Field Implements - User Basics

[Champy]

Anyone have a source for basic information on what field implements are used for which tasks? I see all of these various implements (Middle Busters; plow; cultivator; disc; harrows; rakes; etc.) referenced in threads, but don't really know which one to use for what tasks. Maybe an OEMs website has a guide?

For example, a farmer renting our land just harvested soybeans.....how do I clean up the land and get it ready to plant trees? Just disc? Plow? Cultivate?

Thanks for your help

 

[RalphVa]

I grew up on a farm but left it 50 years ago. So, some of my information may be kinda out of date.

Nowadays, a lot of farmers are going to no-till agriculture. One way to do your trees is to use a brush hog to cut stuff down to a low level, maybe in a couple passes if it's really nasty: once cutting maybe 4-6" high, walk all over it to locate problems and fix and then cut low maybe 2-3". Then use Roundup to kill all the vegetation. Then just dig your tree holes with a big diameter post hole digger.

The old way of tilling ground was to plow with a rotary disc (hugh, about 2' diameter) or "moldboard" type plows. The ground will be VERY rough because of the big furrows made by the plow. So, farmers often let it sit a spell to let nature even it out a bit before going over it with a huge "disc" made up of multiple small discs, maybe with a harrow being pulled along behind the disc to totally even it out. A harrow is kinda like a hand rake with with fewer teeth/foot or inch, mainly just a metal frame with some spikes in it. Some use an ole piece of fencing or something similar.

A cultivator is usually used to tear up dirt between rows to eliminate weeds with the tractor. The idea is to very lightly go underneath the soil layer to cut the weeds but not to expose much new dirt that has more weed seeds. These usually have multiple little "plows" that run between the rows. One has to steer the tractor very well to avoid going into the rows and cutting up the crop. The little plows also throw some dirt up onto the row and against the crop to cover any weeds there.

There are some "cultivators" (and I've got one) that have skinny plows on them that are used to tear up the soil for next year's crop. Think use of these aren't in line with the idea of no till, because they'll bring some new soil to the surface and expose weed seeds. Also, they'll tear up micro pores made by worms and other microbes that you want to retain.

I use the framework for my cultivator plows to mount a couple big discs opposed 45 degrees and running behind the tractor's tires to maintain the raised rows in my veggie garden, not actually touching the rows. These are called disc hillers. Some disc hillers have the disc plus something like a tiller in between them to really tear up the dirt. This, again, doesn't fit with new "no till" technology.

Of course, there are rotary tillers that do the job of the old plow, disc and harrow. These, again, don't fit with the new "no till" technology.

Ralph

 

[RonR]

I'm assuming your renter's lease has expired and he won't be farming it any more.

Probably the easiest way would be to hire him to disk the field level a time or two this fall, or contract for him to do it in the spring.

Are you planting only trees? Or grass and trees?

If the field is any size at all, it likely is cheaper to hire him for a time or two than buy the stuff yourself.

Ron

 

[CharlieTR]

Best source is your County Agent and the web.
Seems to me that since this is land that was farmed recently you should not need to go too deep. I would just disk now and disk again before planting, not sure when you plant trees up there, here we do it is January.

 

[Champy]

Crop lease was only for this year's soybeans........

Open cropland area is about 22 acres, and it looks pretty "clean".....not much debris from harvesting soybeans, etc...

We will be planting christmas trees in the spring (March?), and from the responses so far it appears that I should only need to disc the couple of acres we are going to be planting this year (not doing the whole thing at once). Any suggestions on what size discs are appropriate? (BTW - haven't bought my CUT yet but working towards pulling the trigger on a JD990 in a week or so).

Thanks for the suggestions / feedback. Being fairly inexperienced in this stuff, I look at what I want to do, but have no idea what tool is the proper one to use.......probably need to begin jaw-boning with the local farmers too.


Also - We're having the local State Forestry agent out to do soil samples / analysis to recommend the right type of trees for our land. Will be doing hardwoods to reforest a good portion of the open spaces.

 

[cp1969]

You probably don't need much more than a post hole digger to plant small trees. In fact, a shovel would probably work about as well.

I would imagine if you go to the locals and start asking about what all different implements you need to plant trees, you will establish your reputation as the Oliver Douglas of your locale.

 

[CharlieTR]

Two types of discs are heavy and finish disc. The only difference is the weight of the disk. Heavy for deeper first pass, finish to brake up clods and smooth. I would select a heavy disk. Any size heavy disk OK. Whatever size your tractor can manage. Set the angle on the disc to the most agressive setting to go deeper for the first pass, then straighten the disc for smoothing and clod busting. You might want to think about planting clover or vetch or both in the remaining areas (no trees). That will be a good green manure and will fertilize the soil as well as sterilize against weeds. Normally when we plant grass in a field like that we want the residue (remains of soybeans) to be fully rotted or burned. The residue wicks the water out of the soil faster.
It rots over the winter by deep disking in the fall, then prep the seed bed in the Spring with more disking. Not sure about the Christmas trees, I think you will not need to worry about this if they will be planted more than a few inches deep.

 

[Champy]

I would imagine if you go to the locals and start asking about what all different implements you need to plant trees, you will establish your reputation as the Oliver Douglas of your locale.

Oliver Wendel Douglas......... - I had to look that one up on Google before I remembered the Green Acres connection........ yeah, that's probably what they'll be thinking - if not already. Basically we bought a deceased widow's farm from her out of state relatives and some of the locals were upset that it sold for such a low price before they could get it. Although others are pretty friendly and were just glad it isn't being torn up for another housing development.

 

[tracecom]

Anyone have a source for basic information on what field implements are used for which tasks? I see all of these various implements (Middle Busters; plow; cultivator; disc; harrows; rakes; etc.) referenced in threads, but don't really know which one to use for what tasks. Maybe an OEMs website has a guide?

For example, a farmer renting our land just harvested soybeans.....how do I clean up the land and get it ready to plant trees? Just disc? Plow? Cultivate?

Thanks for your help

Maybe this is what you are looking for?

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonl...4721758AE/11557/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf

 

[Champy]

TRACECOM!!!!!!!!!! Exactly the type of info I was looking for......yum yum!

I gotta save this and print it for my reference library.

 

[jbrumberg]

tracecom:

Thank you ! This is good information that I can present to "She Who Must Be Obeyed" when I am groveling around trying to obtain a new attachment for the tractor . I have a few attachments which I really do use; now with this article I can make a good presentation to justify acquisition of new attachments which I think I really do need and could use. Next on my list include a bolt-on toothbar to go over my bolt-on cutting edge and a box blade. A middle buster plow blade as well as a PTO driven "tree winch", chipper, PHD, and BH follow. Thank you Jay

 

[andrewj]

You probably don't need much more than a post hole digger to plant small trees. In fact, a shovel would probably work about as well.

I would imagine if you go to the locals and start asking about what all different implements you need to plant trees, you will establish your reputation as the Oliver Douglas of your locale.

Oh LORD - a SHOVEL? you have got to be kidding me? or maybe you are around 17 years old!!! I can dig one hole with a shovel, but when you talk about putting in many (maybe hundreds) of trees....uh...NO to the shovel!!!

What some do is to take a middlebuster and dig a furrow. plant trees by dropping them in the "ditch." then come back with a bedder to heap dirt back into the ditch, and onto the trees.

 

[randy41]

if you are planting 22 acres at a time in seedling trees you would probably do well to hire/rent/buy a planter that you pull with your tractor. it opens a furrrow and someone riding the planter drops a seedling in the the furrow and then the planter has press wheels to close the furrow.
otherwise people use a flat shovel and make a slit in the ground and then another one at an angle to it right next to it and drop the seedling in then press it closed with their foot.
the trees are planted at a distance apart to allow bushhogging in between.
there are a lot of nursery trees grown around here and after a field is harvested it is bulldozed flat (not flat as in not hilly but maybe i mean smooth)then replanted.

 

[Champy]

Randy41 - We're only going to be planting a couple of acres at a time..using a dibble bar planter...... don't want to plant more than I can harvest or sell when mature.

I was trying to educate myself on what implements to use in prepping the ground over the winter to prepare for Spring planting of trees, etc.... and there have been some good links and input so far. Thanks all

 

[Doc_Bob]

Randy41 - We're only going to be planting a couple of acres at a time..using a dibble bar planter...... don't want to plant more than I can harvest or sell when mature.

What is a dibble bar planter??? Do you have picture you can post?
Bob

 

[tracecom]

What is a dibble bar planter??? Do you have picture you can post?
Bob

Dibble Bar

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/cat_pdf/144_C57.pdf

 

[randy41]

people who are experienced with those dibble bar planters can move along very fast. i'm not sure how they stay precise with them though...i don't mean depth but in line.

 

[flusher]

Anyone have a source for basic information on what field implements are used for which tasks? I see all of these various implements (Middle Busters; plow; cultivator; disc; harrows; rakes; etc.) referenced in threads, but don't really know which one to use for what tasks. Maybe an OEMs website has a guide?

For example, a farmer renting our land just harvested soybeans.....how do I clean up the land and get it ready to plant trees? Just disc? Plow? Cultivate?

Thanks for your help

Plunk down $15 at Amazon.com for

"How To Use Implements on Your Small-Scale Farm (Motorbooks Workshop)"
Rick Kubik; Paperback; $14.93.

 

[Champy]

Plunk down $15 at Amazon.com for

"How To Use Implements on Your Small-Scale Farm (Motorbooks Workshop)"
Rick Kubik; Paperback; $14.93.


THANKS FLUSHER - Just went and bought this one online.

 

[Slamfire]

The last time I worked on plantin' trees they used a rowcrop planter. It is essentially a big wheel with large spike that make holes in the bed. On each side of the wheel are a pair of shelves that hold seedling boxes. Behind the wheel, a pair of bicycle seat for the planters to sit. They'd take turns dropping seedlings in the holes made by the spikes. a closing wheel pressed the dirt into the holes. The fanciest models even watered the plants after the closing wheel. Somebody will find a picture, I'm too sleepy right now.