How to till new clearing....?

[foggy1111]

OH....and if I had as much mulch as you stated (seems like allot to me) I believe I would rake it into a heap and burn as much as I could.

 

[Reg]

The Pine Trees should have a pretty shallow root system so you probably have most of them.

Several years ago a neighbour got discouraged with my rotatilling and the results I was getting with my 16 Hp. Kubota. He set me his 65? Hp. Case Tractor with a 7/8?? ft. Rotatiller. It went down about 13 inches the first pass. More passes and it was deeper.

This tiller was sturdy. It did hit a few rocks and did break a few shear pins but no damage to tines or even thinking it was struggling. If I recall the tractor was in creeper gear and at about 750 rpm. In my opinion it would have handled some pine roots with no problem other than winding them up.

A heavy duty tiller sized to your tractor or maybe just a little less width should work.

Consider making a drag for leveling. The width, angling and going different directions will do wonders. Eddie Walker has a thread on one he built that looks pretty good.

Those are my thoughts.


I'm sure a heavy Rome type Disk behind a D6 or a proper one bottom brush breaking plow behind a D6 would do the best job. These were the type of implements I have seen used to break newly cleared brush land. Quite a few of the disc's were behind a D9. But this type of equipment is probably no longer available.

It is available, plows to 2ft deep, starts at $14K for the smallest 3 disk plow.
I'll try to find the link - for academic interest.
Here;
Nammco Machine,Ag and Industrial products Machine shop,Manufacturer of switch plows

Since that is out of range for many/most of us....
I think I'd just try to flop it over, disk it and plant something nitrogen fixing,,,, peas ?
'taters ? for a couple of years.

 

[schmism]

chisel or ripper first

then disc/till as needed

 

[spruce Deere]

Hello - I'm new to the forum and looking for some advice.
Had 3 acres of red pine mulched and grubbed - looking to break up soil and till in the mulch (approx. 3" -5" of mulch). Not sure how to begin? We want to eventually build a small barn and plant some sort of grass/hay.
3 shank ripper has been suggested prior to roto-tiller - or a subsoiler then roto-till?
Looking for help and suggestions on how to proceed.
Thanks.

If it was mine would rip it criss-cross with a sub-soiler, box blade rippers, or chisel plow then plow under the hole works. Let it set for the summer, work with tiller in the fall and plant a winter rye and hay grass mix suitable for your climate. Broadcast a 10-10-10 fert. after green up in spring.

 

[TUG HILL ADDICT]

2 words........chisel plow

DITTO...hit it with a two bottom plow, then disc.

I'd repeat the process above maybe even twice.

 

[Egon]

Reg; actually I was thinking of this kind of plow and and disk.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Across the board answer...? HEAVY disc. If conditions allow (ie roots cleared/gone) a tiller might work. Plow or chisel plow ONLY if roots aren't that much of an issue. As stated, the goal is to incorporate mulch into the upper part of the soil structure, and NOT about deep tilling. V ripper/subsoiler/chisel plow, ect can be an exersize in futility if roots still present. Heavy disc is the safest/best choice if conditions aren't absolutely perfect. The big "excavating contractor" style disc pictured in Egons post is a good example....IF.....you have enough tractor to pull it. Many contractors who do land clearing will have a disc like that. Those big heavy ones cut up small roots and handle the occasional big rock better than a tiller. Under MOST conditions, a lighter disc, possibly a tiller, or some other sort of fiinal tillage will still be needed.

 

[SilverbackMP]

Maybe plant with a red clover or other legume (nitrogen fixer) cover crop for a few years? Plow in or mulch in place. Perhaps mix in some timothy or other cool season grass in year or two and let it more or less take over after the clover starts to die off (3 years on the improved varities)?