please help me understand plows

[shdybrady]

I am looking to purchase my first plow and I am trying to find which one is best. I have found an all purpose plow that is a 5 shank all purpose plow. It resembles a box blade just with out the box. Then at tsc i saw a sub soiler, middle buster and a cultivator. This fresh ground that was once wooded so I am dealing with roots. The sub soiler doesnt seem to be for me. The cultivator seems like I will be breaking and bending teeth for the initial plow. I am torn between the all purpose and the middle buster. The middle buster is about a 100 bucks cheaper but I'm not sure what how it will do with roots

 

[milkman]

Here's what you need to deal with roots, what it won't cut, it will roll over. With the two you mentioned, you'll spend most of your time stuck under roots or fixing bent/broken parts. Used Ford 2 Disc Turning Plow 3 PT Hitch We SHIP Cheap and We SHIP Fast | eBay

 

[shdybrady]

Honestly that's out of my price range. I know sometimes you have to shell out the coin to get what you need. But lets take the roots out of the equation. About half of the area wasn't wooded. Just alot of weeds and bushes. Which one would you use then?

 

[gwdixon]

The 5 tine all-purpose plow is a "chisel plow". Indeed, you could get better results in your situation using a box blade with the scarifiers set down to the maximum and the top link shortened. Go one way and then the other to get a checkerboard pattern. Repeat as many times as necessary.

A turn plow is difficult to pull through virgin ground with a light and smaller powered tractor (21.5 HP) even if it is 4WD. Maybe a single 12" bottom plow would do.

The middle buster will tear up the ground depending on the soil composition. It works similar to a turn plow but doesn't turn over the soil. The soil may have to be worked over in several passes to get penetration and mixing that you want. It makes a bit of a mess.

A subsoiler is just that. An implement used to put deep gashes in the soil to about 8" to 12" deep. It does minimal damage to the top layer of soil.

A cultivator is for use on disced, rototilled, or plowed soil when you just want to churn up the soil a bit to kill sprouts. Often it can be set to work row crops between the desired plants (crop).

If you already have a box blade with scarifiers then that would be my recommendation. It will also bring roots to the top for manual pick up and disposal.

 

[shdybrady]

I do have a box blade. Would you recommend buying the bottom plow? What it cant do I can load up the box blade and do the rest

 

[gwdixon]

I do have a box blade. Would you recommend buying the bottom plow? What it cant do I can load up the box blade and do the rest

Not to be negative but a turn plow or bottom plow is way too much for your tractor. As mentioned, a 12" single bottom plow would be a stretch...especially if roots and/or rocks are involved.

Stick with the rippers on a box blade is my recommendation. Set them as long as possible while making sure the box blade edge clears the ground. It can do an amazing amount of digging if you make multiple passes in multiple directions. Being in GA, the ground should be damp sometimes so take advantage of the softness. Not mud, just soft.

After the area is cleaned up of roots and rocks it can be maintained with a 4' or 5' disc quite easily if that is what you want. One can usually be found on Craigslist for $400 or thereabouts.

 

[shdybrady]

It not an insult to say its too much for my tractor. This is what I was calling an all purpose plow. It sounds like I can achieve with the box blade but possibly go deeper because it doesnt have to be at an angle

5', 5 shank plow

 

[shdybrady]

And just for clarification this was the other one I was talking about

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/countylinereg;-middle-buster

 

[gwdixon]

The shank plow would do a better job in my opinion. But, as you stated earlier, it is a box blade without the box. You could pretty much do what you want with what you have.

If you do go with the shank plow it will dig deeper and with less effort than a middle buster. Several narrow cuts in the ground are easier to deal with than a long ditch.

The middle buster is good for ditching. Lots of ditches make for a worked up field if that is the way you want to go. The ground has to be relatively soft to get much depth. After using it there will be a requirement to level it out somehow. Using a drag of some sort is a good method to fill all of those ditches.

 

[6011Artist]

If all you want to do is prepare "new ground" by ripping up the roots that 5 shank plow would work best. But do you have a use for it after you prepare your ground? I have a 4 shank I built myself for doing just that but don't really use it much after my land was prepared.

If you buy the middle buster it can be used as a potato plow, use it to dig a ditch or trench for water lines, remove the plow and use it as a 1 tooth sub-soiler, add the attachment and use it to put down water or electric lines without ever digging....lots of other uses for it later. But it will be slower preparing your land with only 1 tooth. How big of a plot are we talking about cleaning up?

 

[newbury]

I too am a relative newbie to plows.
To me the purpose of the turning plow was to turn the top layers of soil over, laying it "grass" side down, which my box blade doesn't do.
I bought my 16" single bottom Howse to turn over new ground with my M4700. In my Virginia clay I found I probably need to load the rears for more traction.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Ive got that exact one but i bought it to help dig shallow ditches for waterlines or electric lines in conduit. It works on but you have to make multiple passes and while it will dig a small trench they aint pretty. Now if you had one of those that had say 3 plows on it that would basically break up a larger area than that single one which would work good for a garden.

 

[Deerherd]

There is a big difference between a true chisel plow and that 5 shank ripper. The chisel plow turns over the soil while the ripper will just tear up the ground. A good rule of thumb would be 10+ hp per shank on the chisel plow. I have a 7 shank and it can make my 88 Hp tractor really work.

 

[gwdixon]

6011Artist has some valid points to help you consider what to do. (But I'd use 7018 instead. :laughing: :laughing

Another issue came to mind this morning. Is the land you are working weedy or have straw? If it does then the shank plow is going to clog up and act more like a rake. The same thing will happen with the scarifers on a box blade. You'll have big piles of debris all over the area as you have to lift the implement to clear it.

The best way to avoid the problem is to mow the area as short as possible. If it is not possible to deal with the debris problem then the middle buster idea may be superior. That is, unless you can find a single bottom plow. But as 6011Artist points out, it will take quite a while to cover the area. Then there still is the root issue.

Also, the shank plow may require some additional weight to get it to sink into the ground. The one in the link you posted did not appear to have an easy way to add concrete blocks or other weight. A box blade has the metal of the box to help the tines sink in.

You will get a lot of answers if you actually go out and try the box blade scaifiers. Only then will the better method become clear.

 

[shdybrady]

My fear with the five shank is that i wouldnt have a use for it after words. Also my land is really weedy. The area is right around an acre. I think I'm going to take advice fromeveryone and see what the box blade will do. Also go ahead and by the middle buster and sub soiler combo. As an electrician, I will always have a use for it. Also for the leveling part I can just use the box blade or build a drag.

 

[shdybrady]

Well it doesnt appear the box blade is a viable option. I hooked it up tilted it all the forward and the box was still catching dirt and causing me to lose traction. I could use some wheels weights and that would help but at the end of theday its just a small tractor. Also that was with two rippers removed.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Well it doesnt appear the box blade is a viable option. I hooked it up tilted it all the forward and the box was still catching dirt and causing me to lose traction. I could use some wheels weights and that would help but at the end of theday its just a small tractor. Also that was with two rippers removed.

you don't have enough tractor to play the game you want to play ,plain and simple .

 

[shdybrady]

As I agree, but I think its more or less the way I am trying to play. I dont think it would have an issue with a sub soiler. But I think the most effective way is to get a tiller. Ill price a 3pt tiller but I may have to just work with a hand tiller. After I have broken ground and the weeds have died off, I think the tractor could plow

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

As I agree, but I think its more or less the way I am trying to play. I dont think it would have an issue with a sub soiler. But I think the most effective way is to get a tiller. Ill price a 3pt tiller but I may have to just work with a hand tiller. After I have broken ground and the weeds have died off, I think the tractor could plow

Not enough horse power !Not enough weight ! Not enough traction ! Not enough tractor ! Sorry but your best bet may be to rent something for a day or two to do the hard work and break it all down to where your tractor could handle the rest !

 

[newbury]

As I agree, but I think its more or less the way I am trying to play. I dont think it would have an issue with a sub soiler. But I think the most effective way is to get a tiller. Ill price a 3pt tiller but I may have to just work with a hand tiller. After I have broken ground and the weeds have died off, I think the tractor could plow

Then make it a point to live on Craigs list and buy used. I had wanted a tiller and gave up. a 5 footer new was going to cost me about $2K and I couldn't justify it.

I had read here on TBN a lot and it seemed for my purposes I would need either a plow and a disc harrow OR a tiller. But low and behold soon after I bought my plow BUT (thankfully) before I plunked down $900 for a new disc harrow a 5' KK in great condition turned up on CL near me for $800.

You should be able to get a lightly used 4' 3pt tiller for about $700 or less if your patient.