8' pull-type disk behind L5460, possible?

[riverpro]

I'm in the market for a disc harrow. My land is flat and soil is easily worked up, sandy so to say. Tractor has r-4's loaded so tractor weight is right around 5500lbs plus loader. Looking to work up approx 5-10 acres per year, starting with 5 acres virgin ground this spring. I had my heart set on an 8' pull-type, 22" pans x 24 pans coming in right about 2000lbs. 8' seems to be the narrowest tractor pull-type disc without going to a utv type which wouldn't make any sense. For those that have some experience with an L6060 or L5460 do you think this is feasible? or just too big? Do I need to start looking at HD 3pt discs and most likely add weight to get decent depth? Purchased an L5460 hydro with a multitude of tasked to be done so I realize this is not a farming tractor but this is the only task on my long list where a bigger geared tractor obviously would've worked better. I'm not interested in purchasing any older discs as time for accessing and rebuilding is not something I have time for now. I also have a 6' tiller but cringe at moving at a snails pace. I know multiple passes will have to be done with a disc too. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated!!!!! Just hoping to have all my ducks in a row by the time spring rolls around so I need to shop soon.

 

[jeff9366]

What is the spacing between pans on prospective Disc Harrow?

Nebrfarmr
Veteran Advisor - Successful Farming
‎09-22-2011
Re: Disc spacing

We have both a 9" and 7 1/2" spaced disk, both are older IH disks, so they are built similarly.

9" disc spacing - goes deeper, pulls just a little easier for the depth you are going, doesn't plug. Usually with the wider spacing, you go with bigger blades. Chops through heavier residue easier.

Better for going deep, and burying some stalks.


7-1/2" disc spacing - smoother seedbeds, doesn't make as big of clods if the ground is a little wet, cuts stalks into smaller pieces, but will plug sooner in heavy trash. In wet conditions you better be sure the scrapers are in A-1 shape, at least on our soils. One pass with it on bean ground leaves the ground as smooth as 2 passes with the 9" spaced one. However, in heavy cornstalks, and deep ridges, it is hard to get it down deep enough to chop the stalks in the bottom of the ridge all the way through in tough conditions.




jeff9366
1/31/2019
Disc/Pan Spacing

My primary Disc Harrow objectives involve CUTTING; opening new game feed plots, maintaining vegetation free fire breaks and vegetation control along woodland trails. Harrow weight on 16 discs, rather than 20 discs, puts more cutting weight on each disc. Spacing between discs is 9". If you have rocky soil, 9" disc spacing will collect fewer rocks.

Tractor users with SMOOTHING (plow furrows) as their priority may consider the 20/18 or 20/20 configuration. Both have 7-1/2" spacing between discs.

Disc Harrows are available with two types of discs: notched and smooth. Notched discs cut pasture grass and crop stubble better; in open soil notched blades jerk out trash, meaning vines and tree roots, which sporadically stick in the notches. Smooth discs roll over some vegetation that notched discs cut through.

 

[jeff9366]

Three Point Hitch mounted Tandem Disc Harrows have a significant proportion of implement weight supported by the tractor. This improves tractor traction. However, there is less pan weight on the ground so pan penetration is less.

Drawbar attached articulating towed Disc Harrows have all pan weight on ground so they cut better, which may be an advantage or disadvantage. A towed Disc Harrow with same weight and pan spacing will exert significantly more draft resistance force to the tractor, while there is less weight on the tractor, meaning tractor is more likely to lose traction.

Drawbar attached articulating towed Disc Harrows follow the ground better than TPH Disc Harrows unitized with the tractor. Not an overly valuable characteristic harrowing flat ground.

A transport Disc Harrow with hydraulically adjustable wheel height will vary pan penetration.

I am dubious an open-station L5460 has enough weight to pull an 8' pull-type, 22" pans x 24 pans coming in right about 2000lbs more than one pass through a sandy field. However, all my experience has been with TPH mounted Tandem Disc Harrows.


Is there a reason you are reluctant to use a 3 X 12" = 36" wide or 3 X 14" = 52" wide moldboard plow for primary tillage?

Then a 1,200 pound Disc Harrow with 7-1/2" (+/-) pan spacing for secondary tillage"?

How deep is your top soil? You do not want to mix top soil with infertile subsoil.

How many total acres do you wish to process in yearly segments?

My L3560 and your L5460 are close in bare tractor weight. I have air in L3560 rear tires, not liquid.


PERHAPS INTERESTING: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/332493-tandem-lift-disc-harow-monroe.html?highlight=

I'm in the market for a disc harrow. My land is flat and soil is easily worked up, sandy so to say.

Consider an APP/Field Cultivator for 10"+ depth. You do not want to mix top soil with infertile subsoil.

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=

VIDEO: Fred Cain 7 Shank 3 Point Field Cultivator 85in bar

 

[RickB]

You should be fine with an 8' tandem disc behind your Kubota. That said a 6' tiller preparing a seedbed in a single pass at a slow speed will do a far better job than a medium duty disc attempting to perform both primary and secondary tillage in multiple passes. In the long run the tiller will probably take less time and maybe less fuel.

 

[SDT]

I'm in the market for a disc harrow. My land is flat and soil is easily worked up, sandy so to say. Tractor has r-4's loaded so tractor weight is right around 5500lbs plus loader. Looking to work up approx 5-10 acres per year, starting with 5 acres virgin ground this spring. I had my heart set on an 8' pull-type, 22" pans x 24 pans coming in right about 2000lbs. 8' seems to be the narrowest tractor pull-type disc without going to a utv type which wouldn't make any sense. For those that have some experience with an L6060 or L5460 do you think this is feasible? or just too big? Do I need to start looking at HD 3pt discs and most likely add weight to get decent depth? Purchased an L5460 hydro with a multitude of tasked to be done so I realize this is not a farming tractor but this is the only task on my long list where a bigger geared tractor obviously would've worked better. I'm not interested in purchasing any older discs as time for accessing and rebuilding is not something I have time for now. I also have a 6' tiller but cringe at moving at a snails pace. I know multiple passes will have to be done with a disc too. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated!!!!! Just hoping to have all my ducks in a row by the time spring rolls around so I need to shop soon.

You will be able to pull it but you will be working the HST tractor hard and it will not be moving very fast if the disc is angled aggressively and cutting deep.

I certainly would not try it with my L6060.

SDT

 

[RickB]

You people are funny. When I was a kid we pulled an 8’ IH 37 disc all over the farm with a 35 hp Cockshutt 30 that probably weighed less than the Grand L. You bought a tractor, put it to work.

 

[Tx Jim]

You people are funny. When I was a kid we pulled an 8’ IH 37 disc all over the farm with a 35 hp Cockshutt 30 that probably weighed less than the Grand L. You bought a tractor, put it to work.

IMHO there's a big difference in HP of older tractors & their new counterparts similar to comparing Clydesdale horses to regular horses. Yrs ago I square baled hay with my JD BO(14 HP)/JD214 baler utilizing the tractors trans driven pto. I've pulled a 2 bottom moldboard & 2 disk breaking plow with it also Do you have a newer 20 HP that will do the same thing?? I doubt newer low HP tractors will pull plows in the concrete type soil where I live.

R-4 rear tires aren't designed to pull a plow & I think in tilled soil(2nd or 3rd) pass with disk harrow that the L5460 will not have good traction if any traction at all.

 

[RickB]

Get real. We are discussing a 46 PTO hp 4wd tractor weighing over 5k as equipped. Just exactly how much tractor do you recommend to pull an 8’ tandem disc with 20 or 22” discs?

 

[ptsg]

IMHO there's a big difference in HP of older tractors & their new counterparts similar to comparing Clydesdale horses to regular horses. Yrs ago I square baled hay with my JD BO(14 HP)/JD214 baler utilizing the tractors trans driven pto. I've pulled a 2 bottom moldboard & 2 disk breaking plow with it also Do you have a newer 20 HP that will do the same thing?? I doubt newer low HP tractors will pull plows in the concrete type soil where I live.

R-4 rear tires aren't designed to pull a plow & I think in tilled soil(2nd or 3rd) pass with disk harrow that the L5460 will not have good traction if any traction at all.

Well, yes you can do it with an newer 20 HP tractor... That's how most people who farm for a living work over here. They use tractors from 20 to 50 HP as it's a good compact size still capable of doing some real work.

Of course, these tractors are setup either with R1 or R1 Radial tires and used hard in farming, in all kinds of tasks, brush mowing, disking, tilling, plowing, you name it.

In the US, most compact tractors are bought to mow the lawn or push snow around, hence the R4s, Hydrostatic transmissions, mid mounter mowers, etc. So you don't see many people using their tractors to do what tractors are designed for.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm in the market for a disc harrow. My land is flat and soil is easily worked up. Looking to work up approx 5-10 acres per year, starting with 5 acres virgin ground this spring. I had my heart set on an 8' pull-type, 22" pans x 24 pans coming in right about 2000lbs.

How much tractor do you recommend to pull an 8’ tandem disc with 22” discs?

OP is considering a drawbar-attached, pulled Disc Harrow weighing 2,000 pounds harrowing behind a 4,000 pound bare weight tractor.

5,000 to 6,000 pounds bare tractor weight with 4-WD would be good. Plus weight options OP's tractor has.

 

[ptsg]

Get real. We are discussing a 46 PTO hp 4wd tractor weighing over 5k as equipped. Just exactly how much tractor do you recommend to pull an 8’ tandem disc with 20 or 22” discs?

With a geared transmission? Sure, no problem. With an HST? It will be whining and heating to death...

A tiller would be a better option for an hydro transmission.

 

[RickB]

Limited acreage, limited hours of use. Not running 10 hour days, you've gotta consider all the variables. Landpride wants a minimum 45 drawbar HP for their smallest trailing disc, a 10 foot 35 series. The OP is looking at 20% less disc and very likely a lighter unit as well.

 

[LD1]

I have a mx5100 HST. So a similar tractor but I do have loaded r1's.

I pull a 3-14 plow followed by a 11-1/2' JD210 transport disc. It has 32 disc's on 9" spacing.

Traction is not the issue....however power with the HST "kinda" is.

I say "kinda" because I would like to go about 5MPH for good soil mixing. However with the HST in the MX.....Low range is ~3.5mph, Med range is ~7.

Taking an aggressive bite in M bogs the machine down to the ~3.5 MPH range to the point you might as well just leave it in Low.
In Low it hardly breaks a sweat.

The fancier hydro on the Grand L may solve that minor issue.

The 3-14 plow is also a perfect match.

 

[nybirdman]

I have worked my food plots with a L4240 HSTC both with a large disc ,2/14 bottom plow and roto-tiller.Disc is the hardest to pull and only used on broken ground.With the roto-tiller I only need one pass,disc take at least 3;so where is the time savings?On previous broken ground;I have a three point five shank cultivator that works very well and is fast.We do 20 acres per year.
My tractor has R1's that are loaded.Brush-hog standing plots in the spring and spring cultivate.New plots need to be plowed first.

 

[jjp8182]

Just for consideration I pull a 3pt 20 pan 18" disc (7.5" spacing) weighing approximately 1000lbs behind my L3560 (has rear wheel weights & loader) over a relatively flat (<4% grade) garden. The tractor is definitely working under load, but it will get the disc to suitable working speeds even with the disc dropped all the way ... assuming soil conditions are appropriate for working (i.e. friable not muddy or rock hard).

With the 50lbs per pan weight it does better as secondary tillage than primary, but it can still chop some virgin (and unplowed garden) ground if pitched correctly (have a clay/loam soil). I leave the garden "headlands" unworked so end up tearing up some turf on each pass through the garden, and don't plow winter cover crops in ...just disc and spike harrow them. The heavier per pan weight of a pull-type should help with that even though it's not the ideal set up for breaking new ground.

If working large areas at a time you may want to keep an eye on the hydraulic fluid & transmission temps and take a break to let things cool a bit when/if needed as I've noticed when doing other heavy work that performance can drop off when the rear housing has started to feel warm/hot....may not be an issue with the larger Grand L's, but something to consider.

Also, if you find a problem area the draft load can always be reduced by lifting the disc to reduce tillage depth, or changing the gang angle. So even if it's not ideal I'd suspect it'll work and perhaps leave a better mix of soil clumps/fines than a tiller would....and depending what you're planting it may also useful to work in broadcasted seed by using shallow tillage depths.

Just my :2cents: though..... (which may or may not be worth that much :confused3: )

 

[flusher]

I pull this 8 ft wheel disc with my Mahindra 5525. It's a 14-ft wide disc cut down to 8 ft.



Good luck

 

[ovrszd]

You people are funny. When I was a kid we pulled an 8 IH 37 disc all over the farm with a 35 hp Cockshutt 30 that probably weighed less than the Grand L. You bought a tractor, put it to work.

Pulled an 8' tandem disc with a Ford 8N thru plowed ground.

If I had a 55HP tractor that wouldn't pull an 8' disc I'd look hard at selling it....

 

[RickB]

Some of you guys read too much and operate tractors too little.

 

[devildog1]

That a good one Rick ! :laughing:

 

[ovrszd]

Some of you guys read too much and operate tractors too little.

You gotta think positive with completing the task as the goal.