Food Plots ? Speed ? Tilling?

[kfin]

I have a 2310d with a yanmar tiller. I have had it for 2 years and do my foodplots with it. I have one that is a little over 2 acres, one about an acre, and 3 that are about 1/2 acre. The tiller has worked very well, this is all farmland that was put into the wetland program 3 years ago and was all disced up at that time. I would like to put in another 3 acre plot this summer probably just in clover.

My question is with this much tilling would I be better off with a 5 or 6 foot disc to break it up the first time and then till over it. I enjoy the time at the farm on the tractor but MAN it takes a long time to till with my rig. I usually start off in range 1 and 1st or 2nd gear and then go over it again a little bit faster. Am I using the right speeds? Too slow...too fast??

How long does it take you guys to till a 1 acre food plot that you do every year? Go over it once, twice?

Thanks for any discussion on this.
Keith

 

[kenmac]

Tilling speeds will differ due to soil conditions in different areas

 

[Smoody]

Kfin,

I always use a heavy disc harrow to bust the ground first, then the tiller. The tiller to me is more of a finishing preparation attachment to break the clumps, another thing is its not hard to ruin the tines if you get into heavy rock, I sometimes even use the teeth on my box blade (lowered completely) to break the ground and pull up roots and rocks before I use the Disc harrow. If you do that and go over the plot with a landscape rake it makes tilling easier

 

[tnbowhunter]

IMO, a tiller is best used for the vegetable garden. I just use a 5' disc harrow for all of my food plots. The disc will work way better especially for "new" ground as there will probably be roots stumps etc. The disc will cut through the roots and roll over the stumps [if they are cut off close to the ground]
I just disc the plot several times, drag it to smooth it, sow the seed and drag again to cover the seeds with soil.