Disc Harrow Maintinance/ Advice for food plots

[Jfben4]

I recently purchased an Atlas 300 disc Harrow ( Photo attachd) to help install winter food plots for the winter. I paid $500, I hope thats a fair price. This is probably a supid question but I would rather be safe than sorry. My main question is regarding maintinance. This harrow has probably set for awhile and I do not see any grease zerts. I looked up the parts catilague and is does say there are friction bearings. Do I need to do anything to these before I hook up the disc?

 

[oosik]

That looks to be an exact duplicate of my Land Pride 1048. Mine has sealed bearings. I've never had to do any maintenance on the unit.

I guess - if one of the disks quit turning - tear it down and free up or replace a bearing. I've had my disk harrow for over 35 years.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I am not sure what is a friction bearings, but unless they are sealed bearings they need grease, sometime they have a cap where the grease fitting should be you need to remove the cap and screw in the grease fitting. If they are sealed then only oil the adjustment screws on top and moving joints and that's it.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

To the OP you will find that if you take a scraper and scrape the moist dirt that sticks to the disc blades off when you are done using it and then squirt them off with the water hose it will probably last you forever, you can also brighten the blades up by discing your driest dirt last and then hose off.

 

[jeff9366]

That is an angle-iron frame Disc Harrow. Not much weight to it. Do not expect it to cut food plot soil much. The pans will mostly roll over the ground.

 

[oosik]

You can add weight to this setup and increase its ability to cut the soil. I have a 400 pound cast cement square that I set on mine.

It helps but you will, most likely, have to make multiple passes to get what you want.

At one time I was looking at a much heavier disk harrow. It was 3-point type - 108 inch cutting width - 1200 pounds. It's cost and shipping cost was more than I wanted to spend.

With the 400# added weight - mine will do an adequate job with two or three passes over virgin land. First pass - N-S. Second pass - E-W. Repeat if necessary.

If you have access to a moldboard plow this will increase the efficiency of the disk harrow markedly. Plow first - then disk.

 

[paulsharvey]

I would give a shot, a disc can work very well in some soils.

 

[Rockbadchild]

You can add weight to this setup and increase its ability to cut the soil. I have a 400 pound cast cement square that I set on mine.

It helps but you will, most likely, have to make multiple passes to get what you want.

At one time I was looking at a much heavier disk harrow. It was 3-point type - 108 inch cutting width - 1200 pounds. It's cost and shipping cost was more than I wanted to spend.

With the 400# added weight - mine will do an adequate job with two or three passes over virgin land. First pass - N-S. Second pass - E-W. Repeat if necessary.

If you have access to a moldboard plow this will increase the efficiency of the disk harrow markedly. Plow first - then disk.

I have a heavy 10ft pull behind and I could never imagine breaking up virgin land with it without plowing first ... even after I have plowed I have to overlap my passes half way N-S and E-W.

 

[Jfben4]

I don’t have a plow yet but I plan on dropping my rippers in my boxblade and tilting it up. I feel I could get a good rip with multiple passes before I use the disc. Thoughts?

 

[Rockbadchild]

I don’t have a plow yet but I plan on dropping my rippers in my boxblade and tilting it up. I feel I could get a good rip with multiple passes before I use the disc. Thoughts?

A lot depends on the soil type but my guesstimation is you will only get a few inches of loose material to work with... so it depends on what kind of crop you want to plant. You would save a lot of time with a plow.

 

[oosik]

If I were ever inclined to develop food plots. I think I would opt for a heavy duty - PTO driven - rototiller. This would do the job of a plow and disk - all in one pass.

For eight years we had a garden. Used a TroyBilt Horse on the garden. I've got a very good idea what a rototiller can/can't do.

BTW - after eight years we quit the garden. The locals - varmints - would eat everything and they didn't help with maintenance. Not a wink.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Friction bearings require lubrication. Just find out what is the recommended oil.
They are very durable if you keep the dirt knocked of after using your implement.
That would be the time to lubricate, so the oil has time to do its work. You stated that there are no zerks.

 

[paulsharvey]

Friction bearings require lubrication. Just find out what is the recommended oil.
They are very durable if you keep the dirt knocked of after using your implement.
That would be the time to lubricate, so the oil has time to do its work. You stated that there are no zerks.

Didn't some of the old ones have an oil soaked felt "washer" kinda thing?

 

[paulsharvey]

According to the diagram, it looks like the bearings are probably 3 piece, 2 stamped bearing holders, and the actual bearing itself. You should be able to take one of them apart, assuming it's two half shells bolted together, and look at the bearing itself. It very well maybe a sealed bearing,

 

[oosik]

Here is a final thought. Nobody know what you will be planting. So ripping your soil with the shanks on your box blade could be a good start.

Then hit it with the disk harrow. Need more weight. A 55 gallon drum full of water could be the answer for added weight.

You CAN make it work. Just a little patience and resourcefulness.