Sub soiler - bevel leading edge or not?

[Jim Timber]

I got a 1x6" chunk of AR400 today for my sub soiler shank and now the question is whether or not to bevel the leading edge above the tooth or leave it flat?

Does it make any difference?

 

[bamboozled]

I would be interested to find out as well.

I modified my tractor supply special and welded a piece of 1"x1/4" flat stock to the shank, then built it up with welds and ground it to a knife edge. I haven't had a chance to test it yet tho, hope to try it this weekend to cut some roots and rip some small stumps out.

 

[Fallon]

I've thought about sharpening the shank all the way up on mine on occasion. Especially if I think about using it like a cable plow. Have yet to try it though.

 

[npalen]

I don't believe it would make much difference other than weakening the cross section slightly. The soil is going to be fractured anyway when it reaches up that high on the shank. The soil, if damp enough, will build up and actually form a v-shape on the front. Even in dry sandy soil I would think it would take a lot of acres to see any wear on the leading surface of the shank.
The greatest force will be down on the very bottom of the tip where even an inch or two of depth change will make a big difference in draft. I'm sure most of you folks are probably aware of some of this stuff.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'm mainly thinking about severing roots cleanly instead of ripping them out. I have a lot of mature trees in some of the areas I want to rip up, but would like to not pull the roots out in the process.

Having no experience with any subsoiling shanks, I just don't know either way.

I do know the mechanics about how they work by shoving the whole column of dirt upward as the tooth is pulled along.

I'm building this for breaking some hard pan where an old log landing was (which just doesn't drain - it's fine for grass and weed growth), and where a 100+ year old buggy trail ran; that ground is so hard weeds won't grow in it - it hasn't had traffic in 5 years and it's still bare (rock hard) dirt. I tried planting a plug seedling spruce tree and couldn't get my 1" steel spike in the ground with me (220#) jumping on it. I figure if I can get a couple passes on there I won't have to shred the area with the root grapple to break it up.

The other part is I want to use it to pull hose and wires eventually. The main thing is getting better drainage from some spots that hold water which shouldn't.

 

[redman135]

Hello Jim Timber, I think you will be in for a rude shock in just how strong tree roots are. Tractors up around the 180 hp mark have been dragged to a standstill when trying to rip along orchard shelter belts to cut encroaching (on fruit trees) roots. A contractor I saw was using a large (6-7') saw blade (for cutting ground ) and cutting neatly through the tree roots and only needing to cut a slot about 11/2' thick. The tractor was approx 40-50hp.

 

[Jim Timber]

Hello Jim Timber, I think you will be in for a rude shock in just how strong tree roots are.

I'm considering a sharp edge on the subsoiler shank because I already know how strong roots are. But if that doesn't work, I can always resort to plan B:

Yes, that's my video, and my grinder.

Or I can build a trencher. :laughing:

 

[oldnslo]

Only to know is try. On small roots it might help.

 

[Ford850]

I would be interested to find out as well.

I modified my tractor supply special and welded a piece of 1"x1/4" flat stock to the shank, then built it up with welds and ground it to a knife edge. I haven't had a chance to test it yet tho, hope to try it this weekend to cut some roots and rip some small stumps out.

This is what I plan to do, but not for stumps. When I use my sub soiler through any vegetation, the sod or weeds and roots fold over the leading edge and creates a clumped mess. I think a bladed edge will cut cleaner and leave less mess. I also think it will slice smaller roots easier too.

 

[Jim Timber]

I have some hard facing rod somewhere, but from what I'm seeing the er70 mig wire I use would make a hard edge as well. I could build up the leading edge of my AR plate and not lose any strength. Cutting it back wouldn't have much of an appreciable impact anyway. We're not talking about removing all that much material.