Middle Buster

[bp fick]

Have about 1/3 acre plot in the back that I have wanted to break up and eventually plant, ever since we took possession of the property last spring.

Today, after church, we stopped by TSC and sprung for a middle buster. By the time we finally got home and laced it up, (yard sales) the shadows were lengthening. I took my time and took it easy, as I didn't know what to expect from my new BX1860 nor the plow. The area is virgin soil and the sod was pretty thick. Thank goodness, I hit neither root nor rocks, which surprised me, because I hit both with my walk behind rotor tiller when putting in my garden last spring.

The plow can go so deep that it has the ability to bring the 'Bota to a virtual halt, but if you take it in 6" bites in depth, you can work it down to a good foot deep. I passed over everything twice.

As I hosed off the BX it occurred to me that I could never have broken that much ground in the 45 minutes I was in the seat with my walk behind rotor tiller. Additionally, the tractor was certainly easier on this 57 year old body.

As I put the tractor back into the shop for the night, I was grateful. This is precisely why I got it in the first place. Still smiling.

Fred

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

yup.
I like mine, too.
I've also used it to start shallow drainage channels alongside the drive, before coming back with the box blade and running with one tire in the ditch as a guide and to give me some slope.

 

[bp fick]

BTW, the plow was sure polished up nice and shiny by the sandy loam!!! That dull, black paint didn't last too long.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

I bought that same implement from Tractor Supply. I used the chisel point (subsoiler) to dig a 130' of trench for an irrigation line. I used the middlebuster to prepare the vegetable garden. For me, the middle buster worked a lot better than the subsoiler but it's a handy attachment anyhow.

 

[bp fick]

By extending or retracting the upper arm, one can change the "pitch" on the plow. I would be very interested in hearing from experienced users whether this makes a difference in depth and quality of till. I am wondering how this pitch was intended to be used. Right now, I am just experimenting, really.

Some folks calls this a potato plow and I have seen photos here on digging the potatoes with it. That really interests me. I am thinking about taters for that patch.

 

[nh DRAGON]

I built one this past spring and have used it to break ground and check for rocks before tilling and for making a trench for burying dog fence or even pulling out stumps. I used an excavator tooth for a point!

 

[Evil the Weasel]

By extending or retracting the upper arm, one can change the "pitch" on the plow. I would be very interested in hearing from experienced users whether this makes a difference in depth and quality of till. I am wondering how this pitch was intended to be used. Right now, I am just experimenting, really.

Some folks calls this a potato plow and I have seen photos here on digging the potatoes with it. That really interests me. I am thinking about taters for that patch.

I adjusted the top link until it would bite and dig in when lowered. It was trial and error for me but maybe there is a better way.

 

[BigD23]

Thanks for sharing the story and pics Fred...Looks like a great implement.

Don

 

[ChuckinNH]

Yes, by changing the length of the top link you can control how agressive the middlebuster is / how deep it wants to go. If yours was setup so it was more vertical, it wouldn't go as deeply as quickly. I also used mine for digging my potatoes this fall, and it worked great for that as well.

 

[bp fick]

Thanks Chuck. Yup, the slight tilt from vertical is lessened, somewhat, when lowered. It isn't quite as steep as it looks in the photo. I have since also extended the top rod to make the position of the plow true vertical when I go at the next 12 rows. Maybe today?

I liked the aggressive digging position because it when right through that virgin sod. I had to watch out for going too deep, too quickly though. A less aggressive pitch should help with that. I will report after the next attempt.

I uploaded another pix, to show the rows being thrown. The photo may not show the depth, but these furrows are a good 10" deep.

My hope is that "fall plowing" helps kill the sod and it rots down. I really want to plant this next spring.

 

[ChuckinNH]

The fall plowing will help a lot! It's amazing how much things will compost down over the winter. I used the same middlebuster you have on my BX, but sold it with the tractor. I bought the "yellow" one for my B2620, but it won't go as deep. The 3pt doesn't go down as far........ darn. As you can see, I had mine angled some when I used it on the BX. Like you, I wanted to get down pretty deep. In my case it was to break through the "tiller pan" that had built up over years of tilling with a walk behind tiller.

 

[bp fick]

Great Photos!!!! Awesome. Thanks so much Chuck.

I hope others can appreciate just how much "plowing" this rather inexpensive implement can do. I started out thinking about adapting a riding lawn mower/garden tractor type plow, but in the end, went with this. I have a hunch that I am doing the right thing. Although the two sided plow is old timey and doesn't make a neat roll over furrow, like a single share, I still believe this is an inexpensive way to do so some serious sod busting.

I also had the "yellow one" loaded up, at first, (same price), but changed my mind, and went back and got the XB orange one. Although the BX can likely handle it, with the pins turned around for 20", I just thought I might have trouble not getting the "yellow one" up high enough for trips across the lawn to the "back 40".

Additionally, I will be wanting to run some underground wire and an underline pipe one day. Others here have mentioned they have had good luck with doing that too.

 

[savageactor7]

hummmm...now you all have me thinking about a middle buster too.

Suppose you use the MB for a food plot then what? ...go over it with a rototiller? We have a self propelled RT and I'm thinking it would be easier to do if I broke up the sod first...but truthfully I don't know. Anyone else do that?

 

[bp fick]

actor, sure, why not use a MB on a food plot? If the ground is tough or untilled, it would seem to be a great way to bust it up. How else? Somehow the ground needs to be broken up deeper than a disk can go.

Once broken up, say 8"-10" deep, the top will indeed need to be dressed. Disk, followed by a harrow-drag-spike of some kind. None of these implements are horribly expensive, and that is a good thing. Sections of these implements, either pull type or 3 pt., have been made for 100 years making them plentiful and inexpensive at sales, on Craigs, etc.

Of course, a $1500-$2000 tiller could just do it too.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

one piece of advice for new food plots -- spray the area to be turned under with roundup or somehting similar about 2-3 weeks before plowing -- starts decomposition of the roots, makes it easier to turn under & later till, and you don't get the first year growback of chopped up greens. Yes, I learned this the hard way.

 

[ChuckinNH]

The gardens I have tilled with a middlebuster have all been tilled before, but I generally plant winter rye in them in the fall, and that needs to be tilled under. I was surprised at how much my chain harrow did to smooth out the gardens right after they were tilled. Remember, this is not vigin sod.

 

[easygo]

I'm looking at the pictures you guys posted and am so envy just looking at actual nice soil. I tool around in a pile of rocks that my wife and I named garden.

 

[bp fick]

sorry about your rock pile, er, garden there easygo.

Well, I promised I would report on additional plowing with adjusting the the unit to true vertical and thus, making the plow point almost true horizontal.

The cutting was much easier to control. It stayed on level. But I couldn't say the result were that much different. But after doing both the downward tilt method versus the level plow method, I would have to vote for the level approach as easier on both the tractor and the operator.

OK, here another photo, with 30 additional feet added. Easygo, this isn't as fine of soil as Chuck showed up there in NH. It's pretty weak sand. It is going to take a ton of compost and manure to enrich. Reminds me, Gotta call that horse guy up the road.

 

[bp fick]

Shoot, forgot the attachment. Here it is.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Thanks for the compliments on my soil. It is basically clay that the water used to stand on top of, and it would really crack when it dried out. What you are seeing is 20 years of compost, winter rye, and collected leaves. Still, it has a ways to go, but it is much better than it used to be. Not as many worms as there should be though, and I'm not sure if it's because of over tilling with my walk behind, or the tiller pan it created. The middlebuster was an attempt to get through that packed layer. My avatar shows some of my accumulated compost that I was turnign in the photo.