Help Selecting Implements For Food Plots & Field Work

[jeff9366]

Howlin

Would it be wishful thinking to believe that I could run a 72" tiller with 28.9 PTO HP?

No. The rotating tiller tines push the tractor forward using a normal, forward rotation roto-tiller. I suggest shopping 72" and 84" forward rotation roto-tillers. ((For mainly food plots some choose an roto-tiller no wider than tractor, so they can pass between trees without raised implement hanging up.))

Reverse rotation rototillers require a lot more PTO power, as rotating tines resist forward tractor/tiller progress. Reverse rotation rototillers are built heavier to withstand greater stress in operation.


What would be considered a heavy tiller? It looks like most tillers available near me in the 5-6ft range weigh between 550-720 lbs.

The key metric is weight per unit of operating width. Heavy per unit of width is better than light per unit of width. Budget will help you decide.


Is tiller weight more important than # of tines per flange, or C vs. L-shaped tines?

This question is really asking me to slice a whole loaf of warm bread into very thin slices. Your specified variables interact, so difficult to answer.

Fewer tines, less resistance to rotation, less masticated output. Weight per unit of width is always the implement metric I consider first for ground engagement work. If you will also use roto-tiller as max FEL lift counterbalance, which is very common, calculate how much TPH weight you need for max lifts. This calculation is affected moderately by air or liquid filled rear tires.

C-tines work best in clay soil. C-tines work better on ground in grass as C-tines seldom wrap crop residue.
L-tines work best in sandy soils and when you are mixing organic material into soil.

T-B-N ARCHIVE: C vs L tines site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

 

[Egon]

Number of tines, forward speed, depth tilled all have to be sorted out. You also have to take into account if it’s sod or previously cultivated land. It means adjustment to specific circumstances. Tines can be removed/added to Suit your conditions.

 

[Texasmark]

Thanks for all the feedback so far everyone. Would it be wishful thinking to believe that I could run a 72" tiller with 28.9 PTO HP?



What would be considered a heavy tiller? It looks like most tillers available near me in the 5-6ft range weigh between 550-720 lbs. Is tiller weight considered to be more important than # of tines per flange, or C vs. L-shaped tines?




Does your tiller have C or L-shaped tines? What PTO HP are you using to run the 72" tiller?

Sorry for the delay in answering this....been busy. L shaped, 9 shanks, 6 tines per shank. I run it on my 2000 (about 30 hp) or up, which ever isn't connected to another implement..... really matters not.

 

[Howlin]

Thanks again for all of the feedback. It looks like I will be shopping for a 6ft tiller!

 

[kneedeep]

In my younger days when money was tight, I used a tandem 5' disc to turn ground, a cone spreader to broadcast seed/fertilizer mix and a piece of chainlink fence attached to a pipe as a drag.
Made some really nice foodplots in poor ground.
Sometimes simple is best!

 

[shovelmike]

What is the crop being contemplated in the 5 acre field.
I would spray with roundup or similar and no till it.

I do my best to avoid chemicals, I believe that many of the allergies and general health problems plaguing many people can be traced to Roundup.
I understand the move to minimum till or no till to minimize soil erosion, but we need to be careful.

 

[Tim in MN]

I feel your pain, here around Duluth MN is all or mostly clay. The farmer down the road that bails the hay field for me is coming over in the spring with a field cultivator to loosen up the soil. I have a Mahindra Max26 and tried using a subsoiler in the garden, I got maybe 6 inches down at best, and I've been putting in organic matter and cover crops for 8 years. An 8 foot disc didn't do much at all behind my Allis Chalmers. The best advise I can give you is see if you can get a local farmer to come in with some bigger and heavier equipment and do the initial field work for you. It probably won't cost much, and the field will be "softer" with less chance of you tearing up your lighter equipment. Been there, done that. Hope this helps.

 

[LouNY]

I do my best to avoid chemicals, I believe that many of the allergies and general health problems plaguing many people can be traced to Roundup.
I understand the move to minimum till or no till to minimize soil erosion, but we need to be careful.

While avoiding chemicals sounds like a good idea, I'm still of the opinion that carefull use of chemicals is the most productive and economical method for food and feed production.
Many people would prefer to avoid them which is fine. We have used chemicals since the 50's, I'd like to say with no side effects but I will instead say with no proven side effects.
I am of the opinion that a great many of the ills of today the asthma and allergies are a result of too much cleanliness, not enough exposure to dirt and germs while growing up to inoculate ourselfs. We had a e coli out break a few years ago at our local fair, of all the people effected not a single one that had been farm raised and drank raw milk was effected even the ones with the most exposure from the contaminated area.

One alternative to chemicals is flame, weeds can be singed with a flame to kill them.
The other alternitive is emmensly labor intensive it's call a hoe, physically removing individual undesired plants.

 

[Egon]

I feel your pain, here around Duluth MN is all or mostly clay. The farmer down the road that bails the hay field for me is coming over in the spring with a field cultivator to loosen up the soil. I have a Mahindra Max26 and tried using a subsoiler in the garden, I got maybe 6 inches down at best, and I've been putting in organic matter and cover crops for 8 years. An 8 foot disc didn't do much at all behind my Allis Chalmers. The best advise I can give you is see if you can get a local farmer to come in with some bigger and heavier equipment and do the initial field work for you. It probably won't cost much, and the field will be "softer" with less chance of you tearing up your lighter equipment. Been there, done that. Hope this helps.

Yes, for sure. Deep cultivation requires HP.

 

[SCWOOD]

Look for a bog harrow.Will also work where there is old stumps or roots.