top recommendations for optimizing berta rotary plow usage

[freedomlives]

Swivel plow. Especially if you're following contour lines to make some sort of swale like thing, or if you're making terraces. Making terraces, btw, on the steepest part of the slope is where I did manage to flip over my 200kg Goldoni.

Terraces I started uphill side and worked down. But I also hadn't adjusted the wheels to the correct spacing at that point. I think they were sitting at the widest setting, though this probably helped with not flipping over.

Swales I also did with the wheels not optimally spaced.

Some photos of are here: 216 farm work - Google Photos

I'll hopefully improve when I go to increase the width of the swales.

The raised bed technique is a bit counter intuitive to me, and some careful measurement/planning seem neccesary to get the beds right (which mine ended up different widths, and also some a bit curvy). It is important with the raised beds to start with a perfectly straight line and never let it deviate. Quite hard to correct deviations after the fact.

 

[TwoWheel]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback and the helpful photos from Slovakia (looks like a nice farm and family over there!).

Currently, I see the following as the optimal two-wheel plow setup:

Grillo G110 tractor (BCS 853 does not appear to be worth the additional $700)
13hp Honda gas engine with j-bolt for engine weights (engine weights may not be needed with the heavier diesel...am still a bit tempted by the diesel's potential longevity)
6.5"x12"x23" Grillo wheels set all the way out with spacers to give an outside track width of 30" and an inside-to-inside wheel spacing of 17"
Foam-filled tires for additional weight/traction
Berta swivel plow (additional $650 over single rotary plow would be worth it for me since I would like to plow furrows on contour)

If I add a Berta flail mower to the above then I guess it would be the 34" mower in order to cover the wheel tracks, though am sure that the 26" mower would be easier to maneuver.

I'm always open to any more thoughts...

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[leonz]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback and the helpful photos from Slovakia (looks like a nice farm and family over there!).

Currently, I see the following as the optimal two-wheel plow setup:

Grillo G110 tractor (BCS 853 does not appear to be worth the additional $700)
13hp Honda gas engine with j-bolt for engine weights (engine weights may not be needed with the heavier diesel...am still a bit tempted by the diesel's potential longevity)
6.5"x12"x23" Grillo wheels set all the way out with spacers to give an outside track width of 30" and an inside-to-inside wheel spacing of 17"
Foam-filled tires for additional weight/traction
Berta swivel plow (additional $650 over single rotary plow would be worth it for me since I would like to plow furrows on contour)

If I add a Berta flail mower to the above then I guess it would be the 34" mower in order to cover the wheel tracks, though am sure that the 26" mower would be easier to maneuver.

I'm always open to any more thoughts...

Thanks,

Jeff

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I disagree with bill about the tiller useage in a friendly way as I always create raised beds with my original Troy Bilt Tiller and to mix in mason sand.

Don't foam the tires, that will cost you a small fortune to do.
You can get along really well with tube or tubeless tires filled
with windshield washer fluid and a set of V bar tire chains and
you will have unbelievable traction. I have WWF filled tires on
my mule and I am glad I did it. if you have to change the tire
someday you will need to use a right angle grinder to get the
foamed tire off by cutting a slot down the center of the tread
and then cutting chunks of it away with the grinder.

Foaming the tires will ruin the chance of being able to remove them to
change the tire itself when the time comes as a foamed tire will not give
you much traction if the tread is all gone either.

You will want the engine weights especially when cutting furrows so that you
will keep the Grillo in line while cutting ground.

 

[TwoWheel]

I appreciate your feedback but I probably won't till before I plow for multiple reasons.

The foam filling costs $145 in total and adds 40 lbs per tire.

Another option is the barbell weight hangers that cost $70 in total, plus the cost of barbell weights.

As far as engine weights, the j-bolt is designed for BCS (so I made a typo in an earlier thread) but for $92 one can get two suitcase weights for a Grillo engine which will add a total of 50 pounds. It sounds like this weight is a must for running the swivel plow...

 

[farmerboybill]

Frankly, You're not likely to ever wear out a set of tires. I've have had BCS (mainline branded) tractors here from the 70's with the original rubber. They're more likely to rot off the machine than wear out. You can prevent that by keeping the machine inside and out of the sun. I am not one to upsell a feature that I don't believe in, and I highly recommend foam filling if the budget allows. These tires are so hard that it's hard to tell if they're flat. If you go out and use the machine with no air in the tube, you'll eventually spin the rubber on the rim and rip off the valve stem. Then you're in for a long search or ponying up around $20 for a tube, last I checked. Foam filling is expensive, but worth it in my opinion.

J-bolt is simply a bolt that is bought at a hardware store. two holes are drilled in the bumper. This will work for either brand.

 

[Ford850]

I've spoken out against the need for extra weights in the past, but I've changed my mind. For my own use, extra weight isn't needed most of the time. But when it's needed, you'll wish you had it. I thought about upgrading to a new 853 and if I do it will probably be with larger, foam filled tires. I might even keep my 605 and just get the larger foam filled tires for it, knowing I can move them to a new 853 in the future. As Bill said, the tires wear like iron and I can't imagine needing to replace them unless you mow a lot of lawn or use them on pavement often. I had the exact issue Bill described above, low air pressure and the tire spun on the rim tearing out the valve stem from the tube. What a pain as you are then down for days while you search for a replacement tube. The tube I replaced it with has still had a slow leak since then that I can't find. Had the tube off several times, submerged in a tub, but no leak found. Replaced the valve insert 2 times too. Still has a slow leak that requires air every few weeks, and many times I have had it start to spin on the rim before I notice it's low. Pain in the rear.

 

[rickyd79]

Thanks to everyone for your feedback and the helpful photos from Slovakia (looks like a nice farm and family over there!).

Currently, I see the following as the optimal two-wheel plow setup:

Grillo G110 tractor (BCS 853 does not appear to be worth the additional $700)
13hp Honda gas engine with j-bolt for engine weights (engine weights may not be needed with the heavier diesel...am still a bit tempted by the diesel's potential longevity)
6.5"x12"x23" Grillo wheels set all the way out with spacers to give an outside track width of 30" and an inside-to-inside wheel spacing of 17"
Foam-filled tires for additional weight/traction
Berta swivel plow (additional $650 over single rotary plow would be worth it for me since I would like to plow furrows on contour)

If I add a Berta flail mower to the above then I guess it would be the 34" mower in order to cover the wheel tracks, though am sure that the 26" mower would be easier to maneuver.

I'm always open to any more thoughts...

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi two wheel. Some thoughts....suit case weights are nice, but they are either 25lbs or 50lbs. If that is the correct amount for your situation, then great. Even though J bolt can take a little longer to install, it is nice being able to "dial in" the exact weight better. I do think you will need close to 40+lbs for swivel plow on G110 Honda gas. Just sold a G110 diesel with swivel plow and it needed 30lbs front bumper weight. This number can of course change with the operator, depending upon how strong they are. I like the foam filled tires. I like the swivel plow if you are working on slopes. On flat ground I use the single plow, but if you can afford the swivel plow and you "just want it", by all means. It is great being able to dictate which direction the soil gets thrown with a lever. As to flail mower, unless you are doing a really large area, I would stick with 26". You are correct, they are easier to handle. Only scenario I would pick 34" is if cutting very large areas at one time. At first it might seem like bigger is always better, but each implement has a physical impact to the body.