Disc Harrow Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Blade

[gillesdumais]

Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Blade

I just bought 2 acres of land that was full of small cherry tree , weed and grass. i cut all the tree , removed the stumps and passed many time with a Box Blade BB2560 behind my L2501 25HP Tractor 62'' wide. There was a lot of rock in MG112 gravel on top of existing natural clay soil from golf ball to Grapefruit and some bigger like Cantaloup. There is not much roots left but still some. I have a Tiller brand new Gear drive RGA1258 coming next week. most soil type is clay under the roots and rock. i am planning to seed grass in two years as next summer i want to prepare the ground with the right tools. I dont want to damage my tiller that cost $3k with still lot of Rock left. A Land pride disk Harrow DH1560 cost also $3k but only has 38lbs per 18'' disk. Many Expert on this forum mention to have at least 45LBS per disk minimum size 20'' that are hard to Find in Canada. My question is : is it recommended to buy and use a Disk Harrow 60-66" 600lbs-900lbs with 45lbs per disk and 20'' diameter Disks for my needs, or should i just use my tiller and may be till shallow to level the ground and break all the big chunk of grass left by the tooths on my box scrap that i passed and possibly repair the Tiller.

 

[leonz]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

Bon Jour Monsieur Dumais,

Giles, the first thing you should do is go to your kubota dealer and ask where
you could hire a farmer and his tractor and rock picker to remove any hidden rocks.

If he knows of anyone with a Schulte or Degelman rock picker that you could hire
it will not take very long to clear your plot of rocks. Pizza and beer bribes
are always welcome.

After that you can spread 6 bags of gypsum to dissolve the clay and two weeks
later spread 4 bags of pelleted lawn lime and till that in in one shallow pass and
then plant grass seed this year.

You need gypsum to dissolve the clay and pelleted lime to bring up the soil PH so
you can plant grass this year.

I have to go do chores.

 

[jeff9366]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

Use your new tiller. Assuming your tiller has forward rotating tines you should not worry overmuch about damage. If anything breaks it will be a relatively cheap and easy to replace tine. With prudence, which means tilling moist soil, tine breakage is unlikely with moderate use in just two acres.


A 2,700 pound L2501 is not heavy enough to pull a Disc Harrow with 20" diameter pans at sufficient speed to fling dirt, thereby leveling.

A Disc Harrow with 18" diameter pans will float over your soil, rather than smooth. 18" diameter pans are relatively thin and always scalloped. Thin, scalloped pans are as likely to be damaged in your stoney soil as roto-tiller tines. Roto-tiller tines are easier to replace.

Disc Harrows for compact tractors have pans spaced either 7-1/2" apart or 9" apart. When the gangs are set on an angle to move dirt the gate between pans is reduced in width. A Disc Harrow with pans spaced 7-1/2" apart will likely clog/jam frequently with with the rocks you have pictured. I believe all Land Pride Disc Harrows have 7-1/2" pan spacing.

PHOTO #1 Never transport a heavy load like the stones pictured without the ROPS up and your seat belt securely fastened. The scenario pictured is courting personal injury. Bad practice will get you, sooner or later.

When the tractor is righted, being a diesel, the engine is unlikely to start.

As Three Point Hitch counterbalance to FEL loads your roto-tiller is likely heavier than your Box Blade.


You may wish to consider a $/US400 Middlebuster to loosen particularly tough areas and feel for boulders.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=TRACOR+MIDDLEBUSTER

 

[gillesdumais]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

Hi Jeff thanks’ for mentioning me about my location . It was done but not saved correctly when I subscribe. I fixed it now.

I was sure you were to reply eventually to my thread because you are the main reason why i subscribe to this forum and you are passionate about Disc Harrow that you seem to know very well.
goggling on Disc Harrow i got hit on many of your post mostly that I found to be very intuitive, well explained , detailed with valuable information. In fact I wanted to write on one of your post to
congratulate you about the quality of your post but not being a member was impossible a this moment. You seem to be the authority on Google for Disc Harrow.

After reading you i had decided if i would buy a disc harrow to go with 45 lbs per disc and 20''. but in Canada we are very limited to 3 manufacture present. Landpride Wood and Deere with 18'' scalloped disc only available.. So their 5 foot disc harrow are at 31-38 lbs per disc and very light at maximum 628lbs for DH1560.

The manufacture with more weight per disc found in my research were model Rankin DH30-60, Fieldking FKTDHM-7.5-16, Sundown by Woodhouse DH300-60C and Taylor Way 377 which I believe have 20'' disc in option, also found Tufline THE serie interesting.. But none of those are available in Canada. but my across border neighbors have a chance of having lot of manufacture in USA and choice with attachment and should appreciate that presence.

So after reading many Forums i was questioning myself about the pertinence of acquiring another attachment to save my Land Pride RGA1258 Tiller 525 lbs , but they seem to cost the same or more and being as much fragile and not adequate to do the job by floating and requiring many pass. i first looked at Chain Drag Harrow, then at Spring Tine cultivator then finally at Disc Harrow. Also once my 2 acres level out and seeded there would be no more use for that extra attachment. My tiller was bought for my 1000 sq feet garden , in replacement of my small F501 Honda tiller.

So Finally i should do more passes with my Land Pride Box Blade BB2560 471 LBS with the spike teeth (scarifier) all the way down like the beginning and with the top link shorten so the box blade is angled forward quite a bit in order to have the rear cutting blades just barely touching the ground. This way i will hit and pick most of the rocks and root before the Tiller do to limit his damage. And tilling would require only one slow single pass thereafter versus many pass with Harrow.

Here is my question: should i limit the tiller depth to few inches only when tilling to only level out and limit quantity of rock being hit has there will be no more tilling in the future on this lot. Should i also have the back panel all the way up to have the rock spilled out in the back on top of the soil so that i may pick them up after. I presume with back panel down the rock may return to ground mixed with the dirt and some dent cause on the back Panel. Should I also lower the RPM when tilling and or drive slower to hear the rock or root being encounter.

Thanks’ again Jeff for bringing your contribution to our worldwide community of passionate agriculture.

 

[shooterdon]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

Bon Jour Monsieur Dumais,

Giles, the first thing you should do is go to your kubota dealer and ask where
you could hire a farmer and his tractor and rock picker to remove any hidden rocks.

If he knows of anyone with a Schulte or Degelman rock picker that you could hire
it will not take very long to clear your plot of rocks. Pizza and beer bribes
are always welcome.

After that you can spread 6 bags of gypsum to dissolve the clay and two weeks
later spread 4 bags of pelleted lawn lime and till that in in one shallow pass and
then plant grass seed this year.

You need gypsum to dissolve the clay and pelleted lime to bring up the soil PH so
you can plant grass this year.

I have to go do chores.

Some good advice. I would be very reluctant to purchase an attachment that will have limited use for a 2 acre project. And, at least in my location, every year the frost pushes up new rocks to deal with.

I have been using a landscape rake to deal with rocks (mine are up to grapefruit size) but after 4 years, I still get a few more every year to deal with. The rake did a decent job of clearing them at the beginning of the project. Now, it is easier to drive around and pick up the bigger ones by hand, but my food plot is only an acre or so.

If I had a box blade, I would definitely try it out to dig up and expose the "manageable" rocks. Then use my rake to windrow them for pickup. I like the middlebuster idea Jeff suggested but I do not have one. It will go much deeper and bring more rocks up.

I have never seen a "rock picker" so I learned something. Certainly worth having done if you can locate of guy to do the work.

 

[Egon]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

You may want to consider putting longer rippers in your box blade and use it as spike toothed cultivator. Lots of passes at different angles to pull up rocks and cultivate the soil. Then follow up with a rock picker if possible.

On a different note for two acres a road grader could bring up the rocks, level/smooth/cultivate the area and leave you with windrows of rocks on either side.

 

[Mat4644]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

A few observations:

1. Your only clearing 2 acres.

2. Farmers have been clearing land with horses and small tractors for 100+ years and didn't have 20 inch disc blades with 45+ pounds per disc. This size is not a requirement. No requirement to "fling" the soil to be effective.

3..Once the top is loosened a heavy drag will do much more levelling than a disc harrow. Many pull the drag behind the disc. Use the box blade for big leveling and the drag for the smaller. A drag can be simply a heavy lumber beam or an I beam. Many times I pull a drag behind a box blade. Often with blade slightly up and rippers a little down.

4. Running a tiller in this land will sound like you're processing at a rock quarry. HD tiller can take it but it will take a beating.

5. Bobcat with a soil prep device can level and pick rocks and roots in quick order and your only prepping 2 acres. Are there rentals in your area? Even better maybe a contractor that has reasonable prices?

6. Noticed in photos things look wet? Don't expect great results working wet.

 

[oosik]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

I think I would put shanks on your box blade - if possible. Most of the rocks you will be concerned about will be brought up this way. Then a "drag" to level it all out. I-beam, heavy plank or big log - - yoke up behind your tractor and DRAG.

By-the-way, welcome to TBN and the forum.

 

[TractorGuy]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

I only have one suggestion. When you get your new tiller the first thing to do is go over it to make sure it's ready to use.

First thing to do is disassemble the slip clutch on the driveshaft. Clean out any trapped moisture and rust. Reassemble and adjust. If you can't find adjustment specs for your unit I think one turn past first contact with the springs would be a good starting point. Grease the shaft, u-joints, and safety sleeve fittings. Make sure the splines will engage the gearbox on the tiller and output shaft on the tractor. Sometimes a new shaft will have burrs in the spline that need filing.

Next check all the bolts for tightness.

Check both gearboxes for oil level. The side gearbox should have a bolt you can remove about mid level. If nothing runs out just stick a wire or something in that hole to make sure the oil is reachable or you can just add a little until it runs out. If the PTO gearbox looks like most I've seen it will be about 6" deep and the oil level should be about half. A small 6" ruler works great for measuring the oil depth.

Pull the vent/filler plugs from both gearboxes and make sure they aren't stuck. Spray a little WD-40 or something in the bottom and blow into them with compressed air. They should open and allow the fluid to come out the top. If those are stuck it may cause the oil seals to start leaking when the gear oil gets hot and builds pressure.

Grease the right side bearing. If it was sent empty it will take about a half tube of grease.

Not saying your unit will need all this attention but you won't know unless you check it yourself.

I don't have any experience dealing with rocks so nothing to suggest in that regard.

 

[gillesdumais]

Re: Disc Harrow or Foward Tiller new field with rock & root after passing with Box Bl

Hi Egon

It is very hard already to pull the Land Pride Box Blade BB2560 471 lbs behind my 3500lb tracter loader HST L2501 full throttle 4WD at low speed with only the Ripper , Shank , Scraper or Scarifier touching the ground being setup all way down and angled foward to prevent the cutting blade to touch down. It is a good thing that at last minute i changed my order from 66'' to 60'' box blade both with still 5 shanks on it

I had to weld the tips on 3 of them already as they came off by hitting the rock. So yes i could may be go deeper by tilting forward the box blade further to have the ripper go down more. I guess the more passes i go through the easier it will be for the Tractor as the ground would become looser. For now it is big chunk of solid grass with some small thin roots. But the more i go over the smaller they'll get.

Now it is rainning all day long and winter is coming. Cannot work the lot anymore in full wet Clay as the wheels are spinning with attachment up, not able to move foward or reverse. will have wait next summer.