BCS and Berta Plow

[rey]

Hi all,
My wife and I are about to close on a small rural property. about two acres of it lies on a fairly steep hillside (15-18%) that was cleared of timber, grew up in second growth brush and then cleared again. We intend to plant it all in fruit and nut trees, bramble fruits, grapes and berrries.
Our intention is to form the entire hillside with contoured swales, and I would like to do it without hiring heavy machinery. Rather than pay someone else, investing that money in equipment makes more sense.

Here's the question: our soil is similar to the below post, mostly gravelly clay overlaying chert rocks. I don't mind working gradually at this project using smaller machinery. It kind of sounds like a large walk behind (bcs 853, for example) with the berta plow might be an option. What happens when that thing hits a well buried rock? Will it just ride over it or am I risking equipment damage if the rocks get to big to be tossed aside by the blades?

other than that, it looks like earth could be moved sideways with successive passes to form the swales.

I really dont want to buy a four wheel tractor for the property in general; the walk behinds seem like a more appropriately sized technology, especially with the diesel engines and their potential for using biodiesel. Plus, I'm not thrilled at working that steep hill with a four wheel machine.

Has anybody used this setup for earth shaping in this manner? It seems like the model that allows switching the plow from side to side would be the one to use on a steep hillside.

I am willing to augment the basic tractor with extra wheels or wheel weights (or both) to aid traction if the basic setup has the power and ability to do the job.

While I am at it, I also need to fix the pond spillway and do some basic land shaping around the buildings. Anybody have experience using the dozer blade? Many passes with a small machine seems better than having a heavy yellow dozer compacting my soils any more than they are already.

I will be calling Earth Tools about all this, but welcom any input.

thanks

 

[farm23]

I have the BCS with the diesel and oversize tires (trires are foam filled) with the Berta Plow. I bought the diesel because of my hills and its added torque. My land is very much like yours and the BCS does a good job. I try and grow organic produce but my best crop is rock. I have not encountered large underground rocks but many smaller ones and like Otus said earlier the plow will buck and go on. Joel is very up front on what you can expect with the unit and will advise wisely on what to buy.

Over all I am very pleased (have just added a tiller and chipper). I am still learning to correctly use the tractor and as I learn I am using less effort, but I expect it will always require effort to turn at the end of a row ect.

 

[clarksvilleal]

Farm - which chipper did you get for the BCS, and how do you like it? Also, how stable is it when transporting it?

Al

 

[farm23]

Al, while I have ordred the tiller and chipper I will not get them till 3/9/08 when a freind picks them up to save freght. Will let you know how everthing works after I get a chance to use.

 

[bontai_Joe]

I watched the video a couple of times, and I don't understand the advantage of this plow over using the rototiller attachment. Does it dig deeper?

 

[farm23]

I use the plow to bury cover crops and to make raised beds. The tiller is used to prepare for seeds and sometimes to cut up earth before using the plow for raised beds. The tiller can also be used to cultivate weeds between rows. They both have their uses but if I could only have one I porbably would get the tiller. For my place, raising organic produce, the plow is very useful.

 

[clarksvilleal]

I watched the video a couple of times, and I don't understand the advantage of this plow over using the rototiller attachment. Does it dig deeper?

Yes, the plow does dig deeper, but it takes a lot longer to cover the same area of ground. So far I have used it only for preparing new ground, but I expect to use it to create raised beds this season, and I may try using it to incorporate cover crops as well.

Al

 

[farm23]

The best way to break a drought is to get a new toy. Since I got the new tiller and chipper it has rained. I just used the tiller and plow to clear a garden area for a friend. The tiller is far better than my old one. It tilled deeper and made a better seed bed. I hung the tiller up on some unseen wire and actually stalled the engine. After clearing the wire the tiller went back to work without a hitch.

 

[wstr75]

I will be buying an 853 and implements later this year. Questions: 1) Do any of you have double rotary (flip-over) Berta plow? 2) If so, how does it handle? 3) Did you add weight to the front of your tractor? 4) Glad you bought it or not? 5) Have you by chance applied a heavy layer of compost on your site and then rotary plowed the site If so, does the rotary plow mix the compost in while plowing or do the layers stay stratefied (what is on top stays on top).

Somebody told me the advantages for the rotary plow are:
1) layers don't get mixed bottom to top like a turning plow. Looking at the videos there is some mixing because the grass looks like it is buried at least a couple inches deep.
2) The point contact area at the bottom of the spiral is the only area that drags along making a contacted "hard pan" area, whereas a tiller tine swipes across the bottom making a large hard pan area.

Was this person on the money with their insights or not? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks for your suggestions and comments.
Bill in NC

 

[rey]

hi
I just started using my new 853 and the double plow. I bought the double because I have a lot of hilly ground that I intend to shape into swales. The only question I could presume to weigh in on based on only three hours use is that depending on your physical strength you might want to consider hanging a front weight on the engine because you have to lift the plough enough to clear the ground when turning at the row end, and even higher for the assembly to rotate when you switch to the other side.
So far I haven't fronted weighted (I'm fairly big) but I can see that getting tiring if you did it for hours. I will probably hang weights up there on my next session.

My ground is very rocky so I can't comment on how the double plough will handle in good soils, but it is plenty heavy and will definitely sink to full depth if there isnt a big rock in the way. Based on the way it bucks when it encounters a large rock its probably just as well I have the extra mass of the double plow.

So far it looks like I made a good choice assuming it holds up; its a really tough application.

one other comment: since my soil is so rocky, I am thinking I should have stayed with the stock wheel size (20) to reduce ground speed a bit, instead of the 22" I went with. Jury still out on that one.

hope this helps, and I will post how the swale work goes early in the summer.

rey

I will be buying an 853 and implements later this year. Questions: 1) Do any of you have double rotary (flip-over) Berta plow? 2) If so, how does it handle? 3) Did you add weight to the front of your tractor? 4) Glad you bought it or not? 5) Have you by chance applied a heavy layer of compost on your site and then rotary plowed the site If so, does the rotary plow mix the compost in while plowing or do the layers stay stratefied (what is on top stays on top).

Somebody told me the advantages for the rotary plow are:
1) layers don't get mixed bottom to top like a turning plow. Looking at the videos there is some mixing because the grass looks like it is buried at least a couple inches deep.
2) The point contact area at the bottom of the spiral is the only area that drags along making a contacted "hard pan" area, whereas a tiller tine swipes across the bottom making a large hard pan area.

Was this person on the money with their insights or not? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks for your suggestions and comments.
Bill in NC