Problems mounting 2 bottom plow...

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> Once you have the drawbar set right, mount the plow, put a 6 inch chunk of firewood in front of the right rear tire on a level surface, drive up on it.</font>
That is the left side instead of the right.

 

[MMM]

Well besides the erosion factors, there is the compaction, which causes surface moisture problems and shallow roots. Not a big problem for grass I suppose.

Rambler, I'm not sure how well ripping works in heavy clay, but it does wonders on keeping surfce workable in silt loam fieds here. I imagine you guys have tried everything.

 

[rambler]

The biggest problem is getting the soil warm & dry. Our clay does not let go of the moisture, & it is real cold moisture. Sun on the black ground will give us 2 weeks over untilled land.

Many have gone to DMI type rippers, but by the time they get it done, they have more money per acre for those big rigs, and the ground is, for all purposes, as black as my plowing stalks without any disking or chopping before the plow. I need to chop or disk the peat ground first, but the rest mostly goes through the plow as is.

This past year I had 80 mph winds in August, the peat area was so stunted it plowed fine as is, the other field that blew cross-ways I chopped & the stalks were so flat it still didn't plow well, and the other field the cattle are still working over the stalks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif With the fuel prices, I did not work my bean stubble - a gamble, ok if it's a dry spring, will bite me if not. The cattle are also eating over my oats stubble.

While I am a big advocate of needing to plow in my climate situation, I probably have more minimum till than anyone else in my county this year. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

--->Paul

 

[Slamfire]

Zone building is the hot setup for row crops. Narrow rippers, 2' deep every 18". Plant in alternate 36" rows. Roots can get down below the compaction, in the zone, and there's plenty of moisture to fight the drought.