Dirt Moving Ploughing with a compact tractor

[VroomVroom]

Far all is heavy, the mahindrag 2816 is pretty light. I'd have to add weight

 

[newbury]

One of the first things you need to do is determine what the topsoil is.

If you've got nice thick marine clay it won't plow as fast as or easy as friable sandy loam.

Then add in a fudge factor for "whoops" and unscheduled downtime.

IF you don't have a plow already it may be better to get someone else to plow it the first time.

And why not plow with the Farmall?

 

[jeff9366]

You can pull a two bottom, 12" wide moldboard plow with a Mahindra 2816.

Newbury is on it. Why not plow with the Farmall?

If you shop for a plow for the Mahindra you will have to be wary of old plows, most of which are sized for the Ford 9N/2N/8N tractors. Old plows usually have long beams which are likely to collide with some part of your Mahindra.

The Ford Series 101 plow pictured in Post #4, collided with the frame on my Kubota B3300SU ~~ so I bought a larger, heavier Kubota L3560.

You could plow under vine roots from zero to eight years old.

 

[rgr33]

I planted my vineyard in 1998. I live on a hillside, elevation at 700 ft, with about 3 feet of mostly clay topsoil on top of straight basalt rock. Plowing the existing turf is good, but first you should have someone with a large tractor run a ripper as deep as they can, you will not get a better time to do it, and it is vitally important to help the roots sink deep. That is where they will find their water and trace minerals in the future. I water new plants the first two years, after that they must get water from their own roots, so they sink roots deep to find water in the cracks and crevices of the basalt rock. If they hit a hard pan, they don't have the vitality to do well in a dry summer.

 

[VroomVroom]

Thanks for all the info. Certainly gives me a heads up. I'd have t hire someone with large equipment to rip for me first.. That alone would cost a bit being 35-55 acres

 

[jeff9366]

You do not need to rip if you are just above the river.

Hillsboro, Oregon is west of Portland. It is way, way, above the Willamette River, probably 600+ feet.

Your situation in Newfoundland, on the river, is entirely different.

Your question will be: Can grape vines survive with such a high water table and periodic inundation?

 

[KWRB]

I see you've gotten quite a few replies already, but here's my experience.

I have a John Deere 4610. I am in the midst of a project where I'm turning a disused pasture into a wildflower meadow. It had scrubby trees a few years ago. I brush hogged it for two seasons, and plowed it last fall. I used a new Everything Attachments 18" single bottom moldboard plow with a coulter wheel. I feel that coulter is an essential part. I elected to go with the widest moldboard and a single bottom. It worked like a charm eventually. I decided to go with a new plow, rather than deal with the idiosyncrasies of an old one pulled out of someone's hedgerow.

As for the tractor pulling it, I tried initially with no success to pull it with the turf tires that were on my tractor. It was worth a shot since the ags that did eventually go on it were a substantial investment.

For the record, I was plowing in clayish loam with still-living roots from 10 year old brush. Another benefit to the new plow is that you can count on the shear bolts doing their job, which mine did about 16 times in the part of the field that wasn't obviously rock-picked in the past. It was amazing when I got done to see the difference in rockiness from one part of the field to the other, where rocks had been clearly picked. Impressive what people did by hand in an earlier generation.

 

[jenkinsph]

If I were planting grapes I would be inclined to rip the middle of the row as deep as possible. Don't see much point in turning over the entire field with a turning plow. If you are driving between the rows just keep it mowed down as close as you can. Fertilize and drip irrigate the row centers as the grapes require.

The small tractor would be fine for tending the rows. Have a large tractor rip the row centers initially and take over from there.

Don't have any idea whether you can grow grapes in your locale.

 

[Egon]

Prior to deep tillage check with your local agricultural advisor. There are times it's not desirable due to soil type and layering. Mixing the soil layers may also not be beneficial.

[video]http://m.southwestfarmpress.com/management/deep-tillage-benefits-depend-soil-conditions[/video]