HandyDanny
Member
Both are 3 point. From you that have used both, I'm wondering which is the better. Looking to buy one. Thanks
moldboard plow vs. disc plow
- Thread starter HandyDanny
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HandyDanny
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Thanks a lot - very good information!
boggen
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moldboard plow / bottom plow / turning plow (take your pick of what to call them)
the go in and flip a strip or strips of ground upside down. and they can get rather aggrisively deep pending on setup. they do need special care in setting them up initial. so they dig correctly and turn everything over correctly (less pain work for driver to get stuff done after initial setup).
disc plow. are used after a bottom plow has went through an area. to break up all the clumps of dirt and smooth things out. it may take a few passes. pending on soil / dirt and your wants. disc plow might work by itself and kinda chicken scratch a couple inches. ((working grass seed into the dirt a little bit.))
Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer = some extra videos and some extra detail. that might save you from some extra searching.
the go in and flip a strip or strips of ground upside down. and they can get rather aggrisively deep pending on setup. they do need special care in setting them up initial. so they dig correctly and turn everything over correctly (less pain work for driver to get stuff done after initial setup).
disc plow. are used after a bottom plow has went through an area. to break up all the clumps of dirt and smooth things out. it may take a few passes. pending on soil / dirt and your wants. disc plow might work by itself and kinda chicken scratch a couple inches. ((working grass seed into the dirt a little bit.))
Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer = some extra videos and some extra detail. that might save you from some extra searching.
Ryan,
I believe you're thinking of a disk harrow, not a disk plow. A disk plow does the same job as a moldboard plow, but they each works better in different conditions. See the article Bruce provided a link to above.
A disk harrow is a very different tool for working the ground after it's turned, as you describe.
Terry
A couple of disk plow videos. These are what the USDA article calls a standard disk plow (no axle between disks.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX3rPEsZYYQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqyxxuoOGVc
Bruce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX3rPEsZYYQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqyxxuoOGVc
Bruce
boggen
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awesome! never seen a "disc" used that way before. seen them used for creating mounds for like potato hilling, harrow setups, etc... but actually using them like a shovel like a moldboard plow. that one is new to me!
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looking back at the links... i am wondering if a "disc plow" would actually be able to handle drought years, were ground is so dry and cracking (extremely hard surface crust a few inches deep). i have a tough time just getting. rippers on a box blade or like to sink in. and then keeping them in ground... if i can get a moldboard plow initially sunk down, it tends to sink far enough down, that the tip of a moldboard plow stays below the hard surface crust, and simply rolls the hard stuff over, and reduces amount of force err traction needed to keep things going...
the "disc plow" videos. makes me wonder if they can be set at enough angle. to get up under the hard surface crust in the ugly drought years.
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the idea of rolling around or over rocks in a field sounds awesome. vs dragging them up or hooking up under them via moldboard plow. i have hit some tree roots, and boy does it snag up on them. so far busted through all of them. granted this is just a little backyard garden doing, breaking up fresh ground that has never been correctly prepped for a garden. but still. once you get past the initial prep of acreage to farm.... it should be all ok.
i don't live any place were folks say they "grow rocks" so i have no experience with that. but might see a "disc plow" maybe something for them temporarly, until they can bring in a rock removal unit ?
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i don't know how far a disc plow can go down into the ground. so below diagram most likely completely off.
===========
looking back at the links... i am wondering if a "disc plow" would actually be able to handle drought years, were ground is so dry and cracking (extremely hard surface crust a few inches deep). i have a tough time just getting. rippers on a box blade or like to sink in. and then keeping them in ground... if i can get a moldboard plow initially sunk down, it tends to sink far enough down, that the tip of a moldboard plow stays below the hard surface crust, and simply rolls the hard stuff over, and reduces amount of force err traction needed to keep things going...
the "disc plow" videos. makes me wonder if they can be set at enough angle. to get up under the hard surface crust in the ugly drought years.
===========
the idea of rolling around or over rocks in a field sounds awesome. vs dragging them up or hooking up under them via moldboard plow. i have hit some tree roots, and boy does it snag up on them. so far busted through all of them. granted this is just a little backyard garden doing, breaking up fresh ground that has never been correctly prepped for a garden. but still. once you get past the initial prep of acreage to farm.... it should be all ok.
i don't live any place were folks say they "grow rocks" so i have no experience with that. but might see a "disc plow" maybe something for them temporarly, until they can bring in a rock removal unit ?
=============
i don't know how far a disc plow can go down into the ground. so below diagram most likely completely off.
RalphVa
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I've seen my dad work with both. A disc plow is probably harder to force into hard dirt, but it's jump over some stuff like stumps that a mold board plow with jerk your tractor to a stop on.
Thought about converting my raised row maker on my 4010 to a double disc plow by turning both plows to discharge in same directly but figured I needed a trail wheel to hold the thing in place. The 4010 just wasn't heavy enough. Went to no till anyway and never used the plow again.
Ralph
Thought about converting my raised row maker on my 4010 to a double disc plow by turning both plows to discharge in same directly but figured I needed a trail wheel to hold the thing in place. The 4010 just wasn't heavy enough. Went to no till anyway and never used the plow again.
Ralph
gwdixon
Elite Member
I've never used a disc plow but it seems to me that it would not cut evenly into the soil. It would more "cut grooves" because of the circular cutting surface.
A moldboard plow runs the shares at a consistent depth and turns the soil evenly.
This is based on the correct orientation being set on each implement.
But, the differences may be so slight that it really doesn't matter. In the end, the soil is worked.
A moldboard plow runs the shares at a consistent depth and turns the soil evenly.
This is based on the correct orientation being set on each implement.
But, the differences may be so slight that it really doesn't matter. In the end, the soil is worked.
I own both and have used the moldboard once and never again. There is an art to getting them set correctly and dealing with the dead furrows. You also need to have it matched to your tractor so that one rear wheel rides in the furrow from the previous pass. A disc you pretty much hook up and go. You can go over and over the same ground in any orientation and not worry about it. If you don't go perfectly straight with a moldboard it looks pretty crappy.
I will say a moldboard does a great job of turning the soil over and burying trash. I bought 15 acres that is adjacent to my place that had been native grass and cactus for years. I shredded it down, moldboarded it and haven't really seen the need to use it since. I plant the field every year with sorghum-Sudan hybrid and graze cattle on it. When done grazing I shred what is left of the stalks, chisel plow it, let it sit over the winter and in the spring run either the disk or a field cultivator over it and plant. Works well for me.
I will say a moldboard does a great job of turning the soil over and burying trash. I bought 15 acres that is adjacent to my place that had been native grass and cactus for years. I shredded it down, moldboarded it and haven't really seen the need to use it since. I plant the field every year with sorghum-Sudan hybrid and graze cattle on it. When done grazing I shred what is left of the stalks, chisel plow it, let it sit over the winter and in the spring run either the disk or a field cultivator over it and plant. Works well for me.