How deep can you run a subsoiler with your GC series tractor?

[rossn]

I'm looking at various subsoilers, and their length. Ideally, I'd get something that can go as deep as possible, in the event I want to pull some pipe. That said, I know the GC will have its limits.

How deep can your GC run a subsoiler, in various conditions/soils (and what are you using)?

I have a GC1705 and my soil is Sandy Clay Loam (60% Sand, 20% Silt, 20% Clay) that has not been worked in probably 70 years.

 

[rossn]

No one has tried to run a subsoiler behind their GC?

 

[Bremse]

I have used a subsoiler last fall in moderate soil to pull 1 1/4 HDPE pipe. I bought it at tractor supply and it's their house brand and not specific to limited class 1 hitches. As a result, it is too long to clear the ground even with the hitch all the way up. To start out I dug a hole, drive the subsoiler there in my loader bucket and then attached it with the tip in the hole. The tractor (GC1710) pulled it well and it went down to the cross bar without much issue. I did have some roots in the way (my run was about 200ft running in grass parallel and close to woods). Whenever I would get stuck I pulled up the hitch which after some back and forth eventually got me through all obstacles. I went back and forth a number of times to get down all the way. In the end I attached the pipe to the subsoiler with some u bolts and pulled it from one end of the trench all the way through with someone walking behind to make sure the pipe stayed down. My guess is in the end I averaged a good 12" depth for the pipe which is plenty for me (using it as conduit for security camera wiring). I tried feeding the pipe through an elbow attached to the subsoiler at first but the radius was too tight and the pipe didn't feed through.
I don't think you'll have trouble with 60% sand. I purposely didn't buy a subcompact subsoiler with shorter length because I wanted to go as deep as possible with my pipe. I don't really have another use for the subsoiler so I didn't care much that I can't drive around with it attached. My guess is the submerged length of the tooth is about 18" when its down to the crossbar but due to dirt falling back down and the stiffness of the pipe it didn't lay down that deep. In the end, I could have rented a decent trencher for the same money and gotten much deeper and possibly with less effort and less tearup if my grass but now I have the tool in case I want to run wires/pipes elsewhere in my property.
I did have to run in 4wd and occasionally push the diff lock and still got spinning wheels at time when I hit roots. Since my soil was pretty soft I left tracks around the cut.

 

[rossn]

Bremse -- thanks so much for sharing that info. Very helpful. I'm a little surprised if it is about 18" between the bottom of the bar and the tooth that you couldn't drive around with it -- assuming that is about 19". I know when I measured my tractor, I have about 24.5" from the lower arm pin center to the ground. Sounds like overall it worked well for you. It does have high sand content, though is rock hard with the clay!