What to use instead of a tiller?

[longrangelarry]

Here's the situation. Next year's food plots will be 1 acre or larger, on new ground (not worked in 40 years). We have an old JD that won't go slow enough for a rotary tiller, and a compact Yanmar that may not have the HP for even a 4 footer, if it's heavy duty. We plan to plow this fall and leave fallow over winter. Then what? This is rocky ground, as well. Have a small disc suitable for the Yanmar, but no down force on the cylinder. Can enough weight be put on the disc (and pulled with 20 HP) to break up the clods? What about a cultivator or something similar? Or we can pop for a bigger disc for the JD, I guess.

Also, if we could somehow get the ground to the point that it could be tilled, what works on the Yanmar, with 18 HP at the PTO? For my small plots I have been using an 8 HP 2 pt Cub Cadet tiller, and it works OK I guess. Just slow, narrow, and taking a beating from rocks. A rock rake is in the plans but you know how a new crop of rocks can grow. All said and done, I need a small 3 pt tiller, don't I? And isn't 4 foot pretty much the limit?

Thanks.

 

[brin]

I would use a cultivator...in fact I have and just go over it a couple of times..a disk harrow would work too...and yes I added heavy concrete blocks or even a big boulder..I have done all that and it works just go slow and go over it until it looks like you want it...good luck.

 

[nybirdman]

A three point cultivator will do the job,it may take multiple passes.First year's working the ground it won't look great but it gets better every year.I put "peanut" shares on my cultivator seemed to help also.

 

[oldnslo]

Either will work, a disc will cut the clumps and trash up better up better but there is also a better chance of breaking one or more of the disc blades on rocks. The cultivator will tend to lit more rocks to the surface but there is much less chance of damaging the cultivator on rocks unless they are big enough to bend the tines.

 

[jeff9366]

A Rotary Tiller mixes soil. So does a Disc Harrow but not as much in one pass. A Disc Harrow is considerably faster over the field.

I recommend against weighting Disc Harrows, especially a weak angle-iron framed Disc Harrow. Also, few angle-iron framed discs are adjustable for "bite."

Disc Harrows are not expensive implements. Buy the weight you need in a Box Frame Disc Harrow.

The third soil mixing implement is a Turning (Moldboard) plow. The Yanmar could pull a 1 X 10" or 1 X 12" Moldboard Plow. That means one plowshare, 10" {12"} high, which would allow you to turn 5" {6"} deep furrows. There are a zillion vids on YouTube of sub-compact tractor owners happily plowing in the Fall.

Most food plotters would consider a Disc Harrow and a Cultipacker, for rolling in seed to insure germination, the key tractor implements.


DISC HARROW INFORMATION LINK:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/275147-disc-harrow-primer-howse-disc.html

 

[tcreeley]

-why not plow and then disc harrow. I did that and now just use the harrow. I am using raised beds that I use a hiller to make. Good for quick weed removal too. look on youtube and (Temporarily blocked due to reports of company closure)

 

[paulemar]

I used a 48" Phoenix tiller by Sicma corp. on my BX25. The first time I used it was on a garden I plowed the previous Fall. It was a bumpy ride, but the tiller handled it just fine. After the first pass it was even better. The BX25 only has, if I remember correctly, 17.9 PTO HP. I did have my loader on the front for counter balance while moving around, but it probably isn't needed while tilling. You will have to decide if a tiller can handle the rocks any better than a plow and disc. Rocks can be tough on everything. Tilling my smaller garden the first time, I hit an abandoned 15' long piece of 2" steel pipe and several 10-12" rocks. It spit out the rocks, and lifted the pipe up to the edge of the garden where I cut it off. No damage to the tiller.

 

[longrangelarry]

So... a disc harrow is what they just called a disc back when I was a kid, right? I have 42" tandem, with space for concrete blocks on it, and adjustable pitch, angle, or whatever you call it. A Brinley, I think, and yes it's just angle iron. I have never used it but I don't think it's wide enough to cover the tracks. But hey, it's a food plot, not a cash crop. I have an old converted horse drawn 10" single bottom plow for the Yanmar, and we just got a double bottom for the JD. I used the single a couple months a go and it worked Ok until I broke the tip on a root. My fault- I knew it was there. It's since been welded. I have to say, it made OK furrows but didn't seem to turn the soil too well because the fabricated 3 pt hitch holds it vertically. So...traditionally, one would plow, then disc a new field, and it sounds to me like the overwhelming opinion is still the same. Use the 2 bottom, though. I'll keep the single for my 1/4 acre plots.

It sounds like a cultivator and rock rake would be welcome additions, though, so that in a few years maybe we will be able to just till. The rocks are typically potato sized. I have a cultipacker but as I said in another post, it doesn't work too well, I assume because of the rocks, and I have not been using the weight. I can also use that weight on the disc maybe. Again, the cylinder on the Yanmar 3 pt is only single acting, so no downforce can be applied that way, and the disc doesn't weigh much.

Does anyone know of a good candidate for the roto-tiller? I usually shop CL for used implements, and it has worked well for me. But 4 foot tillers seem to be scarce.

Thanks for all the feedback. When you see a consensus develop, you are confident that the advice is solid. I grew up in a farming community, but learned very little about it.

 

[longrangelarry]

Jeff- just looked at the disc harrow primer. As everyone said-very nice. So now I know my disc, which is originally a Cat 0, uses 16" smooth discs.

We are planning to plow sometime between the end of deer season and the first deep freeze, and let her lay for the winter. (This is zone 7 in Western Ky) Should we disc then or let her sit until Spring?

 

[Larro Darro]

If you are going to wait til spring to do any planting, I don't see where it would hurt to wait. As far as tillers go, a 5' tiller came with my B7500. It is orange and has Kabota stickers, but there is no telling what brand it is. All I have done with it is till up some old pasture for a garden, and a couple of small food plots in my longleaf pines. But the little tractor seems to have plenty of power to turn it.

But if I was you, I would be looking for a used disc. I saw this one on CL, FORD 9 ft disc harrow. Here is another one that is cheaper and looks newer,http://bgky.craigslist.org/grd/4060697697.html. Not sure how close they are to you. Using the bigger tractor with the plow and the disc will be faster and do a better job. Happy hunting.

Larro