How much weight can be added to disc

[Bearsixty7]

That is an awesome setup with the weight. Can't believe you was able to add so much. What size tractor do you pull that with? Hydraulic top link is new to me, you can control it up and down from a function? How much did that cost?

Those IH weights are about 108lbs each (I weighed them!), I bought them off Craigs list a few months back for this purpose. I was originally planning on 6 and made the bracket to hold 6 but 4 is enough.
I pull it with the MT240 in 4WD as my tires are not filled.
The Hydraulic top link and hoses came from TSC for $292.00 Could have saved 10% if I waited for a sale email but I didn't.

 

[Gee Ray]

Here is a 2 wheel drive Farmall Cub with about 10 hp pulling a 5 foot disk. I post this for several reasons. First the talk of what it takes to pull something requires a lot more information then most people provide in their questions. Second the answers provided by well meaning posters is often limited to their own experiences that may not be applicable. 3 point disk are not the best solution for soil prep, IMHO. If you watch the video you will see this disk flex and breaks up the soil in the high and low places where as a 3 point disk will pass over the areas when it is rough. Or the disk will follow the pitching of the tractor as it crosses rough ground. Also the aggressiveness of the gangs on the disk shown is adjustable from the tractor seat with no tools required.

Also there are built in holders to lay cement blocks if they are needed. We very rarely needed the extra blocks as we gardened the same plots for decades.

The draw back to this style of disk are two fold. First they are hard to find and second you need to load them onto a trailer for long hauls or crossing "pretty lawns or roads"

 

[bdog]

That’s a neat video but it doesn’t show him breaking virgin ground. For all we know that area was moldboarded before he hit it with the disc or he is on his fiftieth pass. Again I am not trying to be negative and I fully realize every location is different but every place I have sunk an implement in the earth that setup shown on the video would just float across the surface on virgin ground.

 

[Tx Jim]

While I am occasionally surprised by 'exceptions' on T-B-N, few disc harrows with pans of diameter 16" - 18" - 20" - 22" are available outfitted with anything but notched pans front and rear. All these relatively light discs struggle to cut unplowed ground and only the notches make cutting through feasible. (( Dirt Dog and Monroe Tufline offer discs with notched pans in front, smooth pans in the back. ))

Discs with 9" spacing between pans penetrate better than discs with 7" or 7-1/2" disc spacing. Less important than notched vs un-notched, but a factor. Less "float" with 9" pan spacing.

When pan diameter increase to 24" - 26" - 28" - 30" there is enough weight to cut through almost any grass. You need a Utility Class tractor (6,000 pounds bare weight) to pull these.

May I ask what brand disk harrow has 28''-30'' disks???? Maybe a disk designed for building a road base for a highway such as a Rhome but I've not seen 28''-30'' disk for a farming/gardening disk harrow.

In reality the larger diameter disk requires more "structural weight" to penetrate soil due to larger disk circumference having more ground contact area than a 18'' disk.

Notched disk all other things equal such as soil moisture %, frame structural weight, gang angles & disk spacing will penetrate soil deeper due to less disk circumference area touching soil at any given time, Notched disk will also handle trashy conditions better than spherical disk.

I'm stating this from many yrs experience custom farming having plowed many acres of different type soils with different type/brand disk harrows plus having been employed by a equip dealer for over 21 yrs. Shown below is a plowing tandem that I've plowed many acres with a 11'7'' wide similar unit & 26'' disk is the maximum diameter that was available when it was new.

 

[bdog]

I haven’t seen any discs that big except on construction sites or those huge discs they pull behind dozers to chop up brush. My disc has 24” discs and had the biggest ones I could see on the lot.

 

[bmaverick]

That’s a neat video but it doesn’t show him breaking virgin ground. For all we know that area was moldboarded before he hit it with the disc or he is on his fiftieth pass. Again I am not trying to be negative and I fully realize every location is different but every place I have sunk an implement in the earth that setup shown on the video would just float across the surface on virgin ground.

For virgin ground, it will take a bunch of passes with a compact tractor and a disc harrow. BUT, that is crazy to do when all you need it a single or double bottom plow to open that virgin land plot up. Then it makes sense to hit the area with the disc harrow about 2X, one in length of the bottom plow and the other perpendicular. This will make it super nice.

Compact tractors do get the job done, just not as fast. I love seeing those old 8N's going at it on the YT vids disc harrowing back in the day when NOTHING else was available to do it but a team of horses!

Just some examples making nice garden plots.
So first comes the bottom plow (shown with 8N)

After bottom plow comes the disc harrow 8N - would have been better done if in a lower gear. Not sure if the 3PT was lowered all the way. It tends too glide to high over the soil on the first pass. Top-link issue being too shortened maybe? Overall, it does turn out really nice.

AFTER the bottom plow, then comes the disc harrow. (shown with 2N) Yes, a 2N !
The tractor needs weight up front! and just a tad weight on the back would have made this much nicer.

 

[bmaverick]

Here is a 2 wheel drive Farmall Cub with about 10 hp pulling a 5 foot disk. I post this for several reasons. First the talk of what it takes to pull something requires a lot more information then most people provide in their questions. Second the answers provided by well meaning posters is often limited to their own experiences that may not be applicable. 3 point disk are not the best solution for soil prep, IMHO. If you watch the video you will see this disk flex and breaks up the soil in the high and low places where as a 3 point disk will pass over the areas when it is rough. Or the disk will follow the pitching of the tractor as it crosses rough ground. Also the aggressiveness of the gangs on the disk shown is adjustable from the tractor seat with no tools required.

Also there are built in holders to lay cement blocks if they are needed. We very rarely needed the extra blocks as we gardened the same plots for decades.

The draw back to this style of disk are two fold. First they are hard to find and second you need to load them onto a trailer for long hauls or crossing "pretty lawns or roads"

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

Nicely done. That soil looks healthy and rich. Not too deep to get that compost churned in really nice and even!

As for 3PT, it deals with how low can the lower arms go and how the top-link is extended further out to do the same as the Farmall Cub did.

 

[Bearsixty7]

My experience from decades ago on the farm, not with my current tractor and disc although probably still holds true, is if you go a little faster on the last few passes it spreads the dirt better and gives you a better, even surface.

 

[MatrixPC]

Amazon can be your friend with free shipping and all. Added 360 pounds to an angle iron disc harrow with 8ea. 45lb weight and two free weight wall hangers bolted to flat surface, center harrow (only 180 pound shown in pic). With free shipping, the cost was drastically reduced and weight can be adjusted as needed.

Harrow 560lbs as shipped, 360lbs weight added equals 46lbs per disc. Not optimal, but better than originally designed by KingKutter. Could probably add an another 90lbs to the stack(s) for 450lbs, but will see how this configuration works first.

 

[kthompson]

Interesting thread. I have always felt there is a point where weight added to a disk is placing extra wear on the bearings. I agree with someone who I think had concern on being able to overload the frame with added weight. In my experience seldom disked total virgin soil. It was said, use a plow such as a subsoiler only say 6 inches deep as that is more than you will be disking most likely. If you have a box blade with shank on it, drop the shanks and use it. They will break the ground or disturb the ground enough to make a big difference for your disk.

Hard ground I always used aggressive angle and ran slow speed so the disk would cut and not bounce. I only used notch blades front and back. Seldom here would see a disk that was not totally notched blades. Speed will help break up the clods and give smoother finish than slow disking will. Have only seen again here the solid blades on really heavy disks. The notch is designed for trash to not just get run over by a solid blade but to be caught by the notch and held in place, so it gets cut as the blade is rotating.

If virgin ground, try to catch it following rain which will help soften the dirt. May leave it clumpy but will you help your disk blade sink into the dirt. If I were disking hard dirt, I often overlapped by 50% of my disk. That way 50% is cutting hard ground and the other is in just disked ground. For ME, it was smoother operating the tractor.

Without a doubt disking is better with HORSE POWER and WEIGHT. However, with patience a low HP and light disk can do wonders. Remember, it use to be a pair of horses or mules and single gang disk. Try riding that all day!

 

[paulsharvey]

Only made it about half way through posts; but; why not an older, larger disc; remove outside most disc, and pay less money, have a heavier duty frame, and the option to add the outsides back on?

 

[paulsharvey]

For smoothing; attach a heavy chain, mattress springs, log, or rail road rail behind on the last pass. Not trying to talk you out of spending money, but there are a Lot of old 8-9 ft discs around from back when people farmed 40 acres with a MF165, and the impliments outlived the owner.

 

[paulsharvey]

Another good option is a chisel plow, will break up some of the hard pan, and allow drainage; and can be followed with discs. Once again, we are dealing with a fairly low power machine, but you can remove some of the chisels, if your really bogging down.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Whatever you decide on try to buy a set of disc's that are adjustable and are heavy built not the angle iron type, IMO they will serve you much better in the long run, I prefer to harrow a piece of dirt first with an offset disc with 26" disc blades and then give it a week or two and go back over it with a leveling disc with 22" disc with a 90+hp tractor, but I spent plenty of years with a 6' bush hog harrow that was heavy duty for it's size paired with a 35 hp tractor and going over the same piece of dirt a dozen times to get it into shape by cutting it one way then cross cutting across to help bust up the turf and it takes a lot of time. Turn plows can be had fairly cheap and are a really good option for flipping the turf and giving it several weeks to decompose and then harrow with your disc dragging a piece of railroad iron behind for a nice finish, we all have to start somewhere, good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Jstpssng]

I read this entire thread and found it helpful as I am thinking about rebuilding my old Dearborn.

I wonder though, how many posters realize that the first 28 are two years old. Hopefully the OP has gotten his garden harrowed by now.

 

[jeff9366]

Amazon can be your friend with free shipping and all. Added 360 pounds to an angle iron disc harrow with 8ea. 45lb weight and two free weight wall hangers bolted to flat surface, center harrow (only 180 pound shown in pic). With free shipping, the cost was drastically reduced and weight can be adjusted as needed.

Harrow 560lbs as shipped, 360lbs weight added equals 46lbs per disc. Not optimal, but better than originally designed by KingKutter. Could probably add an another 90lbs to the stack(s) for 450lbs, but will see how this configuration works first.

Your angle iron Disk Harrow will never survive 300 hours with a 360 pound supplementary load.

Why did you not buy a 1,000+ pound box frame disk harrow to begin with? There are always used disk harrows for sale at farm auctions and online.


If I add 203 pounds of weight I'd have 47 pounds per disc equivalent to a much heavier DH2572.
I've seen the DH2572 on youtube and liked how much it rips into the ground. So with less disc adding weight with sandbags I'd have the same thing.

Without doing any research I can confidently say the DH2572 is a Box Frame disk harrow made with thicker steel and welded, rather than bolted together. A box frame is two triangles united with welds.
Angle iron frames are an open 'L' with much less stress / load bearing capacity.

Disc Harrow Selection For 18-45 Horsepower Tractors (Revision 2b)

Disc Harrows come in numerous types. However, for 18-45 horsepower tractors the three point hitch mounted, Tandem Disc Harrow, secondary tillage implement, is ubiquitous. Tandem Disc Harrows are manufactured in two structural types: Angle Iron Frame and Box Frame. Box Frame Disc Harrows are...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[Streetcar]

Looking to purchase a L3901 with a DH1060 disc that's 548 pounds. According to the spec sheet that's 34 pounds per disc, 16 disc. If I add 203 pounds of weight I'd have 47 pounds per disc equivalent to a much heavier DH2572.
I've seen the DH2572 on youtube and liked how much it rips into the ground. So with less disc adding weight with sandbags I'd have the same thing.
So my question is can I add 200 pounds with sand bags on this without tearing anything up on the tractor 3 point or disc harrow?
My dealer told me I could go to a heavier disc that weighs 100 pounds more for $500 more, I'm not paying $500 for 100 pounds if I can add weight.
Am I thinking correctly? Thank you.
Looking to disc fallow field that was cow pasture to enhance native forbs and disc maintain switchgrass.

Do not use sand bags for weight, he movements of the disc will quickly destroy them

 

[Egon]

For virgin ground, it will take a bunch of passes with a compact tractor and a disc harrow. BUT, that is crazy to do when all you need it a single or double bottom plow to open that virgin land plot up. Then it makes sense to hit the area with the disc harrow about 2X, one in length of the bottom plow and the other perpendicular. This will make it super nice.

Compact tractors do get the job done, just not as fast. I love seeing those old 8N's going at it on the YT vids disc harrowing back in the day when NOTHING else was available to do it but a team of horses!

Just some examples making nice garden plots.
So first comes the bottom plow (shown with 8N)

After bottom plow comes the disc harrow 8N - would have been better done if in a lower gear. Not sure if the 3PT was lowered all the way. It tends too glide to high over the soil on the first pass. Top-link issue being too shortened maybe? Overall, it does turn out really nice.

AFTER the bottom plow, then comes the disc harrow. (shown with 2N) Yes, a 2N !
The tractor needs weight up front! and just a tad weight on the back would have made this much nicer.

Perfect example of a small tractor pulling a disc With little to no good results.

To use a disc properly takes HP. The two bottom rated tractors like shown were basically a waste of time when used for disking.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I read this entire thread and found it helpful as I am thinking about rebuilding my old Dearborn.

I wonder though, how many posters realize that the first 28 are two years old. Hopefully the OP has gotten his garden harrowed by now.

I sure didn't, guess some of us should pay closer attention to the post dates, but by the replies maybe some good information can still be had.

 

[scootr]

Read this thread. I have an old Towner 7x8 wheeled smooth disc. This is a drawbar attachment. The iron wheels were originally manually adjustable. I put a hydraulic cylinder on the machine so I can control depth from the tractor. I can also raise the whole thing off the ground for moving over roads or very tight turning.
Last year I put a 55 gallon barrel on it so I can add water weight. The barrel has the potential weight of 500 pounds but it is infinitely variable by volume.
This cut the near virgin field with 5ft tall mustard stalks quite well with the barrel 2/3 full (333#) and made the M5200 really work when fully engaged.
I put a water barrel on my land plane too which was not engaging to my liking. adding weight improved both of these attachments.