anyone got an idea about this?

[RollingsFarms]

I borrowed my friends disk today to do my firebreaks. they needed to be done badly and I haven't bought a disk for my tractor yet. I have a John Deere 5203 MFWD and his disk is a 6' Tuffline. I'd estimate it to be 800-900lbs according to the specs on Tuffline's Website. my tractor is 56 hp, turbo, and you'd think I would have no problem pulling a 6' disk, right? wrong. my soil is basically soft sand, and ofcourse its previously plowed ground since I've been cutting the same firebreaks for years now. when I disk, I want the blades to run as deep as they can possibly go to avoid having to make multiple passes and to get as deep as possible. The disk wasnt set to it's most aggressive setting, infact, it wasn't even set to half it's aggressivness. I dropped the disk as far as shed go, went for a ways and then the tractor just stopped and started spinning. I locked it in 4wd and continued with some slippage, but it was minimal. I tried to go back to 2wd to finish the job, but always kept getting the same result so I left it in 4wd the rest of the time. what's the problem? is it a lack of horespower? is it because my tires aren't loaded? is it possible that I need to change my rear tires to 16.9X28 instead of the 14.9x28 I currently have? is it lack of traction? when I add rear fluid, should I add a set of wheel weights too? I know I could not put the disk all the way down and make multiple passes but I'd be doing that all day as I have many firebreaks to do. I was just shocked that a 6' disk was stopping a 56hp tractor so easily that weighs 5044 lbs. even if the disk is being run all the way down, shouldnt the tractor be able to muscle it through the ground with no problems? I know if I was using this disk on ground that had never been touched I would have no problem pulling it. I just have really soft ground and it's soft, thick sand. I guess when I do buy a disk in the next month or so, I better not get anything over 6'!! anyone have any ideas what the problem is?

 

[MikeInEburg]

Clearly the trouble is not a lack of horsepower, but rather the inability to apply that HP to Mother Earth. Loading the tires will help. Chains will help. Wheel weights will help. Leaving it in 4-wheel drive will help.
Mike

 

[George2615]

If it worked for you when you used 4WD then that's what you need to do. Soft soil in 2WD may not provide the traction you need. If you're not sinking in then rear wheel weights may help.
I doubt changing the rear tires from 16.9 to 14.9 would help. Besides if you change the rears you have to change the fronts to keep the gear ratios (front and rear) from fighting each other when using 4WD and possibly causing damage.

 

[KennyV]

I guess I do not understand...
Since you are having a traction problem, why are you not using 4 wheel drive??? You said it was working in 4 wheel...
In loose dry sand you NEED all the traction you can find...
Is there some reason you are not using 4 wheel drive while tilling? KennyV

 

[RollingsFarms]

I guess I do not understand...
Since you are having a traction problem, why are you not using 4 wheel drive??? You said it was working in 4 wheel...
In loose dry sand you NEED all the traction you can find...
Is there some reason you are not using 4 wheel drive while tilling? KennyV

I just never thought I would need it only pulling a 6' disk. I see people on here pulling 7' with 45hp and even 8' at times. I guess I got the big head in thinking my tractor was going to toy with this disk, only to have my words thrown back in my face I did put it in 4wd and there was still SOME slippage, but the tractor did pull it. I was thinking it was a traction/lack of rear ballast problem and I think others are agreeing with me.

 

[RollingsFarms]

If it worked for you when you used 4WD then that's what you need to do. Soft soil in 2WD may not provide the traction you need. If you're not sinking in then rear wheel weights may help.
I doubt changing the rear tires from 16.9 to 14.9 would help. Besides if you change the rears you have to change the fronts to keep the gear ratios (front and rear) from fighting each other when using 4WD and possibly causing damage.

I discussed the rear tire change with my dealer and he said it was fine because the 5303 comes with 16.9's and has the same gear ratio as my 5203 with 14.9's. i was thinking the larger tire would provide better grip while also holding more fluid therefore giving me more weight and traction. i'm thinking i might need to get my rears filled AND either a set or two of rear wheel weights. i asked my dealer about this when i bouhg the tractor and he said not to do it now, to wait until i got my loader in a couple years.

 

[KennyV]

I just never thought I would need it only pulling a 6' disk. I see people on here pulling 7' with 45hp and even 8' at times. I guess I got the big head in thinking my tractor was going to toy with this disk, only to have my words thrown back in my face

Not all discs are engineered the same. They may look very similar, but you will find some are much more efficient than others.
Same with AG tires, some will have a little better advantage than others. KennyV

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Traction, and the lack of......

I pull a 10' IH wheel disc with my Deere 2440. It's 61 hp (pto) 2wd, but weight is around 7200lbs w/fluid and cast weights as I normally use this tractor.

I use a 7'-6" 3-point disc behind my MF150. It'll dyno @ 47hp. The weight (w/fluid in rears) is right around 5000lbs. In really loose soil or plowed ground, that disc is a handfull, but traction and horsepower seem to be a fair match.

I'd have to think yours is just a tad light to be using it in 2wd. Weight may help, 4wd DOES help.

 

[RWolf]

You said in your first post that the ground had been worked before so it sounds like loose soil. In loose soil you won't get the same traction as someone on hard packed soil. With your larger tires you have less compactation on the soil. With the thinner tires they will dig down more until they get to harder soil. IMO keep the same tires and use 4WD. And lastly sometimes we just have to compromise and go over our soil a couple of times to get the results we want. Also how many gangs does this disk have and does it have coultiers or anything else? I'll be disking soon and using a 6' disk but I don't expect any problems because my soil is hard, hard, and hard. In fact I'll be using a subsoiler before I disk so I can break up the soil/hardpan and I know I'll have to go over the soil a couple of times at diagonals to get the desired effect.

Good luck

 

[RollingsFarms]

Traction, and the lack of......

I pull a 10' IH wheel disc with my Deere 2440. It's 61 hp (pto) 2wd, but weight is around 7200lbs w/fluid and cast weights as I normally use this tractor.

I use a 7'-6" 3-point disc behind my MF150. It'll dyno @ 47hp. The weight (w/fluid in rears) is right around 5000lbs. In really loose soil or plowed ground, that disc is a handfull, but traction and horsepower seem to be a fair match.

I'd have to think yours is just a tad light to be using it in 2wd. Weight may help, 4wd DOES help.

thanks Bill! i was hoping you'd stumble accross this thread. when i bouhgt my tractor i told the dealer what i'd be doing with it and that i wanted to go ahead and get the tires filled and throw on a set of 110 lb. wheel weights. he told me to just wait until i got my loader so i planned on doing that. this is the first time i've pulled a disk behind this tractor and i must admit, the lack of weight was the farthest thing from my mind being is the tractor came from the factory at 5044 lbs. i just didn't think it would pull so badly in 2wd. i was on the fence about getting 4wd as ive never owned a tractor with it and i figured i just wouldnt need it. today i was glad i had it! some questions i wanted to ask about your MF #25 and 150 as it is similar in weight and pto hp as my 5203. are the gangs set real aggressive in most of your uses? how does the tractor perform with it? much wheel spin? also, would you suggest going up to a 16.9 tire over the 14.9 i currently have? more fluid can be added to those and that equals to more weight, and i get a little better footprint, or should i be fine once i add fluid to my 14.9's? i've also been debating one set of rear wheel weights or two along with the fluid ballast. for my uses, the ballast i do add will never be removed as i never use the tractor on lawns or anything like that. i want to set it up strictly for field work and be able to get all the power i can to the ground. i estimated with filled tires, 2 sets of wheel weights and a loader(in the future) i'd be knocking on the door of around 7,000 lbs give or take.