Dirt Moving Subsoiler Flips Sod - Looks Rough

[bcp]

I have seen many subsoilers that have been ground down to a knife edge on the front of the vertical arm to better slice through the wire grass and roots.

Sometimes a user will weld on a steel strip, maybe 1/4 x 1, onto the front of the shank, then grind a sharp edge on it.

Bruce

 

[Timm250]

I worked up a pasture field August of 2017 that hasn't been worked since about 1990. It was as hard as concrete.

3 shank ripper about 26" deep.

Chisel plowed then disked & cultipacked.

 

[3Lfarms]

Hello TBN! I ran a subsoiler on my place creating parallel lines on contour to catch more rain as it leaves the property. Its an ETA subsoiler on the back of a 27 HP Kubota B2710. The Kubota pulled the subsoiler just fine about 12 inches deep. What I didn't expect was the mess it left behind. Most of the sod that was cut flipped over creating a very lumpy texture. Is this expected or is there something I can do to keep this from happening again. I'll probably continue to subsoil periodically for the next few years.

Seedling Tree Planting - YouTube

I was wanting to see you running the subsoiler. What it looks like is that it’s much too wet. You really want to subsoil during the dry months to shatter the hard pan.
Also, you need to be getting down deeper than 12”. It looks like due to the mud, you can’t get enough traction to pull your subsoiler at its full depth. One again, doing it when it’s good and dry will help there too.



In this pic, the tip of the subsoiler is 20-22” below the surface and it still disrupts the surface. The point on mine is 2” wire and 10” long. It’s an old Ford.
Adjusting the top link is key to getting it to the depth you want and angled so it isnt turning the surface over.

 

[sixdogs]

I was wanting to see you running the subsoiler. What it looks like is that it痴 much too wet. You really want to subsoil during the dry months to shatter the hard pan.
Also, you need to be getting down deeper than 12? It looks like due to the mud, you can稚 get enough traction to pull your subsoiler at its full depth. One again, doing it when it痴 good and dry will help there too.

View attachment 546830

In this pic, the tip of the subsoiler is 20-22 below the surface and it still disrupts the surface. The point on mine is 2 wire and 10 long. It痴 an old Ford.
Adjusting the top link is key to getting it to the depth you want and angled so it isnt turning the surface over.

I have seen those Ford subsoilers around and always wondered if they work. At 22", that's a pretty good pull. What do you think of it and how hard would a 2 shank version pull at 12" deep? Any HP guess?

We're on black dirt here to a black dirt-clay subsoil and most only go around 12" deep. Any more and it tends to invert the black dirt.

 

[Sysop]

I have seen many subsoilers that have been ground down to a knife edge on the front of the vertical arm to better slice through the wire grass and roots.

As is the EA SS that OP is using. I have the same SS...

 

[FreedomFamilyFarms]

As is the EA SS that OP is using. I have the same SS...

Yes. EA SS

 

[Sonny580]

I use an old JD steel wheel sub. and go 36" deep here, ( would go deeper) , course I use AC 190xtd, OR the IH 806 to pull it.---Makes a mound, don't scatter chunks, but run it in fall when ground is real dry and the harder the better.---Sometimes after I sub, I follow with the moldboard plow an turn everything over.--In spring it's one pass with tiller and plant garden.---You can dig down and find the soft tracks that the sub left.---Plant roots will follow right down in there. thanks; sonny580

 

[3Lfarms]

I have seen those Ford subsoilers around and always wondered if they work. At 22", that's a pretty good pull. What do you think of it and how hard would a 2 shank version pull at 12" deep? Any HP guess?

We're on black dirt here to a black dirt-clay subsoil and most only go around 12" deep. Any more and it tends to invert the black dirt.

It’s a Cat1 subsoiler, but in 2Wd it’s all my 68 hp tractor really wants in my hard, never worked clay. I could send it about 3 inches deeper, but it snaps grade 8 shear bolts every 100 feet. At that pictured depth I still broke about a dozen shear bolts doing 10 acres. When it hits whats left of a rabbit brush root, the tractor stops for a split second and the tires spin just a little bit to bite down through the hard surface then it grabs and breaks the shear bolt.

It has done the trick though, water used to sit on top and pond, but this winter I’ve had no standing water at all and my pasture seed didn’t wash away.

I would think your machine could pull 2 12” shanks if you can get enough traction.
You will have to wait until the ground is hard and hasn’t been tilled. You won’t have much chance getting it done after the ground has been plowed or disced.

 

[sixdogs]

It’s a Cat1 subsoiler, but in 2Wd it’s all my 68 hp tractor really wants in my hard, never worked clay. I could send it about 3 inches deeper, but it snaps grade 8 shear bolts every 100 feet. At that pictured depth I still broke about a dozen shear bolts doing 10 acres. When it hits whats left of a rabbit brush root, the tractor stops for a split second and the tires spin just a little bit to bite down through the hard surface then it grabs and breaks the shear bolt.

It has done the trick though, water used to sit on top and pond, but this winter I’ve had no standing water at all and my pasture seed didn’t wash away.

I would think your machine could pull 2 12” shanks if you can get enough traction.
You will have to wait until the ground is hard and hasn’t been tilled. You won’t have much chance getting it done after the ground has been plowed or disced.

I now pull a 3X Brillion curved shank ripper with a 90HP JD with radials and weight and it's no sweat at 14" deep. Studies and field research here now shows that 12"-14" is optimum for this soil type so I'm thinking of just using a 70HP M7040 Kubota (with radials and weight) and a 2X lighter ripper. For the small acreage I now do it would fit on the trailer and haul easier. I've seen those Ford rippers and am tempted because I've never seen a bent one and they look lighter. They also look like they pull harder.

Overall, are you happy with that ripper?

 

[3Lfarms]

Yes I’m happy. It’s done exactly what I needed and since I only gave $100 for it, I’m very happy. The guy got it with a tractor and he did not know what it was and advertised it for $100. I did not argue with the man.
Here is what it looked like when I bought it.


From the manuals I found, they started making these in 1957.
I cleaned it up, painted it and have replaced most of the original bolts with new grade 8s. Most of the originals were pretty corroded.