3 point hitch rippers

[bazman82]

I was thinking of bidding on a pretty heavy duty 3 point hitch ripper at a local auction. Looks like something that would be on a dozer from the pictures. Anyone have any issues using one through hard clay and rocks? My main use would be to use it to rip up a rocky/clay area (3-5" size rocks) that was made many years ago. I can use those rocks in another area but it would be rough on the loader trying to dig them out that way. I figured a ripper going through to loosen it up then dig afterwards and repeat. Since I have never used a ripper before and although simple, anything to be wary of? I assume not much different than a plow.

 

[bmaverick]

I have family up in that Delphi Harrison town of Lockport. So, I know the soil conditions you have up that way for certain.

A good box blade with adjustable rippers on the 3PT works really well. You may need to obtain a 15 or 30 or 55 gallon plastic drum filled with water to strap onto the top of the box blade for added weight.

To rip on a virgin pass, be in a low gear. Those rocks in Lockport are on that solid rock bed that the canal diggers used TnT to remove. If you ever hooked onto one of those at a fast pace, the tractor can flip.

If you are more north of Lockport like Wrights Corners, there is less cliff rock formation to deal with as it's below the fault line in the old Lake Ontario water basin.

 

[bazman82]

I am in Pendleton. Its all clay. The rock I would be ripping up was placed by the previous owner. (was an old junkyard quite a few years ago). I assume it was an area that was well traveled or maybe a piece of equipment sat there. I am glad that I'm not closer to Wrights Corners or Delphi, those are def. some rocky areas.

https://www.williamkentinc.com/online-auctions#/sales/93758/lots/19554790

This is the ripper I'm refering too.

 

[TmbrWlkr]

I vote for you "getting it". Seems massively built and more than a match for the soil conditions you describe. Possibly wait for the clay to be "moist" - should release the rocks easier.

 

[Thomas]

Roots logs stumps maybe just below the surface.

 

[bmaverick]

I am in Pendleton. Its all clay. The rock I would be ripping up was placed by the previous owner. (was an old junkyard quite a few years ago). I assume it was an area that was well traveled or maybe a piece of equipment sat there. I am glad that I'm not closer to Wrights Corners or Delphi, those are def. some rocky areas.

https://www.williamkentinc.com/online-auctions#/sales/93758/lots/19554790

This is the ripper I'm refering too.

Ah, I know where you are. Yes, that 3PT attachment is a soil buster. I was thinking more like a box-blade with 3 ganged rippers.

Bummer about living over an old salvage yard, whoever knows what chemicals all lye under there. My family is over on Rapids near the credit union in the Ryan Home development. Not too far from you. Sure miss the Transit road drive-in. Got nothing like that out here. It would be a gold mine due to C19 in 2020.

My brother-in-law is in Eden. Great soil down that way. I'm sort of envious of it. He recently acquired a 38Hp LS machine with 5 attachments. I sort of just drool. AC & heated cab.

 

[bazman82]

Ah, I know where you are. Yes, that 3PT attachment is a soil buster. I was thinking more like a box-blade with 3 ganged rippers.

Bummer about living over an old salvage yard, whoever knows what chemicals all lye under there. My family is over on Rapids near the credit union in the Ryan Home development. Not too far from you. Sure miss the Transit road drive-in. Got nothing like that out here. It would be a gold mine due to C19 in 2020.

My brother-in-law is in Eden. Great soil down that way. I'm sort of envious of it. He recently acquired a 38Hp LS machine with 5 attachments. I sort of just drool.

Yeah. My wifes grandfather cleaned (almost)everything up. Still have carparts growing in trees so that sucks when you hit one with the chainsaw....Took him a long time and I came into the picture at the tail end. I helped take the rims off tires (he had a homemade crusher for crushing the rims out of the tire). We still have lots of tires in piles around that I'll someday get rid of when I have the extra money to do so.

 

[bmaverick]

Yeah. My wifes grandfather cleaned (almost)everything up. Still have carparts growing in trees so that sucks when you hit one with the chainsaw....Took him a long time and I came into the picture at the tail end. I helped take the rims off tires (he had a homemade crusher for crushing the rims out of the tire). We still have lots of tires in piles around that I'll someday get rid of when I have the extra money to do so.

If you garden, raised beds can be a great option. Vehicles have some nasty heavy metals, oils, solvents, etc that may take several generations to disperse.

Over at the Indian reservation they might take the tires for FREE because of the tire burning ceremonies they do in protests.

 

[bazman82]

Heh, its all fenced in and has been a cow pasture for awhile now. The rest are hay fields.

I dont see the tire burning ceremonies much any more....maybe they ran out of tires. I could fix that for them for sure.

Looks like that ripper is out of my price range now. Its at 380 for current bid. I'm sure its worth it but not for me for right now.

 

[bmaverick]

Heh, its all fenced in and has been a cow pasture for awhile now. The rest are hay fields.

I dont see the tire burning ceremonies much any more....maybe they ran out of tires. I could fix that for them for sure.

Looks like that ripper is out of my price range now. Its at 380 for current bid. I'm sure its worth it but not for me for right now.

Back in 2016, this was just a mere $350. Now after C19, it's ... Has the gang rippers too.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-box-blade-5-ft

 

[bazman82]

I'd love to get one of those someday but I don't think they'd hold up to ripping that rocky area. Upon further looking into the heavy duty rippers, I shouldve bid a bit more...oh well

 

[arto98607]

It's an interesting idea and probably worth trying to get the rocks loose!


Sorry, not trying to hijack your thread - but I have a middle buster / sub soiler which I have only used so far as a potato plow and it works very well for that purpose.
I am really tempted to try out and see if I can remove some small to midsize tree stumps with the sub soiler "blade".

The unit's frame is pretty robust and I doubt my tractor has enough traction to damage it, but I may be able to break enough roots in order to pull out few stumps.

Really handy potato plow:

 

[bazman82]

It's an interesting idea and probably worth trying to get the rocks loose!


Sorry, not trying to hijack your thread - but I have a middle buster / sub soiler which I have only used so far as a potato plow and it works very well for that purpose.
I am really tempted to try out and see if I can remove some small to midsize tree stumps with the sub soiler "blade".

The unit's frame is pretty robust and I doubt my tractor has enough traction to damage it, but I may be able to break enough roots in order to pull out few stumps.


View attachment 709043


Really handy potato plow:

View attachment 709042

If you dont mind me asking, what did that sub soiler cost?

 

[arto98607]

If you dont mind me asking, what did that sub soiler cost?

No problem, it was new suggested list $170 and sold for $150 which was surprisingly low cost when I bought it back in year 2009

Farm shop had two Hawkline models side by side and this was the HD one.

It is more heavy duty build than what the photo looks like - 96 lbs so I can lift and move it fine, but need to be careful due to awkward shape.
I mean it does not stay upright no matter how you prop it up, just best to connect it to 3 pt once you move it by hand.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Heh, its all fenced in and has been a cow pasture for awhile now. The rest are hay fields.

I dont see the tire burning ceremonies much any more....maybe they ran out of tires. I could fix that for them for sure.

Looks like that ripper is out of my price range now. Its at 380 for current bid. I'm sure its worth it but not for me for right now.

Keep up the search I found one for twenty bucks.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

The ripper in the link of post #3 appears to be a what is called a "mole plow" Used to create a cavity in the ground to drain surface water..

I use a similar shape tool to create channels in the ground to collect water around our fruit trees and bushes..

 

[sixdogs]

I've worked on areas that were salvage, garage or even farm shop areas and there is often loads of stuff just under the surface. Lots of equipment got buried. I've had the best results digging things out with a super duty set of cultivators with chisel points on it.

First pass won't go very deep but will pull up lots of trash and rocks that you can pick up. Next pass goes deeper and the next even more. Pick everything up and its isn't that hard to reclaim ground.

A ripper may likely not work as well. It will want to go deep, require lots of HP and leave the ground irregular and hard to smooth out. If it were me, I would skip a ripper and go with a HD cultivator with spring tines.


Interesting note is that I grew up not far from Lockport and picked car parts from every junkyard, likely including that one. I needed lots of parts and searched hard for them.

 

[jimglassford]

Actually, the pictures are of a blade for a vibrating plow. It looks like someone took one and adapted it to a three point hitch. At the bottom on the back side is the cable attachment and weight to pull a cable or wire through the ground.

 

[Alien]

I just ordered this one with the pipe layer attachment. Cheapest one in Oz. One lot wanted $1590 + GST. I told him he was a bit over the top. I have lots of poly pipe to lay and I can use it for ripping roots around stumps too. I also ordered a quick hitch so that should keep me happy for a while.
I will rip the ground first before I start laying the pipe to make sure there are no large rocks in the way.

 

[bazman82]

I've worked on areas that were salvage, garage or even farm shop areas and there is often loads of stuff just under the surface. Lots of equipment got buried. I've had the best results digging things out with a super duty set of cultivators with chisel points on it.

First pass won't go very deep but will pull up lots of trash and rocks that you can pick up. Next pass goes deeper and the next even more. Pick everything up and its isn't that hard to reclaim ground.

A ripper may likely not work as well. It will want to go deep, require lots of HP and leave the ground irregular and hard to smooth out. If it were me, I would skip a ripper and go with a HD cultivator with spring tines.


Interesting note is that I grew up not far from Lockport and picked car parts from every junkyard, likely including that one. I needed lots of parts and searched hard for them.

It was Dunn's salvage yard. My wifes grandfather had people just come and take the junk cars or whatever they wanted(no charge) back in the 90's. Once everyone got everything they wanted he bought a dump trailer and just started picking up everything and taking it for scrap prices. Cost him quite a bit of money and time to do it all but you'd never know it was a junkyard now (other than the few piles of tires sitting around).

I am actually thinking of going with a heavy duty box blade now after seeing some of the prices on the heavy duty rippers/sub-soiler. It would be a bit more money but would also have more uses. So I will start looking today to see what I can find.