe. I saw some 8' discs at tractor supply that I think you could double up behind an 8n. I think on your tractor you will run out of traction a long time before you run out of HP. That is common with compacts, ballast will help.

Sorry about being long winded!!!