ripper shank bar?

[mikehaugen]

I have 2-1/2 acres, the east half is wide open. It used to be a field and was crudely levelled/smoothed. I have been mowing it with the rest of my lawn for about 5 years now hoping the grass would take over but it seems only the clover is spreading and I want to seed it. I would like to smooth it better before doing so because it is a fairly rough ride on the mower. I bought a used gill double roller soil pulverizer a while back and have tried it a couple times in different conditions and it hasn't been very effective, it seems the ground is just too hard. It works geat on loose soil though.

I have come up with some options... I eventually will buy a box blade but want to wait until I can afford a good one since I am not in desperate need of one. I have though about using my two bottom plow to turn it up in fall then use the pulverizer in the spring when I plant. The other consideration I have come up with is making a "ripper" bar similar to what is on the front of a box blade to loosen the soil before using the pulverizer.

I collect leftover chunks of steel from work so have the material to build the frame for practically nothing... was thinking about 4x4x1/4" square tubing. It would cost whatever the rippers would cost, or maybe I could even make those. I would make it 7 or 8 feet wide with rippers 12" apart. I have 38hp to pull it with.

I have seen similar items for sale but they don't seem very popular, so my question is are they effective for what I want to do? Would it be worth it? Or would I be better off with another option? I have a gravel driveway I was thinking I could maybe use it on it well (shallow pass) and finish with the pulverizer. That way it will not become a one-time use item. I have had good results with the pulverizer on the gravel in the past, but it takes many passes to get it loosened up if it has gotten too packed.

 

[mikehaugen]

So I have been checking at ASC for the ripper shanks, and got to looking around and was wondering if I would be better off with some sort of cultivator point, mounted to either ridgid or maybe s-tine shanks. I think it may break up the soil better, but I really don't know... I thought the pulverizer was going to be the greatest thing ever. :laughing:

 

[Fallon]

They are called subsoilers. ETA has them for about $300 (nice instructional & informational videos on the site). I ordered one from Northern Tool for $130 & have seen them around elsewhere for similar price ranges. Some of the cheaper ones don't have a sheer bolt & are just a solid shank. Personally I'd rather replace a bag of sheer bolts than any repair on my drive-train or 3pt.

Mine is scheduled to get delivered tomorrow, so I can't tell you how it works yet. I figure at least half of my usage will be for undesigned usage such as pulling in cable.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I'm not sure a ripper (subsoiler) will accomplish what you're wanting to do. If you just want to smooth it out, a disk harrow would be a better tool. But for and acre or two, it's not economically feasible to buy one.

 

[mikehaugen]

They are called subsoilers. ETA has them for about $300 (nice instructional & informational videos on the site). I ordered one from Northern Tool for $130 & have seen them around elsewhere for similar price ranges. Some of the cheaper ones don't have a sheer bolt & are just a solid shank. Personally I'd rather replace a bag of sheer bolts than any repair on my drive-train or 3pt.

Mine is scheduled to get delivered tomorrow, so I can't tell you how it works yet. I figure at least half of my usage will be for undesigned usage such as pulling in cable.

A subsoiler is not really what I am looking for. I wanted to make a bar 7' wide with 8 (smaller) rippers, like the front of a box blade. Thank you though.

 

[mikehaugen]

http://www.sweettractors.com/New_3_...asture_Renovator_p/tri7skrenovator.zone.1.htm

This is basically what I am talking about.

 

[Arc weld]

I have an MX track that gets pretty hard packed. If your Gill pulverizer won't do anything, A multi-shank ripper will do even less. 12" apart is too wide. You'll have a bunch of grooves in the ground. I have a fairly heavy box blade that has trouble ripping it and wears the teeth out pretty quick. It leaves grooves. A 3pt. ripper has no down pressure and even if it did, you wouldn't have the power to pull it. I would use your Gill pulverizer after a fairly good rain but not so wet it's slimy. Let it soak in for a day. I made a heavy groomer out of a 6' wide 14" H beam with 3/4" flanges and web and put 15 backhoe teeth on it for ripping the track. It works good after a rain. The nice thing with your Gill is that it won't dig too deep. You just need to loosen the top few inches and then pull a drag or harrow around to smooth things out. If you could find or rent a disc could work to loosen the top and chop the grass up at the same time. Just watch for rocks as they can break the disc blades.

 

[mikehaugen]

Thanks Arcweld. My theory on the gill not working was that the teeth were too dense and vertical. I thought this would alleviate that... as far as tooth spacing, I could maybe just make a few passes? I could also always add weight too, but you might be right on that as well about not having enough power. I don't know, maybe this was just wishful thinking.

 

[jenkinsph]

New 3 Point Hitch 7 Shank Pasture Renovator.Zone.1

This is basically what I am talking about.

The problem with that design is all the reaction forces are working against the top link. If you look at the larger vee ripper plows they are set further back like a fish hook. That said if you can build it with a frame you should be able to add some weight to help dig in. I would recommend about three chisel points and make as many passes as it takes to get it done.