discing

[warhammer]

First time using a disc today.
Pics are of one pass over the ground. It is recently cleared and I am looking to make it into pasture.
It does not dig in deep enough. More passes at an angle and more weight on the disc? How much weight would be in the ballpark?

Warhammer

 

[Egon]

Add weight till you get the desired results or the tractor can't pull it.

You might want to look at the angle too.

 

[whistlepig]

Sometimes it is too dry to disc. As far as weight goes it's whatever you tractor can pull. If the disc axles are riding on the ground it's time take some weight off.

 

[warhammer]

3-4 days ago it was way too wet to disc.....
Its hard to win sometimes. ;o}

Sometimes it is too dry to disc. As far as weight goes it's whatever you tractor can pull. If the disc axles are riding on the ground it's time take some weight off.

 

[whistlepig]

I have an old Ferguson 7' disk that weighs about 600#. On the first pass over new sod it goes about 4" deep in soft soil. Three passes will get me 9" deep and the ground will be worked nicely. I can't add weight. My B7800 won't pull it. I only use the disc for a small food plots.

 

[HCJ]

for one pass, that looks pretty good. Sometimes I make as many as 8 passes if the soils is hard and never worked before. THe other option is either a heavier disc (but would still take several passes) or do what I have started doing-using a moldboard plow first. It greatly speeds up the discing.

 

[warhammer]

Thanks for the replies.
This ground falls into the not worked in decades category. Below is a pic of an area after I had mowed it a few times for the first time since the early 80's at least.
I was thinking of buying some plastic containers and casting some concrete weights but the size of the weight platform is an odd size at 8x30 in. and I have not had luck finding anything.
I will try several passes over a realtively small area and see how that goes.

Warhammer

for one pass, that looks pretty good. Sometimes I make as many as 8 passes if the soils is hard and never worked before. THe other option is either a heavier disc (but would still take several passes) or do what I have started doing-using a moldboard plow first. It greatly speeds up the discing.

 

[whistlepig]

Good luck. Getting a disc to work the ground well is one of the most pleasing things I have done with a tractor.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would measure the top boxes and build some cement forms out of 2x6 lumber to make some weights, that disc looks light. It will take several passes with this disc to get results, be patient.

 

[captaincrab55]

Try a cross discing pattern on the plot inbetween your regular pattern..

 

[dave1949]

More weight and crossing pattern will help.

Looking at the disc pics, I think the disc blades may be worn a good bit judging by the clearance from the frame to the blades. That might affect how aggressively it cuts.

If you could use a chisel plow, then disc, it would help.
Dave.

 

[flusher]

First time using a disc today.
Pics are of one pass over the ground. It is recently cleared and I am looking to make it into pasture.
It does not dig in deep enough. More passes at an angle and more weight on the disc? How much weight would be in the ballpark?

Warhammer

Your disc looks a lot like an old 6-ft Ferguson disc a bought a few years ago.
I use a 6.5 ft Towner offset disc for primary tillage. It's a heavy dude-600-700 lb. I add about 480 lb of weight (four 120 lb concrete weights) to that disc to get it to bite. You need to pull discs at 4-6 mph to get them to work properly.

 

[warhammer]

I have added 300 pounds to the disc and made 2 more passes in a crossing pattern on one area. It definitely works better and has cut in 3-4 inches.

More weight and crossing pattern will help.

Looking at the disc pics, I think the disc blades may be worn a good bit judging by the clearance from the frame to the blades. That might affect how aggressively it cuts.

If you could use a chisel plow, then disc, it would help.
Dave.

 

[dave1949]

I have added 300 pounds to the disc and made 2 more passes in a crossing pattern on one area. It definitely works better and has cut in 3-4 inches.

You are making progress. That must be some well packed, hard soil. I wonder if it might be a good idea to go over it with a sub-soiler. How deep do you need to get for a good pasture seed bed?
Dave.

 

[bp fick]

For grasses, I would think you've tore it up enough. Good job.

For potatoes and other gardening plants that need a 6-8" bed, that job would be a whole lot quicker by breaking it first with a inexpensive middle buster type tool. That is why those MBs are so darn popular with guys here at TBN.

For what you are gonna do, what you have there will be fine, I should think.

 

[warhammer]

How close together do you run rows with a middle buster?
To break the clods up and smooth things out would dragging a chain harrow work? I want to put grass seed out next month and there is not enough time for the weather to break down the clods.
Since I plan on broadcast seeding I am thinking I need to smooth the dirt out, run my landscape rake over it to make small furrows, broadcast the seed and then drag it to cover the seed and compact it a bit. I am trying to establish common bermuda.

For grasses, I would think you've tore it up enough. Good job.

For potatoes and other gardening plants that need a 6-8" bed, that job would be a whole lot quicker by breaking it first with a inexpensive middle buster type tool. That is why those MBs are so darn popular with guys here at TBN.

For what you are gonna do, what you have there will be fine, I should think.

 

[captaincrab55]

To break the clods up and smooth things out would dragging a chain harrow work? I want to put grass seed out next month and there is not enough time for the weather to break down the clods.
Since I plan on broadcast seeding I am thinking I need to smooth the dirt out, run my landscape rake over it to make small furrows, broadcast the seed and then drag it to cover the seed and compact it a bit. I am trying to establish common bermuda.

Dragging a chain harrow may just bring all the clods to the surface.. If the clods aren't dried out and hard as a rock, a roller or drag board will work...

 

[bp fick]

How close together do you run rows with a middle buster?

I can only describe what works for me. With a middle buster plow, your front wheel will always follow the old furrow. This will make sense when you are doing it. Plow, follow it with another plowed furrow, and continue on until your field has been gone over once.

This will create "hills and valleys" at a spacing that is half as wide as your tractors wheels are set apart. On my second time working the field, I then stagger. This way i am plowing the hills, where the plow had not dug down on the previous working of the field.

Two words to all plow boys. Fall plowing. This enables the natural temperature swings to break down the clods. The frost/thaw cycles are your friends.

 

[cjfling]

I agree... plowing first or at least using an offset disc first will make the process faster. I'm in the same situation, but I plowed first, disced the second pass, and plan to disc again as soon as it dries up a bit. I plan to put out potash prior to the next discing. Use the disc you have pictured for the 2nd and third pass to help level and breakup the clods.

 

[KentT]

Decreasing the angle should help it cut deeper also. Then, once you got it cut down, you can adjust the angles back up to get it to "kick" the dirt farther and loosen up the soil better...