Ground Breaking Advice

[R W]

Not knowing how hard your ground is I can only make the following remarks based on my own experience.
A 7 tyne chisel plough is the way I'd go. As stated. don't try to go to deep the first time (3"to4") should be enough, if you wish to go deeper go over it again after a reasonable fall of rain then use a disc after the next rain.
A 90HP tractor should handle a 10 tyne chisel plough no problems. Used to pull 10 tynes with a Case500 Diesel.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Sqdqo, Assuming Gary Fowler @ #5 is correct and you are talking about food plots to bring in wildlife, then all you need is a cheap method of cultivating to the level where winter growing seeds will germinate and flourish. That means a rough seed bed by farming standards. I would guess that I have brought more ground than most folks into farming cultivation in several countries, and that means to a higher standard than you require.

For your needs, and especially in the first, or pioneer, season, you cannot expect the level of growth you will have in future seasons. Disks and rocks are not a good combination. Neither do you need the fineness that disks will give you. At the same time you talk of "grass fields" suggesting the land has been cultivated in the past. I have farmed around the world and back again, and for many years have never used anything other than a tined implement. I used disc ploughs in Australia because I acquired them with the property. Tines are cheap, and provided you use a modicum of care, virtually unbreakable. Change the points when necessary and you have the one ideal implement for your purposes - except, how are you going to sow 13 acres? By hand is out of the question, and then you need to have at least a half-hearted go at covering the seeds, but again a fairly rough job is all that is needed. Sow thick, and drag almost anything over a rough seed bed and you should be fine.

Keep your costs down and use the biggest cheapest tined implement you can find that has spring loaded shanks for the inevitable big rock you will come across. 90 hp is plenty power to pull at least 11 tines. Be sensible, go just a few inches deep because you do not need more than 3 or 4 inches for what you intend to do. If possible feed the soil with a few bags of fertiliser. In following seasons you will be able to increase the productivity.

 

[DJ54]

If it's just for wildlife food plots, why wouldn't a no till drill work..?? If it was mowed down pretty tight, and use a drill that will plant all of the sized seeds in one pass, I'd think that would work fine. If you don't want to invest that much in a no-till outfit, some dealers will rent units, and around here, most County Extension Offices have no-till drills they rent out at so much per acre.

I have a small 3 pt. slit seeder I use in the pasture, and hay field, but I only do 6 acres, but does a great job without disturbing the existing grass too much, other than pulling some old thatch up.., plus no worries of soil erosion. I have more time than money, and pulling it with my little IH 240, I doubt I used more than 5 gallons of gas to seed that many acres.

 

[OldMcDonald]

If hiring a no till drill is an option, then I agree with DJ54. For once a year use hiring is probably the cheapest. Failing the ability to rent, I stick with my suggestion of an old tined implement.

 

[bdog]

90 hp is plenty power to pull at least 11 tines. Be sensible, go just a few inches deep because you do not need more than 3 or 4 inches for what you intend to do. If possible feed the soil with a few bags of fertiliser. In following seasons you will be able to increase the productivity.

Assuming you only go 3-4 inches deep (which would be adequate for a food plot) then yes 90hp would be good for 11 shanks. To pull a chisel like they are designed to do at around 8" 90 hp is not going to cut it. I pull a 11 shank chisel (see my avatar picture) with a 135hp 16,000 lb tractor with dual wheels and it will stop the tractor in hard spots when running 8" deep. To run a chisel properly you want to go 5-6mph. If you are barely able to creep along it is not going to fracture the ground and throw dirt like it is supposed to do. Again this probably doesn't matter on a food plot but is just some info.

 

[bdog]

90 hp is plenty power to pull at least 11 tines. Be sensible, go just a few inches deep because you do not need more than 3 or 4 inches for what you intend to do. If possible feed the soil with a few bags of fertiliser. In following seasons you will be able to increase the productivity.

Assuming you only go 3-4 inches deep (which would be adequate for a food plot) then yes 90hp would be good for 11 shanks. To pull a chisel like they are designed to do at around 8" 90 hp is not going to cut it. I pull a 11 shank chisel (see my avatar picture) with a 135hp 16,000 lb tractor with dual wheels and it will stop the tractor in hard spots when running 8" deep. To run a chisel properly you want to go 5-6mph. If you are barely able to creep along it is not going to fracture the ground and throw dirt like it is supposed to do. Again this probably doesn't matter on a food plot but is just some info.

 

[OldMcDonald]

bdog, I totally agree with you. This is one of the problems of this site. A few of us do have bigger acreage experience, but the majority of posters are fairly new to land cultivation, or are not farmers. It is often difficult to know where to pitch the relevant information.

I am more or less semi retired on 16 acres and use a 7 tine spring loaded cultivator at 10" spacings with usually 2" feet on the tines, although I have wide feet that give a total root cutting/soil lifting effect to kill off weeds if that is all I want to do. It is easy when you know what you are doing, but difficult to advise when the questioner can only give so much information in a post. I am sure you could have written a couple of pages more to explain what to do if you want to achieve this or that effect. The trouble is that if you write that much nobody reads it.

 

[sqdqo]

I have been keeping up and appreciate the advice it will be very useful. My tractor is a Massey 492 appr 90 pto hp. I guess I am going to try to find an. 8 or 9 shank chisel . My tractor is 4wd if it makes a difference. 12,000 lb with loader and filled rear tires .

 

[super55]

SQDQO,

You planning on mostly putting in fall plots such as brassicas, cereal rye or winter wheat?

I wouldn't recommend planting a summer annual this year such as corn. You'll have way too many weeds to deal with, probably have to ammend the soil, and with the 20' of snow you guys got this year it will be a late plant. Congrats on having the most consecutive below zero days anywhere in the US this year :thumbsup:

If you end up plowing either with moldboard or chisel I would look seriously look at renting one out of having the plowing done versus buying one. Reason being: 1) It sounds stupid I know but you can seriously mess up a field if your good with a plow. If the furrows aren't spaced perfectly than there are hips and dips all over the field and becomes a P.I.T.A to plant seed if using a drill or leveling it out. It's not such an issue with a moldboard. 2) Once the soil is broken up odds are you will rarely use the plow at all and 3) If you soil is like my Michigan soil in the NWLP you might only have about 6 inches of good topsoil. Running a plow could very well take your best soil and bury it under leaving
sand. Plus rocks really like bare soil because as soon you till they seem to sprout up out of the ground everywhere.

I have about 5-6 acres that I do in food plot rotation and I have a plow, disc and a tiller. 90% of my tillage for my food plots is done with my 6 1/2 disc. It's a little light but 500# of weight got it to the point where I can get the soil worked up enough in two passes on virgin ground to be ready to plant. The good thing about 90% of the seeds used for food plots are extremely competitive against weeds and for the most part very forgiving planting.

 

[jeff9366]

90% of my tillage for my food plots is done with my 6 1/2 disc. It's a little light but 500# of weight got it to the point where I can get the soil worked up enough in two passes on virgin ground to be ready to plant.

What is a 6 1/2 disc? Spacing between pans?