Disc harrow vs power tiller

finnercy · Jun 20, 2021

New house build and after it I have a 1.5 Acre site to sort out. I need to break up compacted ground for planting grass etc. Some of the compacted ground is bare earth I leveled recently with an excavator and some has rough grass on it I want to reseed. There are plenty rocks in the soil round here. I have a small tractor B2230 - 22HP and a box blade currently which I have used to do some of the final leveling of the soil I have moved around from big piles left over after the building work.

What is the best implement to break up the soild and leave a good tilled bed for planting? A power tiller (rototiller/rotavator/cultivator) looks good but I am concerned about it getting destroyed by rocks. I also considered a disk harrow - the tow behind type and also maybe a land rake. I can break up the ground using the box blade rippers, not ideal though. Ideally I'd also like to be able to get surface rocks collected easily after the soil is broken up.

Looking for economical options

Cheers
Rob

bmaverick · Jun 20, 2021

Got rocks or had the land cleared from trees then its a disc harrow with the front gangs as being notched.

I too wanted a PTO tiller, but the logger said, not for 5 to 7 years work of a disc harrow first and the roots to rot out and die off with keeping the pasture cut.

Also after a few years on your property with a disk harrow, you'll be able to mitigate the rocks out of any future garden plotting areas before buying a PTO tiller.

Nice you have the 1720 3-cly vs. the 1700 2-cly. Thus a PTO tiller is in your future.

Here's the KK model listed in my sig. This is the first year after the major clearing.

Here is the 2nd year.

In the 3rd year things are looking GREAT!

jeff9366 · Jun 20, 2021

Rent a Harley Rake:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tractor+harley+rake

Doughknob · Jun 20, 2021

Economical? Sew grass on existing land; cover lightly with straw; pray for rain. Grass will grow without any tillage if you get rain enough. If weeds are a problem later - weed and feed.

jeff9366 · Jun 20, 2021

T-B-N ARCHIVE: Tiller or Disc? site:tractorbynet.com

dirttoys · Jun 20, 2021

jeff9366 said:
Rent a Harley Rake:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tractor+harley+rake

This^^^^

Won't go deep, but will move the rock and leave a great bed to seed

Best,

ed

bmaverick · Jun 20, 2021

dirttoys said:
This^^^^

Won't go deep, but will move the rock and leave a great bed to seed

Best,

ed

Yep, that's why I had to disc harrow because the depth reached 8-inches. Amazing how old roots are still stubborn and all the snapping under the ground level. Good size rocks are kicked out and are now easy to pick up. With a FEL, with forward fingers, rocks are EZ to remove.

WM75Guy · Jun 20, 2021

One day with a skid steer and a Harley rake would be my choice. That is what the landscaper used on our place after construction. The Harley rake will push debris ahead of it leaving a smooth path that you can seed. Use the tractor to clean up the piles of debris created.

TMGT · Jun 21, 2021

Power(harley) rake all the way for lawn prep., they rent PTO versions around here which work fine for the area you need to do as long as you have a tractor heavy enough to run it. Otherwise a couple hrs with a skid steer mounted one will knock it out.