Disc Harrow Appropriate disc size/type for 32HP tractor?

[srr5008]

I've been reading through various old posts on this forum, trying to figure out what disc harrow my tractor can handle. My experience is limited to larger tractors and transport disks for food plots. Now that I have a smaller property, I have downsized tractors to a 32HP Kubota L2900. The tractor weights 2,700 pounds +/- and in addition has a FEL and rear tires loaded with foam.

I originally planned to get another (much smaller) transport disc, but I can't seem to find much (looking used) in the 5-6' range. I'm thinking that a 3 point might be the way to go, since to get to my food plot I have to drive through a 3/8 mile long, 8' wide winding path. However, there seem to be a lot of mixed reviews on whether or not a 3 point disk works well. Am I wasting my time if I go this route? If not, do you think my tractor could handle a 6' double gang disk or would 5' be more appropriate?

Widening my path is also an option, if anyone thinks my tractor could handle a pull type disk that is 7' wide (narrowest I can find) - but I have my doubts about my tractor handling that.

Also, I am not considering rototillers - soil is much to rocky in my corner of PA.

Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Welcome from PA! I would say that a used disc is cheap enough to buy to try and see. I think the rule of thumb is 5 drawbar hp/ft of width. Don't buy a cheap county line disc, you want a heavier unit. Are you going to try and use this as primary tillage or secondary? I know in heavy soil around here, a smaller than average disc does better since they pull so hard in tilled ground.

 

[srr5008]

Secondary tillage. We've always disc'ed our plots really shallow to cut up the sod before we use the bottom plow, but the disc will be primarily used to break up the soil turned over the by the plow.

 

[jeff9366]

I've been trying to figure out what disc harrow my tractor can handle. I have a 32HP Kubota L2900. The tractor weights 2,700 pounds +/- and in addition has a FEL and rear tires loaded with foam.

I'm thinking that a 3 point might be the way to go, since to get to my food plot I have to drive through a 3/8 mile long, 8' wide winding path. However, there seem to be a lot of mixed reviews on whether or not a 3 point disk works well. Am I wasting my time if I go this route?

Also, I am not considering roto-tillers - soil is much to rocky in my corner of PA.

My previous Kubota was a B3300SU. Very close to specs of your L2900. You can pull a Three Point Hitch Tandem Disc Harrow with 18" diameter pans. You CANNOT pull a Three Point Hitch mounted Tandem Disc Harrow with 20" pans at a brisk pace, meaning HST/MED and full throttle.

The key factor in Disc Harrow effectiveness is total Disc Harrow weight bearing on each pan. A Disc Harrow with 18" diameter pans has 36 pounds to 40 pounds bearing on each pan. This is just enough to smooth land opened by a plow. A Disc Harrow with 20" pans has 45 pounds to 50 pounds bearing on each pan and cuts/penetrates/smooths better.

MORE: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/308251-disc-harrow-selection-18-45-a.html?highlight=

If a PTO powered roto-tiller is not an option, consider a Disc Plow, which is not any form of Disc Harrow, but a PLOW using pans to turn soil rather than moldboards. With a Disc Plow you do not keep one tractor wheel in a furrow, so in uneven food plots Disc Plows are less likely to upset the tractor. There should be lots of old Ford/Dearborn Disc Plows laying around, unused, in Pennsylvania.

As you have rocks a Disc Plow will not penetrate deep in one pass, so you should be able to pull a 2-pan Disc Plow fine with your L2900. 1950's vintage Ford and Ferguson 27-horsepower, 2-WD tractors, with filled rear tires and four gear transmissions, broke rocky ground with Disc Plows routinely.

MORE: Disc Plow | Turf Pride USA

TDP2 Series 2 & 3 Blade Disc Plows | Tufline

disc plow - YouTube

Dearborn Disc Plow site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

Tufline Disc Plow site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

 

[oldnslo]

For reference I pull a Ford 54" 3 point tandem with 20" pans with my 24 HP Branson in previously plowed ground with no problems. I also have R1 tires filled with fluid but rarely have the FEL on when doing tillage work. This old harrow also has the option of removing two bolts and allowing the rear gang to float independent of the front gang or tip the rear gang up so all the weight is on the front gang for really cutting sod. Estimate the weight of my Branson at around 2,200 lbs with fluid and FEL mtg frame.

 

[LD1]

Heavy box frame, 20" pan 3ph discs are very rare to ever come up on the used market. And are ~$1500-2000+ for a ~^-7' to buy new.

Which pretty much leaves the mass amount of 6'-7' (20 or 24 pan) angle frame light weight discs that come and go all the time. Typically 16" or 18" pans. Sometimes notched, sometimes smooth, sometimes a combo. And typically in the $300-$500 price range.

For doing a food plot over previously plowed ground, really any of the above would work. A 6' plow or a 7' plow like you typically see on craigslist, your tractor will handle fine. Will it do as nice of a job as a heavy box-frame disc with 20" or 22" pans like jeff shows in the picture above......nope. But make an extra pass. Dont over think it. ITs just a food plot.

 

[ovrszd]

And I wouldn't worry about buying a wheeled tandem disc a foot or two too wide. You can always carry it a bit until your tractor can handle it. In my soil your tractor would handle a 7 or 8 ft easy enough.

 

[flusher]

I'd hit your food plot first with a middle buster plow (potato plow) and then use a 4-5 ft wide 3-pt tandem disc (4 axles in an "X" configuration) with 18" pans. You need to run the disc at 5-6 mph ground speed to get it to work properly. Add weight to the disc if needed to get it to work better.

Good luck

 

[bspeedy]

For your tractor the disc in Jeff's posted picture would be great. 16 disc - tube frame. Lurk on craigslist and you will find one. Angle iron discs are a waste of money.

 

[jeff9366]

Angle iron discs are a waste of money.

I agree.

 

[nybirdman]

Depends on soil conditions but I would think a roto-tiller would work much better than a disc on that small of a tractor.Of course plow first.Big tractors with large heavy disc's are another animal all together.

 

[sd455dan]

Angle iron discs are a waste of money.

Maybe so- but they are great when they are free or virtually free...
For the Ops rocky soil a square tube framed disc would be better.

 

[LD1]

I guess it just depends on the use. I have never had the pleasure of working with a heavy box tube disc with large pans. But have used several lighter angle frame 16" and 18" pan discs over the years.

For primary tillage....yea they ain't designed for that. Working up plowed ground, or a plowed garden....they do as expected. Bust down the plow furrows and level things out. Don't know what more one can expect.

A few other uses we had found for the "worthless" angle iron frame discs over the years....
1. After reshaping an area or doing a lot of dirt work, it gets pretty hard packed. Use the disc as it breaks up the top few inches. Then throw down seed and culipack.

2. Rough and uneven areas of the yard. Disc it up, let the clods dry out a bit, culipack and roll. Most of the grass comes right back and is smoother than before.

3. After backfilling a trench from laying tile or whatever....it ends up real uneven when just shoving dirt back in with the FEL. One tractor running up and down straddling the furrow left from the backfill....breaking up clods and feathering everything out....another tractor with a blade angled to roll the dirt back overtop of where the trench was. This evens out the furrow left by backfilling, and when things settle, it's a much smoother finished result.

I would love to have a heavy tube type disc. But cannot justify the cost. And almost never see them come up used. Only saw one over the summer and it was 2-hours away. Had 24 20" pans...so about 7'. $1550 was the price.

My next disc is likely gonna be a transport type as they are lots cheaper. Seen some good looking ones for under a grand in the 10' range.

I potentially have the opportunity to try out (and buy if I can pull it) a JD 210 13' transport disc.just have to find the time to hook up with the farmer that has it, and see if the MX can handle that much disc

 

[ovrszd]

My next disc is likely gonna be a transport type as they are lots cheaper. Seen some good looking ones for under a grand in the 10' range.

I potentially have the opportunity to try out (and buy if I can pull it) a JD 210 13' transport disc.just have to find the time to hook up with the farmer that has it, and see if the MX can handle that much disc

Yep. Bought my medium duty 12ft tandem wheel disc for $140 from a scrap yard. Pulled it home. Didn't even have to air up the tires. Didn't have a cylinder on it. Needed one bearing replaced. Perfect for what I needed.

 

[LD1]

Yep. Bought my medium duty 12ft tandem wheel disc for $140 from a scrap yard. Pulled it home. Didn't even have to air up the tires. Didn't have a cylinder on it. Needed one bearing replaced. Perfect for what I needed.

Have you ever pulled it with that ford 3910? Bout the same HP, and ~500# heavier bare tractor and larger front tires. My MX would be heavier with the FEL on, (loaded rears also) but not ideal weight distribution with the loader on though. How many pans and what diameter? If your 3910 handles it.....it gives me some hope.

This is a JD 210 (not the actual one I am considering, but same model/size)

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I Could pull a 16' transport disc in freshly plowed ground on the level or downhill with the 5083E, going uphill or in soft spots, I would have to bump the hydraulics to lift the disc a little. I never did get that disc set upright though. The front axle would nose dive and dirt would plow up over it between the pans. Give it a shot fellas and see what you can pull.

 

[LD1]

5083 w 16.9x30 rears and 11.2x24 fronts.....7200#....pulls 16' ok

MX5100 w/14.9x26 rears and 9.5x16 fronts.....4500# w/loaded tires and no loader.....up to 6200# with loader.........will it pull 13'......(we need a chin-scratch emoji)

Redneckracin: Did you pull that 16' disc with the FEL on or off? Those of you that have pulled bigger transport discs, do you find they pull better with or without the FEL? The FEL adds alot of weight, and normally weight is good.....but being a transport disc.....you are taking alot of weight off the bigger back tires?

I did pull the 3-14 plow, at a good 7-8" depth and had no issues. That was loader on. Didnt try it with loader off. Dont think I could have pulled any bigger though. I think a 3-16, cutting a tad deeper and 6" wider overall....would have gave me fits. I couldnt pull as fast as I wanted to either. Would have liked 5MPH. But M range on the HST tops out at 7.3, and just didnt have the nads. So was stuck with low at 3.7MPH.

I will say, plowing and watching that dirt/sod turn....that was quite enjoyable for the 1.5 acres that I did. Almost didnt want to stop....

 

[RedNeckRacin]

LD, Well I had 4 suitcase weights on the front end (No loader), 2 cast wheel weights and beet juice in the tires so you gotta add about 2k lbs to that weight conservatively. Will the MX pull 13'? I'd just be guessing honestly, but you don't know until you try it!

:scratchchin: <-- you mean this one?

 

[LD1]

LD, Well I had 4 suitcase weights on the front end (No loader), 2 cast wheel weights and beet juice in the tires so you gotta add about 2k lbs to that weight conservatively. Will the MX pull 13'? I'd just be guessing honestly, but you don't know until you try it!

:scratchchin: <-- you mean this one?

Yea, that's the emoji I was looking for. Must have overlooked it.

The plan is to try it before commitment, and he seller/farmer is fine with that.

Knowing how the MX, and even the l3400 handled a lighter 7' disc with 16" pans makes me hopeful. As well as overszd's experience....if that was with the 3910.

But then your experience needing 10k pounds and some bigger tires....has me wondering.

Will get around to trying it soon enough, that's for sure. That will tell me all I need to. I don't know anything about a 210, if it has 16 or 18" pans I think I'll be fine. But 20 or 22's...I think I'll have a nice anchor.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Yea, that's the emoji I was looking for. Must have overlooked it.

The plan is to try it before commitment, and he seller/farmer is fine with that.

Knowing how the MX, and even the l3400 handled a lighter 7' disc with 16" pans makes me hopeful. As well as overszd's experience....if that was with the 3910.

But then your experience needing 10k pounds and some bigger tires....has me wondering.

Will get around to trying it soon enough, that's for sure. That will tell me all I need to. I don't know anything about a 210, if it has 16 or 18" pans I think I'll be fine. But 20 or 22's...I think I'll have a nice anchor.

Well if you can try it before you buy it that's the best case scenario! Don't let me throw you to much, I was in freshly plowed ground, and I think I had the front gangs set to dig in way to much. I think I could have fixed that by adjusting the tongue but it wasn't my disc to be monkeying with. WE have pretty heavy soil in Western PA so I think that plays a pretty large role as well.