Horsepower requirement for offset harrow

[Lineman North Florida]

I started a thread about offset harrows a few weeks ago and after quite a bit of looking I think I have it narrowed down to either an 8' 9" pull type with 24" disc blades which weighs around 2700 lbs or a 9' 6" pull type with 24" disc blades that weighs in around 3650 lbs. The larger disc frame is 1/4 steel and the smaller is made from 3/16 steel , I like the idea of the heavier disc but would like some opinions on if I have enough tractor to pull it comfortably, I will be pulling it with a John Deere 5093E with loaded tires, FEL and 4x4. Opinions?

 

[Creamer]

Depends on your soil - in sand or loam yes in heavy clay you may have some difficulty. How deep?

 

[sweettractors]

You will have all that tractor wants with the heavier disc. Ken Sweet

 

[jeff9366]

Monroe Tufline has rudimentary horsepower guidance for Offset Discs on its web site:

38 Series Offset Wheel Disc Harrows | Tufline

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Depends on your soil - in sand or loam yes in heavy clay you may have some difficulty. How deep?

Mostly good black dirt, can get a little wet when we get a lot of rain, so it can be a little heavy, as far as how deep I imagine I'll try to float the tires on the first pass and with any luck at all run back over it with my leveling harrow in a few weeks to bust up the clumps.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Monroe Tufline has horsepower guidance for Offset Discs on its web site:

38 Series Offset Wheel Disc Harrows | Tufline

By what their chart shows I should be o.k. with the bigger harrow, I'm not a full time farmer and will only be tearing up about 20 acres twice a year for millet and winter rhye.

 

[LD1]

10000# of 4x4 tractor, in good soil.....i think you will be fine with either

 

[Texasmark]

I started a thread about offset harrows a few weeks ago and after quite a bit of looking I think I have it narrowed down to either an 8' 9" pull type with 24" disc blades which weighs around 2700 lbs or a 9' 6" pull type with 24" disc blades that weighs in around 3650 lbs. The larger disc frame is 1/4 steel and the smaller is made from 3/16 steel , I like the idea of the heavier disc but would like some opinions on if I have enough tractor to pull it comfortably, I will be pulling it with a John Deere 5093E with loaded tires, FEL and 4x4. Opinions?

Tractor Data shows you at 93 engine hp and lift capacity of 3200# at specified lift point which sometimes is the lift pins and sometimes 1 or 2' beyond. Think "foot-lbs. Any # you have out beyond the specified lift capacity point you have to take into account the distance. Considering the offset is long to allow for the offsets and their angle, you will have a lot of weight on either out beyond your lift point.

I run a 7' heavy boxed frame, 24" at 9" spacings, and at one time I had 4 JD 150# weights on top which I removed due to the lift strain on hydraulics. Seems to plow well enough without them. It was all my 65 hp tractor could lift at idle rpm....pulling with 65 engine hp and 4wd was not the problem, ran it in B1 or 2 in a 12 speed setup ABC, 1234. Soil is heavy black clay, topography flat.

 

[Creamer]

Tractor Data shows you at 93 engine hp and lift capacity of 3200# at specified lift point which sometimes is the lift pins and sometimes 1 or 2' beyond. Think "foot-lbs. Any # you have out beyond the specified lift capacity point you have to take into account the distance. Considering the offset is long to allow for the offsets and their angle, you will have a lot of weight on either out beyond your lift point.

I run a 7' heavy boxed frame, 24" at 9" spacings, and at one time I had 4 JD 150# weights on top which I removed due to the lift strain on hydraulics. Seems to plow well enough without them. It was all my 65 hp tractor could lift at idle rpm....pulling with 65 engine hp and 4wd was not the problem, ran it in B1 or 2 in a 12 speed setup ABC, 1234. Soil is heavy black clay, topography flat.

I hear what you are saying but true lift capacity does not change depending on how far out you are - that is the beauty of the 3 pt hitch mechanism. The only change is the balance due to the distance from the center of the rear tire, i.e. the farther out the weight is the more weight you need on the front end to balance it.

 

[LD1]

Why does 3ph capacity matter on a pull type?

 

[joeu235]

I pull a Deere 1630 16' tandem disc in heavy black clay with a a 98HP JD 6403 fully ballasted at 11,000 pounds. The tractor has plenty of power but traction is occasionally an issue. I would think an 8 foot disk with your tractor would be no problem.

 

[Creamer]

Why does 3ph capacity matter on a pull type?

Good point. Missed that in the original post.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I pull a Deere 1630 16' tandem disc in heavy black clay with a a 98HP JD 6403 fully ballasted at 11,000 pounds. The tractor has plenty of power but traction is occasionally an issue. I would think an 8 foot disk with your tractor would be no problem.

Well, the smaller disc is 8'9" the larger disc is 9'6" which equates to one more 24" disc blade on the front and rear gangs, I was hoping to go with the bigger disc but I am thinking that I might better ere on the side of caution and just go with the 8'9" disc.

 

[Texasmark]

I hear what you are saying but true lift capacity does not change depending on how far out you are - that is the beauty of the 3 pt hitch mechanism. The only change is the balance due to the distance from the center of the rear tire, i.e. the farther out the weight is the more weight you need on the front end to balance it.

Say what??????? I think you need to revisit Physics, 101!

 

[Texasmark]

I started a thread about offset harrows a few weeks ago and after quite a bit of looking I think I have it narrowed down to either an 8' 9" pull type with 24" disc blades which weighs around 2700 lbs or a 9' 6" pull type with 24" disc blades that weighs in around 3650 lbs. The larger disc frame is 1/4 steel and the smaller is made from 3/16 steel , I like the idea of the heavier disc but would like some opinions on if I have enough tractor to pull it comfortably, I will be pulling it with a John Deere 5093E with loaded tires, FEL and 4x4. Opinions?

Sorry about my 3 pt reply when you are asking about a pull type. LD1 pointed out something I overlooked since mine is 3 pt and I was comparing the size of yours to mine for a reference.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Sorry about my 3 pt reply when you are asking about a pull type. LD1 pointed out something I overlooked since mine is 3 pt and I was comparing the size of yours to mine for a reference.

No problem I was originally looking at a 3 pt lift model , but never did here back from the dealer so I started looking elsewhere and liked what I saw on the pull type. Is that a Brangus bull in your avatar?

 

[Texasmark]

No problem I was originally looking at a 3 pt lift model , but never did here back from the dealer so I started looking elsewhere and liked what I saw on the pull type. Is that a Brangus bull in your avatar?

Yes sir. 3 year old. Grade stock. I sold him in Feb 2014 at the sale barn in Durant, OK. with the rest of my cows. He brought $3200. No doubt today he is smiling as there are a lot of cattle along the river bottoms. Nobody would pay that for the butcher shop. Besides 3 is getting a little old for freezer beef. I don't know what he weighed. Just got the check.

Added comment: First off black sells.....go to the supermarket and check out what breed is in the high end meat display.....Angus, aka Aberdeen Angus, Scottish origin.

Good moms, good marbling, good milkers, good disposition gentile, and naturally polled....no fooling with horns, small boned (hoof weight means more meat % in the dressed carcas), early breeders (young age....450# 1st calf), doesn't affect later calving cycles, regular calvers....mine ran a constant 11 mo. cycle (every 11 months almost to the day another calf on the ground. Never lost one) on good feed and upkeep.

Braham (⅜-⅝ Angus) for pure bred registration which I never bothered) adds hot weather tolerance, increased size, gentile attribute and insect resistant tolerance. The Angus gene is predominant in the polling process and the Brangus are also naturally polled.

Excellent choice if you are looking. Predominant breed down here for obvious reasons.

 

[kthompson]

If you go with the larger disk and it proves to be too large could you drop a blade off of each axle? If so and it would work fine I would go with the larger disk. I have a 10 foot wide tandem disk with smaller blades and can pull it fine with M6800 2 wheel drive decently. I can really handle it with my 5525 four wheel drive JD with about 74 or so draw bar hp. Not sure if my blades are 20 or 22 right off.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Yes sir. 3 year old. Grade stock. I sold him in Feb 2014 at the sale barn in Durant, OK. with the rest of my cows. He brought $3200. No doubt today he is smiling as there are a lot of cattle along the river bottoms. Nobody would pay that for the butcher shop. Besides 3 is getting a little old for freezer beef. I don't know what he weighed. Just got the check.

Added comment: First off black sells.....go to the supermarket and check out what breed is in the high end meat display.....Angus, aka Aberdeen Angus, Scottish origin.

Good moms, good marbling, good milkers, good disposition gentile, and naturally polled....no fooling with horns, small boned (hoof weight means more meat % in the dressed carcas), early breeders (young age....450# 1st calf), doesn't affect later calving cycles, regular calvers....mine ran a constant 11 mo. cycle (every 11 months almost to the day another calf on the ground. Never lost one) on good feed and upkeep.

Braham (⅜-⅝ Angus) for pure bred registration which I never bothered) adds hot weather tolerance, increased size, gentile attribute and insect resistant tolerance. The Angus gene is predominant in the polling process and the Brangus are also naturally polled.

Excellent choice if you are looking. Predominant breed down here for obvious reasons.

Yeah, I just got rid of my Brangus bull after 8 years of good service, I went with a Simangus this go around but almost all my cows are at least 1/2 brahma except for a few angus cows that I have, calves without all the loose skin and sheath seem to sell better around here that's why I went with a simangus this time around, and I know what you mean about the brahma's because it also gets pretty hot and humid down here in Florida and they can make it when nothing else can, they are survivors.

 

[Creamer]

Yeah, I just got rid of my Brangus bull after 8 years of good service, I went with a Simangus this go around but almost all my cows are at least 1/2 brahma except for a few angus cows that I have, calves without all the loose skin and sheath seem to sell better around here that's why I went with a simangus this time around, and I know what you mean about the brahma's because it also gets pretty hot and humid down here in Florida and they can make it when nothing else can, they are survivors.

Funny. Coming from the north we always figured the Brangus to be pretty soft!