Disc Harrow Questions

40_acre_mule · Mar 17, 2011

Just bought one of these...
King Kutter Incorporated

I got the 20-20-NBF

1. Is it safe / useful to replace the adjustment bolts with hitch pins?

2. When replacing a broken disc, how hard is it to remove the disc assemblies?

3. Is it useful to add more weight to the harrow when cutting new or hard packed ground?

I know these questions have been asked hundreds of times, so I appreciate your indulgence in this. I am new to this device.

sweettractors · Mar 17, 2011

40_acre_mule said:
Just bought one of these...
King Kutter Incorporated

I got the 20-20-NBF

1. Is it safe / useful to replace the adjustment bolts with hitch pins?

2. When replacing a broken disc, how hard is it to remove the disc assemblies?

3. Is it useful to add more weight to the harrow when cutting new or hard packed ground?

I know these questions have been asked hundreds of times, so I appreciate your indulgence in this. I am new to this device.

I used drop in pins on my personal disc. Impact wrench works best on the gang nuts and if a disc is set correctly, it should not need added weight. I don't see a factory built in weight bracket on that machine? Ken Sweet

Haywire · Mar 17, 2011

Hope you don't mind me adding my own disk question... hate to start another thread when there's already an active one.

smooth vs notched disks... what's the difference?

sweettractors · Mar 17, 2011

Haywire said:
Hope you don't mind me adding my own disk question... hate to start another thread when there's already an active one.

smooth vs notched disks... what's the difference?

Notched are more agressive and helpful in grass or sod fields. Downside is that they wear out quicker than smooth. Most discs are setup with notched in the front and smooth in the back. This seems to work pretty well for most applications. Ken Sweet

Haywire · Mar 17, 2011

Thanks Ken.

kebo · Mar 17, 2011

A word to the wise is to run the disc harrow for a little while, then check all the nuts on the gang shafts. They can come lose pretty easily, if not tightened down really good from the factory. If a nut comes loose, the disc (or washer) closest to the nut can wobble around and gall the threads on the gang shaft, which makes it harder to re-tighten the nut. Then you wind up having to add washers as spacers and it just keeps getting worse from there!

We have a Leinbach disc harrow at my hunt club and a nut came loose on a front gang. I wound up having to grind the nut off, and replace the nut and the gang shaft. The main problem with that was that the other end of the gang shaft had a 3" square piece of thick metal welded onto the end. NOTHING to grip onto to tighten it, unless you used a huge pipe wrench or adjustable wrench. I welded a 1 1/2" nut onto the 3" square metal piece on the end (of the new gang shaft and the opposite side gang shaft) before I put it all back together. Now it's much easier to keep a check on them.

It seems like the front gangs take more abuse than the rear set does. I guess it's because the front set is the first to hit a stump/big rock/etc.

sweettractors · Mar 18, 2011

kebo gives great advice. I keep a wrench to fit the axle nut in the tractor tool box so I can tighten in the field and keep discing. Ken Sweet

gabeancounter · Mar 18, 2011

I have a 5' set of cutting disc. Notched front and back. We welded a box on the back that holds 5 concrete blocks. Really helps with virgin soil. Mine only weighs around 500 without the blocks so you may have enough weight. Just try it out and see if it does what you want.

Also hitting the ground with an all purpose plow or turning plow first really helps. As far as the pins for adjustment, I would give a good set of hitch pins a try. Seems like a good idea, but after you find the best setting you will hardly adjust the angle. Good luck that is a really nice looking set of harrows.