Chisel plow on sub-compact tractor.

[pfranco81]

I have a JD 4100 which has 20HP. I'm hoping to use a chisel plow for primary tillage, followed by a rotary tiller for secondary tillage. I've read varying recommendations on HP per shank, I'm hoping to run at least 1 or 2 shanks, Any opinions, any sources for buying a small chisel plow for a sub-compact tractor?

 

[bp fick]

When we took possession of our current property some 5 years ago, I broke up a super large plot for gardening. I don't know, maybe 75 by 250 feet? I had simply purchased a basic "middle buster" at Tractor Supply. If I remember correctly it was around $120 with a coupon I had and a sale price. I can take the plow share off and use it as a single ripper. It is hard work, but it does work. I wouldn't expect to sink it down 9" and expect your little tractor to pull it easily. You can see them at TSC's website. They are sold everywhere, BTW, not just TSC.

I found the middle buster/potato plow did a good job of doing the initial sod busting. I let that mess fallow over our winter, with it's freeze thaw cycles and started back into it in spring. If I had the disc I have now, it would have been worked and done in a hurry. A tiller would also accomplish the task.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I have an older JD large frame compact (24hp, hydro, turfs)
I pull my home made 3pt chisel attachment with 21 staggered shanks.... That equates to 6" spacing in each row, and 3" spacing over the ground...
I can pull it at 3.5 or 5" deep in garden ground.... Five foot wide total...
Have used it at 2" or 3.5" deep for food plot ground...
This isn't easy at times as there are a lot of rocks around here....

I have a home made sub soil tool that pulls easily enough at 12" deep in crop ground..... Except for the mentioned rocks and tree roots...

Your experience may vary.....
Good luck

 

[pfranco81]

This is a new plot I"m farming for someone. It has been disced twice already so I'm not going to be breaking any new ground, I'm hoping to run 1 or two shanks 10-12" deep just to get some deep aeration. I have found a fair amount of softball-basketball sized rocks so far, so I don't want to have invest in an ineffective tool. Its a ~1 acre plot so I'm hoping to till minimally, rototilling to incorporate cover crops, and chiseling less frequently on a bed by bed basis.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[buickanddeere]

Soil type and moisture?

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

This is a new plot I"m farming for someone. It has been disced twice already so I'm not going to be breaking any new ground, I'm hoping to run 1 or two shanks 10-12" deep just to get some deep aeration. I have found a fair amount of softball-basketball sized rocks so far, so I don't want to have invest in an ineffective tool. Its a ~1 acre plot so I'm hoping to till minimally, rototilling to incorporate cover crops, and chiseling less frequently on a bed by bed basis.

Thanks for the responses.

You are not going to want to have a ripper or chisel shank sunk 10" - 12" in the ground and hit a basketball sized rock. If you do, you're gonna break something on the plow or, even worse, on your tractor.

Some rippers have shear bolts on them, which creates a "weakest link in the chain" situation, so it will break before something breaks that's not supposed to. Even if you have something that has a shear pin on it, I would suggested taking it at a depth of 4" - 6" at most, and work your way down with multiple passes.

 

[bdog]

I was pulling a nine shank chisel 10-12" deep with my 95 hp 10,000lb tractor last week. It was all my tractor wanted and I had to lift it up in places as I lost traction and would just spin. I really think you need 10 hp per shank minimum with more being better. I don't know if you could pull two shanks or not but if you could you could set them up with the centers of your wheels and you could cover your tracks that way.

 

[pfranco81]

I guess my real concern is that this is a new field that was a woodlot last year, and was cleaned by hand and with machinery before I was here, also the discing was contracted out before I was hired on. So for all I know there could be a fair amount of compaction, so I'm hoping to run a shank or two through the whole field to open it up, and possibly every year or two as needed, also to break up any rototiller pan that may be created. As far as only dropping the shank(s) 4-6" that doesn't seem too useful to me because any decent rototiller can hit that depth easily. Maybe I"ll look into something like this, single shank ripper and only plan on sinking it as deep as i can handle.

Thoughts?

I appreciate the feedback.


EDIT: As far as soil-type and moisture, its a heavy loam, seems clay-y but drains alright, like I said, I was recently hired and haven't had much experience with it. But I think if timed right I can catch it on a light and dry day without much difficulty.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I was pulling a nine shank chisel 10-12" deep with my 95 hp 10,000lb tractor last week. It was all my tractor wanted and I had to lift it up in places as I lost traction and would just spin. I really think you need 10 hp per shank minimum with more being better. I don't know if you could pull two shanks or not but if you could you could set them up with the centers of your wheels and you could cover your tracks that way.

Yep, I think one ripper is all a 20hp 1,500 pound JD 4100 will handle. Most manufacturers of those ripper plows recommend a minimum of 25hp per ripper shank.

For example: http://www.umequip.com/tillage/freedom-3pt-implement/soil-ripper/

 

[jenkinsph]

Might wan't to think about old tree roots you might be digging up too. I don't think compaction should be a major concern at this point depending on what you plan to grow. Might be making more work for yourself than is needed.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

There is as lot of info on the internet. Below is one link. Consensus among makes seems to be 10 HP per shank and excellent tractor traction. Puts you at two shanks for your SCUT. I have a B i L that is a professional farmer in Oregon. When he saw my BX25 his first reaction was; "are you planning to plow with that?" He said do not waste your money on a plow, never work. Of course he has never plowed with less than 100 -200 HP. That would be a mold board plow he was referring to. He said he has never plowed where he gardens, rototiller only. His method is to till just before planting, till after harvest and plant clover, then till after last frost to turn in the clover, till if weeds come before ready to plant one more time.

Ron

Chisel Plow

 

[52wej]

A slightly different option would be to purchase a small single shank subsoiler from TSC or other farm supply outlets that have them. I had a 20 hp JD CUT that I used some years ago to pull it when first opening up a new garden plot. Often what happens is the subsoiler will simply stop the tractor if a large rock is hung. As some one said you will need to make multiple passes, going deeper with each pass, and keep your ground speed slow until you reach the desired depth. I can now pull the subsoiler at 18" with my 30 hp CUT and the way the soil is broken up makes a tremendous difference in the garden's soil quality. Still only one shank is used. But when everything is working properly you will see the soil rise and drop for a distance of 18" on either side of the unit. This completely fractures the compacted layers and allows for excellent moisture penetration and root growth. And I have a very hard red clay soil. Willie Jones

 

[RalphVa]

I pulled this with my 4010 with shanks totally buried.

Ralph

 

[pfranco81]

I pulled this with my 4010 with shanks totally buried.

There we go Ralph, that's what I'm talking about!

 

[buickanddeere]

A 4010 was pulling in hard clay would be scratching for traction.

I have a JD 22B V-Ripper with the 1-1/4" HD shank using a 10" wide LaserRip point. In dry clay it's all a 55HP 2WD will pull if sunk 24" . It will raise two high ridges with an open trench if the top link is shortened up too much. Lets the rain water soak in but makes for a place to drop front wheels into even after moldboard ploughing and cultivating. Better to lengthen the top link some and not have an open trench.
To keep from snapping the shearbolt when cutting tree roots along the edge of the forest/woods/bush. Just slow down to the lower gears. It does bring everything to a sudden halt if hooked on a large stone or root.
Rain water no longer sits ponded on the fields and drowns the crops. The farm had been no-till and limited till for 30+ years and was compacted. In dry weather strips of greener and higher crops can be seen where ripped.

 

[jenkinsph]

The 22B is a good model imo, one things for sure it is more than a scut want's though.

 

[flusher]

I used a middle buster on my 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, 4WD) followed by my Yanmar RS1200 rototiller (48" wide) when I put in the lawns at my new place a few years ago. Worked fine in the Spring when the soil is fairly damp. If I tried this in September after 4 months of 100 degree+ temperatures, the soil probably would have been too hard to plow with that little tractor.

Good luck.