Rotary Cutter Smooth vs notched discs

Jmsmithy · Dec 27, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!!

I'm looking at buying new disc set for my Kioti DK40SE HST primarily for approx 20 acres of food plots. May also use to cut up some old logging roads, roundup them all, then resurface....

My questions :

What is the difference between notched vs smooth discs

I've seen 18" as well as 20" discs - what is difference/what is utilization of each size??

Also, how big of a disc harrow could I go to w/ my tractor??

Thanks as always for all the great help I get on this site. As a new guy it's great to have a place to turn to with all my questions....it seems the more I do w/ my tractor, the more questions pop up!

bcp · Dec 27, 2013

Think of pounds per blade, too. More pounds are better.

The larger the vegetation, the more you need notched blades.

Bruce

ksbrdmkr · Dec 27, 2013

Check john deere or new holland, etc and see what they recommend for your size tractor, I am thinking 6 to 7 foot. The notched discs would cut deeper in tougher soils.

jeff9366 · Dec 28, 2013

Twenty acres is a LOT of food plots.

Notched discs will CUT and chop crop stubble and grass. Smooth discs are somewhat better for SMOOTHING minimally vegetated fields. Smooth discs have a a tendency to roll over vegetation that notched discs will penetrate. For Food Plots, unless you have a lot of rocks in your food plot soil, go with notched front, notched rear. If you get a disc with 50-60 pounds bearing on each disc you could go with notched front, smooth rear.

Generally speaking you want a minimum of 40 pounds harrow weight bearing on each disc. For opening 20 acres of food plots, 50-60 pounds per disk will open ground for seeding in one pass. After seeding you need to cover or roll in the seed. ( In a field you can disc more than once at a 45 degree angle across first pass, in a food plot a second pass is rarely practical.)

Disc diameter and concavity influence total harrow weight, how far soil is thrown out and in, and how deep disc can sink on successive passes. I recommend 20" or 22" disc diameter on 1-1/8" axles, not 18", for your 4,000 pound tractor.

You could pull a 7' to 7'-6" disc harrow with 20" disc diameter in a field with no strain. But for food plots, where you will be maneuvering between trees and boulders and working on slopes, buy a disc 5' to 5'-6" in width. Anything wider and the tractor will pass through gaps but the disc will "hang up" and you will waste a lot of time extricating tractor+harrow combination.

You need minimum of 5-horsepower per foot of disc width plus four wheel drive. Your Kioti has plenty of horsepower plus ample weight at 4,000 pounds.

You probably want a disc harrow with 9" spacing between the pans, rather than 7" spacing. Wider spacing will have less "float" and therefore cut better. Also, a little easier to clear vines from axles with wider spacing. (That said, EverythingAttachments.com offers interesting, HEAVY 20"-22"-24" Disc Harrows with 7" spacing.)

Consider the purchase of a CULTIPACKER to roll in your seed and help prevent erosion. Rolling twenty acres a CULTIPACKER will improve seed germination enough to pay for itself over five years.

DISC HARROW LINKS:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/296476-considerations-disc-harrow-selection-18-a.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/john-deere-owning-operating/291253-disc-harrow-3720-a.html