making my own sub soiler

bdog · Apr 24, 2005

I am going to make a subsoiler to bury some pipe for water use around my house. We have no rocks. I have a 47hp 4wd tractor that weighs 5,000lbs. How deep do you think I can go? I was hoping around 18" but I don't know. Just curious on how long to make the shank.

gabby · Apr 24, 2005

The length of your shank will probably be limited by the lifting height of your 3ph. Make it as long as your 3ph will allow.
gabby

bdog · Apr 25, 2005

Duh - I never thought of that. Thanks for pointing out the obvious to me. Sometimes I get so caught up in an idea I forget to think about things like that.

Rch · Apr 25, 2005

bdog, make the shank ABOVE the lower control arms so ,at depth, the top link is horizontal. If the top link is angled to much the compression force can bend it. Don't ask how I know /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

rsatter22 · Apr 25, 2005

18" should be a breeze for your tractor. I am able to go to 18" with a subsoiler with a 24hp 4wd weighing 3300#.
Rick

brewdog · Dec 8, 2005

I can bury my middlebuster to 18" with my Ford 23 hp diesel compact running at 1400 rpm.

Gumby6 · Dec 9, 2005

I'd like to see pics of that when finished.

Maybe in action too, pulling that pipe. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Nasty135 · Dec 9, 2005

Brew, Maybe 18" of snow but 18" of dirt will take many passes if it will reach that deep...

OldMcDonald · Dec 9, 2005

I have fairly well sussed out the design for a twin leg one for my NH 45hp. I made a heavy duty box last year for picking up windrowed stones. I will use the box for weight. You need some to get depth, and I had originally intended to make a frame and use concrete posts and/or blocks which I have lying around, but decided the box already had a lot of weight and it can be filled with anything if more weight is necessary. I am using 20mm x 100mm as the shank - call it threequarter by 4 inch, and will weld a triangle on the bottom to replicate a curved shank, ie the bottom of the shank will be 4" in front of the main part of the shank. I will then use 3" angle iron to form wings, angled about 20º from the horizontal - just enough to give a wee bit shatter and lift. The same angle iron will be used to form the carriers for the shanks, and welded to the front of the box immediately behind the centre of each rear wheel. I will use a single hole fixing through the angle iron for the shanks. The force against the shank points will attempt to push the points backwards, but the box will prevent this happening. I will drill the fixing holes (20mm and using top link pins to hold the shanks in position) at 6" apart so that I can increase the depth by 6" at each pass. I do not think I will be able to take more than this on each pass. My maximum clearance from ground to the base of the box is 23", but by having adjustable depth shanks, I should be able to increase the subsoiling depth by pulling the shanks into the ground, raising the box to the next hole and going again. I need to subsoil in advance of planting olives and would like about 30"if I can get it. I have not yet decided whether to partially cut through the top link pins so that they will act as shear pins. Old McDonald.