tiller or harrow

[190carr]

I Was wondering what is the best implement to use to start planting,we recently bought a ten acre piece of property that has alot of open land,it was last used for horses,but my wife and i want to start a vineyard and i am not sure if a tiller or harrow is best?Any input would be apreciated

 

[foggy1111]

I think more information is needed to answer your question. i.e. What are you going to pull / power it with?.....your Harley, Pickup or Mustang? ...and what are you trying to plant? I think most will tell you that you can do primary tillage with a tiller...but its hard to break sod with 'em. Harder with the disc....but all depends on WHICH disc and how much power you have to get 'er done. Soil types will be a big factor too.....so.....a bit more information is needed.

Maybe a vinyard is different...no experience in that.

 

[190carr]

just got a 3720 no cab just fel and r4 tires filled,we have rocky soil that hopefully will drain well,though the driveway got very muddy once the snow thawed.The first area we want to plant is grass with alot of tall weeds and am thinking about some christmas trees,colorado blue spruce,possibly in that area.

 

[CCWKen]

"i want to start a vineyard".

If it was last used as a horse pasture it's probably well packed. I think you'll need to plow to turn the top cover over and loosen the soil. After that a disk harrow to break it up and a drag to level. You can use a tiller later on for grass and weed control as a tiller will only go down a few inches. Preparing soil initially with tiller is a waste of time unless you're planting grass.

 

[190carr]

thanks,so would i use a single plow ,the first area is about 50 feet by 500 feet,i have seen the single plow setup,it just plunges into the soil and drags along.

 

[AKfish]

"i want to start a vineyard".

If it was last used as a horse pasture it's probably well packed. I think you'll need to plow to turn the top cover over and loosen the soil. After that a disk harrow to break it up and a drag to level. You can use a tiller later on for grass and weed control as a tiller will only go down a few inches. Preparing soil initially with tiller is a waste of time unless you're planting grass.

I'll betcha there's a few "shelterbelts" in Texas. I've planted lot's and lot's of trees after a "vigorous" soil preparation with just a disc.

And I've broken a sod field with "just" a tiller for replanting. My tiller will dig 8".

I'd be a little cautious regarding the rocks... how bad is it? How big and buried are they? You might find your tractor and plow on the wrong end of a very big, buried bruiser!!

A plow, a disc, a tiller - they'll all get you to where you want to go - IMO. If you plow, you'll have to disc or till or both. If you disc, you'll have to till. If you till, you'll have to till several times...

Get in touch with your local NRCS folk's. They'll be a huge source of information regarding specialized tillage and planting recommendations for a vinyard. Including local varietal grape types.

Best of luck.

AKfish

 

[Egon]

Get in touch with your local NRCS folk's. They'll be a huge source of information regarding specialized tillage and planting recommendations for a vinyard. Including local varietal grape types.

That is advice to follow.

For the little I know of your situation a rototiller would be the most versatile piece of equipment.

Attached pictures of glacial moraine clay drumlin with lots of rock on which a 11 PTO HP. tractor and rototiller was used for cultivation. One picture shows a crop of rye that was planted.

My toy tractor would not have been Able to do anything with a disk.

 

[190carr]

thanks akfish, i looked at all the options today at the local tractor supply,i wondered if i plowed then dragged a york rake if that would work?there are some good size rocks so definitely a concern,this is a long range plan so i may be able to weed some rocks out over time.What is ncrs,we were thinking of going to the local university for help,soil tests, climate averages,we are in a little valley by a river and surrounded by mountains so it seems as though we are warmer than some other areas nearby.

 

[spruce Deere]

AHHHH, you mentioned trees, X-mas trees and blue spruce. And in the area you want to plant has tall grass. I farm just that kind of tree and own a few vine plants. and I highly recommend you plow and till the area first. Then let it set for a while and see how bad of gopher infestation you have after disturbing the ground. Why? The little rodents will clean you out of your beautiful looking, fresh planted trees or vine crops. Pocket gophers are professionals this. Ground squirrels will straight out start a new excavation project, and your plants are in the way. They love places that have not been disturbed in a long time, such as horse pastures and patches of tall grass. To get rid of them takes a little bit of time. There are gimmicks such as propane set-up to explode there underground compounds and them to poisons, traps and electronic devises. Check with local laws, but poisons and explosions worked for me. Then you might have a chance of growing vines and trees.

 

[JiminGa]

your tractor ought to pull a two bottom plow with no problem, that's how I would start, then either disc or till, depending on how big and how many rocks there are.

 

[jenkinsph]

If it were me, I would be inclined to use an implement that would not be torn up easily to dig thru the rocks and loosen them up. While it make take serveral passes an S tine field cultivator comes to mind. Comb thru the rocks and then windrow them to pick up with a loader. Might take alot of passes but will take less time than rebuilding a tiller or replacing disc blades. My real preference would be a slow moving chisel plow to break it up deep but I don't think you have enough tractor to do it.



Steve

 

[AKfish]

If it were me, I would be inclined to use an implement that would not be torn up easily to dig thru the rocks and loosen them up. While it make take serveral passes an S tine field cultivator comes to mind. Comb thru the rocks and then windrow them to pick up with a loader. Might take alot of passes but will take less time than rebuilding a tiller or replacing disc blades. My real preference would be a slow moving chisel plow to break it up deep but I don't think you have enough tractor to do it.

Steve

He might manage a 4'-5' model. Ever see one that small..? Not me. Rear wheel duals and black smoke!!

AKfish

 

[jenkinsph]

The Frontier PC 1072 S tine cultivator is what I am refering to in above post, had to look it up. It is offered in a 72" width and is listed at 25-45 hp cat 1
hitch.


AKfish, yeah I remember our first tractor was a Case SC about 30 hp and trying to pull a 6' offset disc, couldn't pull it fast enough to roll the soil over.. Our next tractor of consequence was a 4020 man what a difference that made.



Steve

 

[yankeerider]

Here in New England you can run into a wide variety of soil types. On my 5 acres I have everything from heavy clay and hardpan to loam and sand- but then, we're on a ridge where I have about a 40' change in elevation from one portion to the next.

I went through the same thinking as you, and ended up with a KKII tiller. I used to use a small tiller behind a JD 112 garden tractor, and before that, my dad had a rear mount on an old Wards Chor-Trac 2 wheel walk behind tractor. If you plow and harrow, you're gonna be making multiple passes anyway, so what's the big deal about having to make multiple passes with a tiller? Make your first passes shallow- that'll tell you what you got, and if there's big rocks, the tiller'll bounce off them easier. Just be ready to raise her out of the ground if it starts to buck and bang.

 

[190carr]

thanks for all the great info i still have not bought anything and am still shopping,but leaning towards the tiller.I have seen some sort of rodent tracks in the field,so i wonder if it is gophers,i know moles are usually under ground and the tracks i see are open.anyway i have alot of work ahead of me before i plant anything,and i am trying to do this once and not waste time and money,this is a great forum thank you to all!!!

 

[nunyabinis]

Tiller. Hands down. Start shallow and set it progressively deeper on each pass.


My KKII tiller will bust up just about anything and after the final pass the ground will be so smooth It'll bring a tear of joy to your eye.