Homemade 2 shank subsoiler

[RayIN]

Apparently this is not designed to be a true sub-soiler, as known in the U.S.A. This merely breaks up compacted top soil for easier future working.
A true sub-soiler wil run 30-36" deep, which is deep enough to break up the hard-pan/clay subsoil that prevent water from draining away from the top-soil.
It too me almost the entire thread to realize your intended purpose of your implement.
Good job!

 

[ptsg]

Apparently this is not designed to be a true sub-soiler, as known in the U.S.A. This merely breaks up compacted top soil for easier future working.
A true sub-soiler wil run 30-36" deep, which is deep enough to break up the hard-pan/clay subsoil that prevent water from draining away from the top-soil.
It too me almost the entire thread to realize your intended purpose of your implement.
Good job!

I thought I had explained the purpose of it in the first post. My bad.

The hard-pan in this land is rock, which starts right at 20 inches pretty much. No subsoiler is going to break that. I'm going nearly 18" deep with mine.

For my use, I just need to break that hard layer that tillers leave on the ground over time in the middle of the olive tree orchards. This also breaks the ground around the trees so the roots can do their thing better.

This clay will get absolutely rock hard as it dries up. Recently I bought a rollover plow and when testing it, it pulled some big balls of hard clay up to the top. I drove my tractor with the trailer loaded to the max over these balls and still wouldn't break them apart. I had to go with the excavator and break them apart using the thumb and bucket.

Going back to this project, the only change I would make was to bolt the shanks instead of welding them on. This would allow me to run a single shank in the middle so I could open a couple channels in the land on those wetter spots in the winter.

 

[Renze]

Apparently this is not designed to be a true sub-soiler, as known in the U.S.A. This merely breaks up compacted top soil for easier future working.

It depends on your definitions of topsoil and subsoil.. we have fields with only 10 inch of topsoil, before you run into yellow beach sand. Other fields have 16 inch of topsoil, with an ore layer right below it. Where i live now, has about 24 inch of black topsoil.

 

[sixdogs]

In the flat, midwest Ohio, we have water-holding, high organic matter black-clayish dirt. Guys used to rip 20"+ until studies showed that deep ripping of the soil here caused an inversion of layers that was destructive to crops. It solved the water issue but could create another.

Through testing they found that ripping just below the compaction layer gave the best results and really no damage. That number can vary but here the compaction level is 10"-12" and maybe a little more. Equipment can be heavy with a lot of 9000 series Deeres that are 46,000 lbs off the trailer and 65,000+lbs all set up. Plus full grain trucks at up to 80,000 lbs.

So, most rip at 12" to maybe 14" and I don't know anyone that goes deeper. Most guys have shanks with a "wing" at the bottom to create a water channel and that is very effective. Guys rip every two or three years.


A newer tool is vertical tillage. These are like a ripper but run a disc up front that creates a cut in the soil. Then a thin shank with a wing on the bottom makes a non-disturbing slice in the soil with a water groove on the bottom. Guys go 12"-14". These barely disturb the surface crop residue for erosion control and in a quick glance you wouldn't know any tillage was done unless followed up with another tool behind. These tools are gaining in demand and will likely displace rippers at some point. I've only seen them used in the fall. Again, different soils need different things so that's just here.

 

[RayIN]

To me it sure is interesting learning how farming changes from one country to another. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

 

[ptsg]

To me it sure is interesting learning how farming changes from one country to another. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

Heck, you can even see how farming changes within a country.

Here in Portugal, a tiny country, 107 times smaller than the US to be exact, you'll see big differences too. The north it's all mountains, hills, tight roads and what not. To south, it's more flat, wider roads and allows for bigger fields and therefore bigger equipment.

In the north, you won't see many tractors above 150 HP, unless it's a small frame with more HP. It's relatively small fields with very tight roads to access those, so big tractors won't do any good.

In the south, you'll see all kinds of sizes. There are JD 9RX series, Fendt 1050's and big Valtra tractors, working there. Plenty of room for those.

In the center, my area, it's kinda of a mix of both.

 

[Renze]

In the south, you'll see all kinds of sizes. There are JD 9RX series, Fendt 1050's and big Valtra tractors, working there. Plenty of room for those.

In the center, my area, it's kinda of a mix of both.

In my area in Eastern Netherlands, most contractors run tandem silage trailers of 40m3 (1500 cubic feet ?) 14 to 16m3 slurry tankers and Deere 6R, Case Puma, NH T7 size tractors. We are here in old country, with treelines around roads and fields.

When you go north, to the peat bogs reclaimed in the late 1800s early 1900s where few trees grew and roads were planned ahead, contractors use 3 axle 60m3 (2200 cubic feet?) Silage trailers and 20m3 tandem tankers with Deere 8R 400 and Magnums pulling them. You even find the odd Quadtrac there.