Just broke untouched ground - middlebuster

[bp fick]

If you don't mind a little input, given with a good heart, you might rather make the shaft true vertical. To do that, lengthen your top link until it is true 90 degrees to the ground, when lowered. Given that these 'Bota's use 1/4" valving, it simply will work better for you and you won't be dragging it through the ground so much. Give it a try.

That sod will begin to rot down now and provide green manure. It'll take a bit, but stay with it. I don't have a disk or a tiller, (though I'd love to have both).
I just use the cultivator as a spring tooth C tine drag.

 

[mroe21877]

Yeah i messed with the top link all day. from vertical to fully shortened. at vertical the buster blade was actually nosed up a touch... not much but enough that it didnt want to dig it wanted to drag and then push the lift arms up. I noticed it wouldnt happen if i started where the arms could lower into an existing ditch and begin below soil level. Still have to play, er work, with it more. plus with the moisture in the ground the dirt packed in the support arms of the buster and tended to push it up. once the sod is broken up more i think it'll be fine. I guess a true plow would have avoided much of this but the buster was something like 140 and a plow is up towards 500.

I was just at TSC looking at that cultivator. I was thinking of using that but it seems like at this point anyway it would rake away much of what i ripped up without breaking it.

 

[radioman]

After seeing pics of your soil color and wetness- you are lucky its dry enough right now to even mess around playing in the dirt. I'd wait for few weeks for it to dry out. with the soil exposed, it will warm up and dry up faster. When you hit it again, it should fine easier to cultivate with middle buster and the aired out/dying vegatation soil will fall part easier thus making it smoother.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I would go over it a second time with the middle buster going across your original tilled ground. Basically, turn your tractor so you are driving over each bump, it will be rough but it will till the ground in another direction. For a tiller, i suggest getting one with a slip clutch. It is much better than replacing shear pins.

 

[bp fick]

After seeing pics of your soil color and wetness- you are lucky its dry enough right now to even mess around playing in the dirt. I'd wait for few weeks for it to dry out. with the soil exposed, it will warm up and dry up faster. When you hit it again, it should fine easier to cultivate with middle buster and the aired out/dying vegatation soil will fall part easier thus making it smoother.

What radioman said in spades.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Let that sod rot a bit and the whole thing dry out some. The second time will produce more tillage. Going to do the "inbetweens" furrows as I call it, is easier on the machine and your body than trying to go across. The BX only has so much ground clearance and going across would be really tough. But, whatever it takes.

 

[bp fick]

OK, found the "after" photo taken a month later. I hit that same patch again with the middle buster and the sod was now dead and the soil was nice and crumbling. It's amazing what a little time will do. I re-plowed in-between the former furrows.

All I did was hit with the cultivator and planted. No 3 pt tiller. No disk. (although I would love to have them.)

You've time, I suspect. Your target date for planting in your zone is, what April 10th? I hope all this is geeking you up.

 

[Kyle241]

Good timing! I was considering whether to get an MB however I wasn't sure a smaller tractor would do a good job. Well done! Keep us updated as to your next step whether it's till or disc or MB again. Would like to see the progress as you are at least a month a head of me due to your nice weather.

 

[mroe21877]

eastern Ontario huh? Any where near Casino Rama? I used to be up there a lot. Montreal too now that my fiance's family are ridiculously huge Habs fans.

 

[mroe21877]

i took another look at the buster in the barn on the concrete floor. i lowered it to just barely touching and to get the blade bottom level with the floor i had to keep the vertical shaft pitched in.... or the top link a little short. I thought it would have been designed so the shaft would have to be vertical for the blade to be level with the ground.

 

[sixdogs]

If you have clay soil the shovel you have will tend to compact it.
The solution is to change the shovel for a narrow cultivator shank in September and break through the hardpan.
Then go back to the shovel.