Middle buster vs sub-soiler ???

[IXLR8]

I have several sections of my property that are a bit uneven, they don't look good and I often scalp those parts of the lawn with my 48" mower. There is also a section that slopes towards the house and with some work I can change it to slope away. I was going to use either a middle buster or a sub-soiler to break things up before I took the FEL and rototiller to the areas. So which, MB or SS, might do the job better? Why is the sub-soiler more expensive than the middle buster? The middle buster looks like there is more work/material involved.
TIA

 

[IslandTractor]

I believe that the main difference is that the subsoiler will break up compacted soil deep without moving it much while the middle buster will move soil and create a shallow furrow. Middle busters are also known as potato plows (maybe that is not exactly the term) and are used in potato harvest.

If you are interested in disturbing the top six to eight inches of soil to make it easier to move with a bucket, it seems the middlebuster might be best.

Subsoilers are intended to break up compacted soil for drainage purposes and as they don't have any plow share they don't really disturb the top soil much.

 

[daBear]

I would use a box blade to do the whole job with the scarifier teeth down. However, in your case probably the sub soiler will make the most sense to me. The MB is a plow and if you have any big roots you will break the furrow off the plow. I would guess the SS is more expensive because it is heavy duty for the job it is designed to do.

 

[witterbound]

I've been using a middle buster to break up the soil, then I scoop it off with my FEL. The middle buster does a good job of this, and I'd think it is what you need. I've got a lot of rock 24" down, and the middle buster will pull some of them up, but it takes a long time and a lot of work to do so.

 

[johnnylight]

My vote would be neither.

go with the markham toothbar for your FEL--so many other uses for it later.
I never take mine off.

 

[IslandTractor]

My vote would be neither.

go with the markham toothbar for your FEL--so many other uses for it later.
I never take mine off.

I like toothbars but if there is a lot of untilled soil to move it would certainly be faster to break it up with a 3pt implement first.

 

[3RRL]

Which of those do you have right now so you don't have to spend any more money?
How much of a "hump" or how big and tall is the area you need to cut down?
Either one will work for what you are planning. I would use a boxblade with rippers down (if you have one) to loosen the soil. Then move the dirt not only with the fel bucket, but also drag it at the same time with the box blade. I say this because that's all I have so I make it work.
Just depends what you have and if are you willing to use it or not. Perhaps you're going to buy something to do this, then I would get a boxblade first since you'll find a million uses for it later, then a subsoiler as a second choice and the middle buster as a last choice. But like I said, any of those will work for you.

 

[IXLR8]

Which of those do you have right now so you don't have to spend any more money?

I have FEL, toothbar, rear blade, backhoe, neighbor has the tiller. No boxblade, wish I did as I suspect, with the scarfers, that would be best. My thinking was to buy MB or SS to bust things up and then use FEL, along with neighbors tiller, to level/smooth. Trying to minimize costs. Ground is mostly hard clay... toothbar does not seem terribly effective... then again I have only spent 20 min so far trying to use it. Had to take it off for some other work I was doing. Neighbors tiller is a large commercial unit that occasionally makes his JD5105 cry uncle. He tilled/leveled 10 acres of his yard with it when he bought his place.

How much of a "hump" or how big and tall is the area you need to cut down?

I have a few 'humps' that are probably 20'x20' 3'-4' high. The area I want to reverse the sloping on is about 30'x50' with an average of about 3' removal.

 

[kthompson]

How much more is the subsoiler? If much it is probably a better quality than the middle buster is. Have your cake and eat it too. They are the subsoiler and middle buster combos that just require you to switch from the middle buster furrower to the subsoiler point. There are a little more but not as much as both. kt

 

[IXLR8]

How much more is the subsoiler? kt

MB- $160
SS- $180
Both at TSC, have not looked at them in person yet, so not sure of quality differences. Suspect they are made by same company.