Catastrophic failure: Berta rotary plow

[clytle374]

We got a Berta reversible rotary plow this spring, and started using it yesterday. This morning I make 3-4 passes and the hood jumps. Stopping I see oil pouring out....This can't be good.

So should I ask for a replacement, or my money back.

Cory

BTW: That is the main casting/gearbox you see broke in half.

 

[farmerboybill]

Hey Clytle,

That's amazing. I've hit some pretty hard, rocky ground with mine in the last year and thought they were indestructable. the pics are too close. Was there a flaw in the casting? Do you remember hitting anything especially hard?

Whether you ask for your money back or to get a new one depends on whether or not you liked the job the Berta did. I would get a new one because I really like mine.

 

[clytle374]

How are they about warranty? They don't say not to use in rocky ground, or I would have bought it. I hit several rocks since it plows so much deeper than the tiller we've been using. If rocks are going to break it, its not a implement I can use.

Cory

 

[farmerboybill]

Are we talking 2 inches of pure clay covering a gravel pit? Nothing will dig that save an excavator. The Berta should do fine in soil with rocks - better than a rototiller, really.

I can't speak for Earth Tools regarding warranty as I've never had a claim, but I'm sure he'll treat you right.

 

[clytle374]

Added new photo

 

[clytle374]

Are we talking 2 inches of pure clay covering a gravel pit? Nothing will dig that save an excavator. The Berta should do fine in soil with rocks - better than a rototiller, really.

I can't speak for Earth Tools regarding warranty as I've never had a claim, but I'm sure he'll treat you right.

Is is mostly good soil, but with larger rocks in it. We hit several rocks but dig them out by hand.

Cory

 

[BCSSHOP]

Hello Clytle,

I guess fortunately I was warned that occasionally such catastrophic things like than can happen in extremely rocky conditions so I have always run the rotary plow at very slow speeds in very rocky conditions. I have stalled the engine many times and have had to get the pick and pry bar to remove the rock. I run the single bottom rotary plow with a tractor with an extremely heavy engine (either the 14hp Kohler Magnum or 10hp Yanmar diesel) so I can react quickly when I starts to pull up 50lb rocks. I love the rotary plow but understand it has limits. As I tell people when I deliver one to them, "The plow won't break the rocks so don't let the rocks break the plow". With over 70 units in my local customers hands no one has damaged anything more than bent a plow shear

I suggest finding a way to run the plow with less rear weight bias to reduce its tendency to dig so aggressively even if you go to the single bottom version. The results far exceed any other small tool at breaking new ground. If I had only one tool for my BCS it would be the Berta Rotary Plow. Get a new one!

 

[farmerboybill]

John is giving you excellent advice. Do you have counterweight on the engine? I run my double plow on my 830 with 11 hp Kohler diesel - not a light engine. I still fabbed up a heavy duty front bumper and mounted two 25 lb front weights. You're just not gonna get these kind of results with any other attachment.

Pic above was a fairly rocky area with many tree roots on Oregon, WI. I killed the diesel a few times when hitting too-large roots and rocks. Lower pic shows a rock free area I plowed in Fennimore, WI.

 

[Bentleg]

Is that some sort of fabric stuck in the plow blade in the top photo?

 

[clytle374]

I didn't see any fabric in it.

I'm still running the 11 hp Kohler diesel. I've had it jump on rocks, but never bind up on them. I've always lifted it over them.

As far as the results: It works great. I beats a tiller on a 4-wheel or 2-wheel tractor any day.

I'm hoping that they warranty it okay since its a pretty expensive item. Is the single direction version a lot stronger?

Thanks
Cory

 

[BCSSHOP]

The single direction unit is much lighter in weight but stills digs very aggressively. The lighter weight likely offers some protection when hitting rocks. I was told not to remove part number 10013 which is at the top of the plow shear and was there to aid in grass cutting. Supposedly removing it allowed more clearance for rocks but in reality it created a place where flat rocks could get caught and had potential to do great damage to the casting. Since I do mostly raised beds the single direction plow works perfectly as two passes down each side creates about a 2 1/2 foot wide bed. There are many videos on you tube showing many tricks with the single direction version.

As you just started using it, it should surely be under warranty.

 

[clytle374]

The reversible one seemed like a good idea since we could work back and forth across the garden, in practice reversing it all the time wasn't as practical as we hoped.

Thanks for the reassurance on the warranty. Been having this fear that they'll say hitting rocks is abuse and not covered. $1800 is a lot to us

I did remove the cutting shears yesterday after remembering that in the manual. What you said makes a lot of sense. If you give something room to get into a gap and it closes while the obstruction is wedging itself in there creating leverage between the parts the load can be much much greater. On the other hand there are very few rocks that could get up and jam the works, almost all the rocks are large and get removed with a bar or FEL depending on our energy level at the time.

Cory

 

[clytle374]

Just received word from Joel at Earthtools, he is sure that it was a defect in the casting. Says he sells hundreds of single plows and dozens of doubles per year for quite a while and has only seen one single break. So all seems well at this point.

Thanks
Cory

 

[mpapiary]

Mine just arrived on Wednesday, managed to get all of twenty minutes use out of it since. Seems like a great tool!

 

[clytle374]

Berta is replacing ours, should be here soon.

Cory

 

[walkbehindtractorman]

Although Cory does not appear to have a posted anything about the resolution of this issue, I can say that we did replace the complete plow under warranty. This was an apparent casting defect, and the factory backed it up 100%, including shipping. --Earth Tools Inc.

 

[BCSSHOP]

While I consider the Berta Rotary plow nearly indestructible I was shown pictures of two severely broken gearboxes at the NOFA-NY winter conference and asked what BCS was going to do about it. Since neither were purchased from a BCS dealer I suggested they contact the person they purchased it from. I have no other information other than one was from New England and the other from New York. I offered by same suggestion that I always give and that is to run slowly and with light down force is extremely rocky soils. It is a great tool run correctly!

 

[walkbehindtractorman]

One thing that has been a problem is that in early BERTA owner's manuals, there was a recommendation to "remove the grass cutting blades at the top when using the plow in rocky soils"... and some folks actually read their manuals, and removed them. RESULT: with the "stationary" blade removed, not only is the gearbox casting completely exposed to impacts from rocks that might be picked up by the plowshares, but the extra strength that this stationary blade provided (it is a steel bar 5/16" thick and over 1" wide) to the gearbox "neck" is gone...hence, a very vulnerable gearbox, right when you need the strength (in rocky soils). I pointed out this discrepancy to BERTA when I was visiting their factory in 2010, and all subsequent manuals have been changed to show only removing the MOVING grass cutting blades (the ones on the top of the plow rotor). Any breakages of gearboxes as a result of this issue are replaceable by warranty...we have replaced two so far. If there are others out there, they have not been brought to my attention.---Joel at Earth Tools

 

[clytle374]

Although Cory does not appear to have a posted anything about the resolution of this issue, I can say that we did replace the complete plow under warranty. --Earth Tools Inc.

Yeah it was replaced under warranty. I even stated it was being replaced in the post above yours.

Cory

Nice to see you here Joel. Hope you are getting a break every once in a while.

 

[walkbehindtractorman]

Whoops! I missed that posting. Sorry! Moving too fast. Hope's all well with you, Cory. --Joel