Land "smoothing" job ... big ruts... best options?

[TSO]

Second passes with Disc Harrows are most effective at 45 degree angle, not 90 degree angle.

The disc pans will be deeper, dirt will be flying and your tractor will be grunting in HST/MED + throttle.

Ok thanks... I'm scouring Craigslist now. So you're saying that I can handle 8' just fine?

 

[jeff9366]

With 48 horsepower, 8' might be "iffy" in some conditions.

Maybe 8' with 22" pan diameter, 7' with 24" pan diameter.

What is outside width of your tractor tires?

How wide is your trailer?

How wide are the gates you pass through?

I presume you have four-wheel-drive------

 

[TSO]

With 48 horsepower, 8' might be "iffy" in some conditions.

Maybe 8' with 22" pan diameter, 7' with 24" pan diameter.

What is outside width of your tractor tires?

How wide is your trailer?

How wide are the gates you pass through?

I presume you have four-wheel-drive------

Trailer is flat, no issues there. Tires are 72". No gates on this particular job. Yes on 4x4

 

[john_bud]

After the ground is loosened up, dragging a big long I-beam (or two chained a few ft apart) will knock down the high spots and fill the low. Works best at a 45degree angle to the furrows. I use two beams that are 12' long chained about 12' from the back of the tractor and that works well, but you have to plan turns due to the length.

If you use two beams adding structure connecting them together on the top with weight will help.

If ibeams are too spendy, a straight tree trunk wrapped 3-4 times with chain link fence works too. Just attach it so it does NOT spin or it will simply roll over the high spots.

 

[jenkinsph]

Ok thanks... I'm scouring Craigslist now. So you're saying that I can handle 8' just fine?

You can handle a light 8'to 10' disk with 18 to 20" pans without issues. What Jeff is talking about is getting the larger pans with 22 to 24" diameter and more weight per pan. The higher weight and larger pans will work much better but are harder to pull, so a 6 to 7' with the larger pans is what I would look for. I am looking for one in my locale right now for my 4520.

 

[Deerherd]

TSO,

I just did a little over 10 acres of what you are doing and chisel plowed in the direction of the tracks followed by a disc with drag harrow at a 45 degree angle and it worked great.

You can get it done with a disc alone but depending on the wetness/hardness of the soil you might have to make lots of trips.

I spent months looking for a used chisel plow and transport disc and ended up buying new. I have an 8'6" Athen's disc that I can pull behind my pickup for road trips. But I think it would be a little much for your tractor.

I would Round-Up all you wanted to do a couple weeks before hand and go at it with the biggest disk your tractor could handle.

Or you could always get a bigger tractor so you could pull the big toys! You know you want to.....

Dave

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

This is likely the best way, but most of us don't have unlimited access to farm equipment and hardly any CUT owner will have a chisel plow. I think a tandem disk with possible a heavy drag behind it will suit the situation just fine and not have to have multiply pieces of equipment

I know that's true, but I wonder why more CUT owners don't have a chisel plow. In my opinion, it is a very handy implement to have. You can put spikes on it to break up hard ground, or put long sweeps on it to cut weeds and vegetation, or smaller sweeps to cut some of the vegetation and break up the ground too.

I see too many people trying to break up hard ground with a light weight tandem disc, and that's a fool's errand unless it's a very small tract and multiple passes are no big deal. I know we don't have unlimited budgets, but most of us seem to get the OTHER tools we need, by hook or by crook.

I just think the chisel plow is a very under-appreciated tool that most people have never used and, therefore, don't understand.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

TSO,

I just did a little over 10 acres of what you are doing and chisel plowed in the direction of the tracks followed by a disc with drag harrow at a 45 degree angle and it worked great.

You can get it done with a disc alone but depending on the wetness/hardness of the soil you might have to make lots of trips.

I spent months looking for a used chisel plow and transport disc and ended up buying new. I have an 8'6" Athen's disc that I can pull behind my pickup for road trips. But I think it would be a little much for your tractor.

I would Round-Up all you wanted to do a couple weeks before hand and go at it with the biggest disk your tractor could handle.

Or you could always get a bigger tractor so you could pull the big toys! You know you want to.....

Dave


View attachment 377924

I see you've got the gangs in the least aggressive position. That's the difference in a heavy duty disc like that one versus the lightweight ones. The lightweight ones have to be in the most aggressive position to do anything on unbroken soil except just roll along on top of the ground.

 

[Trey318]

My 135 pulls my 8 foot disc just fine in the sandy top layer of dirt we have around our food plot







Of course if it was me I'd use my big 21 foot disc

 

[Mace Canute]

I know that's true, but I wonder why more CUT owners don't have a chisel plow. In my opinion, it is a very handy implement to have. You can put spikes on it to break up hard ground, or put long sweeps on it to cut weeds and vegetation, or smaller sweeps to cut some of the vegetation and break up the ground too.

I see too many people trying to break up hard ground with a light weight tandem disc, and that's a fool's errand unless it's a very small tract and multiple passes are no big deal. I know we don't have unlimited budgets, but most of us seem to get the OTHER tools we need, by hook or by crook.

I just think the chisel plow is a very under-appreciated tool that most people have never used and, therefore, don't understand.

X 2 Pappy! You are 100% right. :thumbsup: