How would you attack a small fenced field?

[bdog]

I have an area that is 240’ x 240’ square and fenced on all four sides. It adjoins a larger 15 acre field and has been getting plowed and planted every year along with the larger field. I struggle with how to best traverse this field. By that I mean with my 15 acre field it is four times as long as it is wide so I run the tractor in the long direction, turn around at the ends, and when done make passes across the areas where I turned around which end up being about 30’ wide. It seems like it goes quickly as a lot more time is spent working vs turning around.

if I take a similar approach to the small field I have 60’ wasted on turn arounds, and am only working 180’ per pass. It works but I end up turning around roughly 35 times and spending a ton of time on just 1.3 acres. Is there any more efficient way to go about this?

 

[Diggin It]

Why is it fenced? To keep what out or in? What kind of fencing?

What I'm going for is to consider being able to open it up during ground work, then close it again if necessary. Livestock panels could be rigged as a sort of gate for example.


Another though would be to back in from whatever gate you have to the distant end, then plow forward. Move over to the next row, back down to the distant fence, then plow forward again. Lot of back and forth, but you'd get closer to the one end and no turning around.

 

[bdog]

It is fenced with welded pipe fencing. 2-3/8” posts every 8’. It is a property boundary on two sides and my driveway on another. The other side is basically the divider between this field and my front lawn. We open the gate between this field and the 15 acres and graze cattle on the crops we plant.

 

[MossRoad]

I have an area that is 240’ x 240’ square and fenced on all four sides. It adjoins a larger 15 acre field and has been getting plowed and planted every year along with the larger field. I struggle with how to best traverse this field. By that I mean with my 15 acre field it is four times as long as it is wide so I run the tractor in the long direction, turn around at the ends, and when done make passes across the areas where I turned around which end up being about 30’ wide. It seems like it goes quickly as a lot more time is spent working vs turning around.

if I take a similar approach to the small field I have 60’ wasted on turn arounds, and am only working 180’ per pass. It works but I end up turning around roughly 35 times and spending a ton of time on just 1.3 acres. Is there any more efficient way to go about this?

Big equipment in a small area is gonna mean less efficiency. What are you planting, if we can ask?

 

[Tx Jim]

I'm old school in that no matter the size/shape of a field I normally start process on the outside perimeter & go round-round to the middle of the field. There are exceptions but very few & normally I'm not going to waste my time on swooping turns on each end of field going back-n-forth. I custom bale hay & my 14 wheel rake(27' ft wide) has no problems going round-round in a small field.BTDT

 

[Tinhack]

I have a couple of areas orphaned by trees. I don't even try to make sharp turns while mowing--Even in the big fields. I make wide turns and move over ~ 4-5 widths of the cutter. I make loops like this for the whole cut. I only have to make a couple of tight turns at the very end. So what if I recut the ends of the loops. It still takes less time than trying to slow for tight turns or having to backup to stay "in-line". I'm cutting a field, not plowing.

 

[Hay Dude]

I never plowed in loops......

 

[MossRoad]

I never plowed in loops......

I was thinking that as well. I mow my yard in loops. I don't think a planter would work so well for crops in loops. Or a combine when harvesting.

 

[bdog]

Big equipment in a small area is gonna mean less efficiency. What are you planting, if we can ask?

I’m not sure what you mean about the big equipment. I was referring to a 7’ implement in my example. If it were 3.5’ wide I have to turn around 70 times but if if we’re 14’ I would only have to do so 18 times.

I am planting hybrid sorghum-sudan or winter wheat depending on the season.

 

[bdog]

I never plowed in loops......

Correct. It is not good to turn when ground engaging implements are in the ground. Mowing the field is a lot easier I can make loops and overlapping here and there is no big deal.

 

[Tx Jim]

Performing any farming task that one creates smaller areas in same field which I call lands requires more actual field time. There's a local custom hay cutter that creates lands utilizing a disc cutter that 9' cutterbar is on RH side of tractor. The operator misjudges his land width & each final cut if each land may be 2-3' ft width & that IMHO is wasting time but each to their own way.

 

[bdog]

For mowing you are right but what other options are there if you are using an implement that is stuck in the ground and you are not able to turn while it is in the ground?

 

[oosik]

Something like a Troy Bilt rototiller might work better for your small field. I tried my tractor and a small disk harrow in our garden once. WHAT A PITA. I ended up going back over the entire area with my TroyBilt tiller.

 

[MossRoad]

I’m not sure what you mean about the big equipment. I was referring to a 7’ implement in my example. If it were 3.5’ wide I have to turn around 70 times but if if we’re 14’ I would only have to do so 18 times.

I am planting hybrid sorghum-sudan or winter wheat depending on the season.

Can you drive down one side, lift your planter before you get to the end and make a 90 to the left. Then drive far enough to skip 7' then turn up the field. When you get to the end, repeat to your right. Skipping every other pass direction. When you get to the end, turn around and come back and get all the skipped passes. That just leaves you the two strips at the ends. You won't have to stop at turns, back up, etc... it might not be as efficient as you like, but you won't be stopping at each end to line up the next pass.

 

[K5lwq]

They plant in semicircles in the Texas panhandle all the time. Seems to work for them.

 

[Hay Dude]

I had a similar problem with a small field and split rail fence. I took several posts out of the ground and pounded 6” PVC sleeves into the ground. I put the rails back in the PVC sleeves. Now I can remove the fence.
Wont help the OP with welded fence

 

[Hay Dude]

For mowing you are right but what other options are there if you are using an implement that is stuck in the ground and you are not able to turn while it is in the ground?

Is it a 3 point? Like the transport disc I have? Was thinking you could lift it, turn, back up to fence, repeat...

 

[CobyRupert]

Can you back up 240’ faster than you can turn around?

 

[bdog]

Can you drive down one side, lift your planter before you get to the end and make a 90 to the left. Then drive far enough to skip 7' then turn up the field. When you get to the end, repeat to your right. Skipping every other pass direction. When you get to the end, turn around and come back and get all the skipped passes. That just leaves you the two strips at the ends. You won't have to stop at turns, back up, etc... it might not be as efficient as you like, but you won't be stopping at each end to line up the next pass.

With the disc or chisel sure that would work as if I missed something it would be easy to come back and go over it again. When planting however I would have to gauge the row width exactly or I would wind up with skips in the field. It would stink to plant every other row and then come back to do the skipped rows and find out that some gaps are 6' and got double planted and some are 8' and I have a bare 1' strip or whatever. I guess I could measure off and mark every 7' on both ends of the field but then that starts approaching the level of hassle of just turning around. Now if I had a nice auto steer setup.....

 

[bdog]

They plant in semicircles in the Texas panhandle all the time. Seems to work for them.

I'm not really sure how they plow the centers of the pivots but for the majority of the field the turn is very gradual. I do know however if you sink a disc or a chisel deep in the ground and try and make a 90 degree turn you are going to bend or break something. Gradual sweeping turns are ok, not sharp ones.