Disking up an old field

[showcattle]

It's pasture ground, and I've done what you're wanting to do. I bought an old Ford 3 point, 6' disc for $800, run it over the areas I want to smooth out, and broadcast seed on it. I sometimes drag it with a piece of chain link fence after seeding. It works fine.

 

[5030]

Been reading along, not commenting however. If it was me, I'd chisel plow it first and then disc it.

 

[Spike56]

I am pleased the reference was helpful.

jeff9366

Jeff9366, yes, the reference it was very helpful. I have noted you have a lot of expertise in farming / tractors etc. After discussion with Buckeye Tractor and a local friend, I could use a few words of wisdom concerning tool bars and chisel plows. When I look these up for example, I see tool bars with a single bar (as is mine) and tool bars with multiple horizontal bars. I suppose they are considered / so named. But I am a little confused and have really basic questions. Other than the number of items you could mount on one, is there some benefits to having multiple rows of bars? The fellow at Buckeye Tractor seemed to imply this. I may not really comprehend the importance of the distance from the tractor rear to the implement.
Also on the chisel plows, I **really** see many differences on what people call a chisel plow?
Sorry for such basic questions, but a few words of wisdom could help my understanding here and avoid a bad decision on my part. As if that's possible.

I realize that everything is dependent here on what you are needing. I have a JD2355 tractor. All I am considering is a single configurable implement for small jobs mainly on my 8-acre hay field. These would be occasional only jobs such as, making a couple of furrows where I have to re-plant tifton tops (plant by hand). Drag something over hard pan soil (red clay) to cut slits in the soil for moisture to soak in some. Scratch in (disc lightly) overseed / rye for the fall. I by no means want to properly renovate with this piece of equipment which would require too heavy duty of an implement here. Years ago, I had a 5-shank renovator. There are places where the soil was looser, and I could get all 5 shanks in, but that was a miracle. So, I used (3) most often and in the harder soil the moisture had to be perfect.

Any comments are appreciated. Thank-you.

 

[jeff9366]

1. I see tool bars with a single bar and tool bars with multiple horizontal bars. But I am a little confused and have really basic questions. Other than the number of items you could mount on one, is there some benefits to having multiple rows of bars?

The greater length of a multiple tool bar implement, the smoother and leveler the output behind the implement will be after one pass.


2. Also on the chisel plows, I **really** see many differences on what people call a chisel plow?

Tractor and implement nomenclature is not very precise. To me, a chisel plow is a conservation plow with a heavy reset spring protecting each shank. For compact tractors other names for this implement are ALL PURPOSE PLOW and FIELD CULTIVATOR.
The English inventor (1936) of this implement, Harry Ferguson, called it a TILLER but that name is no longer used for this implement.

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I have a JD2355 tractor. ~~~2-WD or 4-WD?

John Deere 2355​

1987 - 1992 55 Utility Series Utility tractor

John Deere 2355 Power
Engine	64 hp 47.7 kW
Drawbar (claimed)	47 hp 35.0 kW
PTO (claimed)	55 hp 41.0 kW
Drawbar (tested)	46.7 hp 34.8 kW
PTO (tested)	55.9 hp 41.7 kW

John Deere 2355 Weight
2WD ROPS Shipping	5965 lbs 2705 kg
2WD cab Shipping	6945 lbs 3150 kg
4WD ROPS Shipping	6637 lbs 3010 kg
4WD cab Shipping	7552 lbs 3425 kg

3. I am considering is a single configurable implement for small jobs mainly on my 8-acre hay field. These would be occasional only jobs such as, making a couple of furrows where I have to re-plant tifton tops (plant by hand). Drag something over hard pan soil (red clay) to cut slits in the soil for moisture to soak in some. Scratch in (disc lightly) overseed / rye for the fall. I by no means want to properly renovate with this piece of equipment which would require too heavy duty of an implement here. Years ago, I had a 5-shank renovator. There are places where the soil was looser, and I could get all 5 shanks in, but that was a miracle. So, I used (3) most often and in the harder soil the moisture had to be perfect.

I recommend a $1,800 seven-shank (2-WD tractor) or $2,000 nine-shank (4-WD tractor), or 12-shank (4-WD tractor) All Purpose Plow as cost effective for your applications. Draw only when the soil moisture is perfect. (This assumes not too many rocks in your soil.)

Dirt Dog - All Purpose Plow / Field Cultivator REVIEW + PICTURES

Dirt Dog All Purpose Plow / Field Cultivator Dirt Dog Model APP 66-5 Total Width 66", Working Width 62", Five Tines, Weight 284 Pounds, Paid $835.00 (2010) Field Cultivator: A Three Point Hitch mounted, secondary tillage implement, used to perform operations such as soil aeration...

www.tractorbynet.com

All Purpose Plows - Bush Hog

bushhog.com

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  DSC00382.jpg

  1.2 MB · Views: 462

 

[Spike56]

1. I see tool bars with a single bar and tool bars with multiple horizontal bars. But I am a little confused and have really basic questions. Other than the number of items you could mount on one, is there some benefits to having multiple rows of bars?

The greater length of a multiple tool bar implement, the smoother and leveler the output behind the implement will be after one pass.


2. Also on the chisel plows, I **really** see many differences on what people call a chisel plow?

Tractor and implement nomenclature is not very precise. To me, a chisel plow is a conservation plow with a heavy reset spring protecting each shank. For compact tractors other names for this implement are ALL PURPOSE PLOW and FIELD CULTIVATOR.
The English inventor (1936) of this implement, Harry Ferguson, called it a TILLER but that name is no longer used for this implement.

Attachments

• 
  Unknown-2.jpeg

  11.9 KB · Views: 270
• 
  Front Cover.jpg

  182.8 KB · Views: 259

I have a JD2355 tractor. ~~~2-WD or 4-WD?

John Deere 2355​

1987 - 1992 55 Utility Series Utility tractor

John Deere 2355 Power
Engine	64 hp 47.7 kW
Drawbar (claimed)	47 hp 35.0 kW
PTO (claimed)	55 hp 41.0 kW
Drawbar (tested)	46.7 hp 34.8 kW
PTO (tested)	55.9 hp 41.7 kW

John Deere 2355 Weight
2WD ROPS Shipping	5965 lbs 2705 kg
2WD cab Shipping	6945 lbs 3150 kg
4WD ROPS Shipping	6637 lbs 3010 kg
4WD cab Shipping	7552 lbs 3425 kg

3. I am considering is a single configurable implement for small jobs mainly on my 8-acre hay field. These would be occasional only jobs such as, making a couple of furrows where I have to re-plant tifton tops (plant by hand). Drag something over hard pan soil (red clay) to cut slits in the soil for moisture to soak in some. Scratch in (disc lightly) overseed / rye for the fall. I by no means want to properly renovate with this piece of equipment which would require too heavy duty of an implement here. Years ago, I had a 5-shank renovator. There are places where the soil was looser, and I could get all 5 shanks in, but that was a miracle. So, I used (3) most often and in the harder soil the moisture had to be perfect.

I recommend a $1,800 seven-shank (2-WD tractor) or $2,000 nine-shank (4-WD tractor), or 12-shank (4-WD tractor) All Purpose Plow as cost effective for your applications. Draw only when the soil moisture is perfect.

Dirt Dog - All Purpose Plow / Field Cultivator REVIEW + PICTURES

Dirt Dog All Purpose Plow / Field Cultivator Dirt Dog Model APP 66-5 Total Width 66", Working Width 62", Five Tines, Weight 284 Pounds, Paid $835.00 (2010) Field Cultivator: A Three Point Hitch mounted, secondary tillage implement, used to perform operations such as soil aeration...

www.tractorbynet.com

All Purpose Plows - Bush Hog

bushhog.com

Attachments

• 
  DSC00382.jpg

  1.2 MB · Views: 462

Jeff, my tractor is 2-wheel drive. FEL / Cab.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

30 HP tractor and 6' disc ? I can't make the math work out on that. We have a 5' tuffline disc we occasionally use with a 33 HP tractor. On a garden. If you got a 6' heavy enough to cut pasture, your tractor couldn't lift it. I'd use a 4' disc on un plowed ground. Then it's only a definite maybe at that.

 

[Ricn]

Wow, lots of great ideas from so many. Thanks a bunch for all the input ideas. I may end up ripping with my boxblade, drag off any rocks then rototill it all as I have those implements already. I can pick a small area to try out, see how it goes.

 

[oosik]

I've tilled three open fields on my property. I've used my LPGS with ripper teeth - I've used my moldboard plow then a disk set and finally a really heavy field cultivator. The LPGS with ripper teeth ended up producing the smoothest finish. Mainly because after ripping the pud out of the field - I drug it with the LPGS - teeth up.

 

[JCoastie]

Not a USC alumni. Don’t care what faculty there believes.

You should, since they receive tens of millions of federal tax dollars every year, that's money you and I pay to them thanks to uncle sam.

 

[Yander]

Years ago I had a 5 acre lot with no tractor and was borrowing my parents walk behind tiller to till about an acre at a time and seed it. I bought a boom sprayer and sprayed it with round up before tilling it. At one point, I had sprayed roundup to get a kill on the yard and then waited for the round up to work {7-10 days) during that period we were getting a lot of rain so I couldn't till until it dried up a little.

I left the grass in my seeder since I was using it regularly and one of my young sons found the seeder and decided to seed a long strip of that soil before I even tilled it. In fact, I didn't even know he did it.

A couple weeks later I saw this very nice stand of grass in a very long strip about the width of my seeder and I knew what had happened.

My point being, grass will grow with very little to no surface tillage at all. It needs a weed free environment so not competing and water. It will grow. There are even people who plant right on top of a late snow, say late March, and let the snow melt and create a moist cool environment for cool season grass to germinate. I've not done it but it seems like it would work.