Too much HP for a middle buster? Why?

SolidGround · Mar 1, 2016

Hello people, so I'm getting into a small potato niche and I'm looking at getting a double middle buster...so, if you've never heard of that before, well, it is just two middle busters mounted on a tool bar. I'll set em at 36" apart so my tractor can straddle two rows. I'll then use this implement to make the ditches for the potato seed, and sow em, then later in the season use it to dig em up. My question is, when I'm looking at all the regular single middle busters out there, many say they are designed for 40hp tractors max.... This is confusing to me (still a beginning farmer). Looking at the implement, I would think I could just drive in a slow and steady gear at half throttle and be just fine. And now that I am looking at the double middle buster, I am wondering if that is rated for higher hp than the single...or if for some reason you would still shy away from using it on a tractor over 40hp. Can anyone shed light here? Thanks.

aarolar · Mar 1, 2016

Mostly a CYA move for the manufacturer, for your use you'll be fine just take it easy like you said.

5030 · Mar 1, 2016

Been growing heirloom spuds for decades now. I use a Kevulator tool bar from Agri-Supply and 2 sweeps on a 30 inch spacing and bring them in tighter and run deeper to dig them in the fall. I happen to use a 90 horsepower tractor, FWA and draft control....

motownbrowne · Mar 2, 2016

Much more than a 40 HP tractor will have the ability to fold a middle buster into a pretzel, that's why they rate them for different sized tractors. However, if you're pulling two of them, each one only gets 50% plus or minus a little, of your drawbar HP. I'm guessing here, but I'd think that if you're trying to make furrows for planting taters, that you'll have to actually keep your speed up to reduce the amount of soil that just falls back into the furrow. Perhaps 5030 could give us a better idea of what kind of sweeps he is using. 5030, do you use them to make furrows for planting, or just for cultivating and digging?

LD1 · Mar 2, 2016

Not really so much about HP, rather the weight and traction you have (drawbar pull). Higher HP typically means biggher heavier tractor that can pull harder. If you snag a root, Boulder, etc you can damage the implement.

Given a potatoe bed, on soft ground and easy pulling, shouldn't have anything to worry about

motownbrowne · Mar 2, 2016

LD1 said:
Not really so much about HP, rather the weight and traction you have (drawbar pull). Higher HP typically means biggher heavier tractor that can pull harder. If you snag a root, Boulder, etc you can damage the implement.

Given a potatoe bed, on soft ground and easy pulling, shouldn't have anything to worry about

Yeah, that's often a confusing part about HP ratings for implements. When they say the middle buster is good up to 40 HP, are they talking about gross engine HP, net engine HP, PTO HP, or drawbar HP? You're absolutely right, though that it has more to do with traction than anything else.

flusher · Mar 2, 2016

SolidGround said:
Hello people, so I'm getting into a small potato niche and I'm looking at getting a double middle buster...so, if you've never heard of that before, well, it is just two middle busters mounted on a tool bar. I'll set em at 36" apart so my tractor can straddle two rows. I'll then use this implement to make the ditches for the potato seed, and sow em, then later in the season use it to dig em up. My question is, when I'm looking at all the regular single middle busters out there, many say they are designed for 40hp tractors max.... This is confusing to me (still a beginning farmer). Looking at the implement, I would think I could just drive in a slow and steady gear at half throttle and be just fine. And now that I am looking at the double middle buster, I am wondering if that is rated for higher hp than the single...or if for some reason you would still shy away from using it on a tractor over 40hp. Can anyone shed light here? Thanks.

40 hp max: this is a spec for the implement--more than 40 hp could damage the middle buster.

I pulled a small King Kutter middle buster with my Kubota B7510 HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, no info on drawbar hp). Used it to plow the lawn area around my new house prior to rototilling. The soil was pretty dry.

Your tractor is a lot more powerful than that little Bota so you should be able to handle a double buster.

Good luck

nybirdman · Mar 2, 2016

I use mine all the time on a 44HP tractor,sure you could fold it up under the right circumstance but I never have and I have tons of large rocks.One of the beauty's of a HST tractor;you can stop instantly.
I have plowed a lot with an old Ford two bottom with no trips:it still works fine,wore out but still works.