Plows versus tillers?

[SmallChange]

This is just curiosity, but I've always wondered. It seems like farm fields always get worked with plows, but home gardens get worked with rototillers. What's the difference? Aren't both trying to achieve the same goal?

Thanks!

 

[Diggin It]

A plow breaks ground for use with other larger equipment that doesn't need fine soil. It's mostly for breaking up roots of weeds and allowing better moisture penetration. The surface will remain rough and can be difficult to walk on.

A tiller chews the soil up much more finely for gardens and lawns where the surface generally needs to be smoother and easier to work with hand tools.

In some cases the ground may need to be plowed before it can be tilled.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

If tillers were viable to make a very large one, more farm ground would be tilled. But they are small for a reason, takes a lot of hp. They are great for good soil cause your one and done.

 

[MossRoad]

This is just curiosity, but I've always wondered. It seems like farm fields always get worked with plows, but home gardens get worked with rototillers. What's the difference? Aren't both trying to achieve the same goal?

Thanks!

Take a look at a plow working the soil. Basically, all it does is turn the soil over one time. So the grass that was on top is now on the bottom, and what was under the grass is now on top. Very similar to what you do if you turn a garden over by hand with a shovel. Relatively fast. (The plow, not the shovel).

A tiller breaks everything up and thoroughly (in theory) mixes everything together, incorporating all the organic matter evenly throughout the mixture. It’s also good for spreading fertilizer and soil amendments on top, then mixing and incorporating everything together. Relatively slow.

For a typical home garden, a tiller will be much more useful. For a typical field, plow. (Note I said typical, because folks have different needs and not all are typical).

 

[npalen]

Some folks will tell you that a tiller destroys the soil structure, for what that's worth. I suppose a hand garden rake destroys soil structure by the same token.

 

[jeff9366]

If tillers were viable to make a very large one, more farm ground would be tilled.

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[oosik]

I prepared our garden in two ways. One half was broken with an 8 hp Troy bilt Horse. The second half was first broken with a single bottom moldboard plow and then hit with the Troy bilt tiller.

This entire garden area was virgin ground. Never had been broken previously. The second method make it all go a whole lot easier. Both ways took roughly the same amount of time.

I had to till the ground two times when I only used the tiller. AND it was a real "ride" using the Troy bilt Horse. First pass with the tiller was shallow. Second pass went to full depth.

The second year I used the rototiller only and it went well.

All things considered. If I had the Kubota and a large, heavy PTO driven tiller - that's probably all I would have needed. I initially had a Ford 1700 with about 20 PTO hp. Not enough to drive a heavy tiller.

 

[mikester]

I've seen a lot of large tillers in use in European fields. Maybe our friends from across the pond can give some insight.

 

[SmallChange]

Wow -- well, this is all fascinating! Thanks for a nice little education here!!

 

[oldballs]

Just a thought........If I would have a choice between the two i.e. a plow or a PTO driven tiller, I'd buy a tiller.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[2manyrocks]

Depends on the amount of acres to be worked, soil conditions, and equipment available. I find plowing to be much faster at breaking ground and a tiller much better at throughly mixing the dirt after the ground has been broken. Pretty hard to break a plow. Tillers are more complex and more easily broken, especially tines where you have larger rocks in the soil.

 

[jeff9366]

It seems like farm fields always get worked with plows, but home gardens get worked with rototillers.

Cognoscenti use an All Purpose Plow first, followed by an Unverferth Perfecta.

 

[diesel85]

When I used to be a farm hand, I'd go out with the moldboard plow to turn it under, then do another pass or two with a disc harrow to break it up...

 

[RalphVa]

This is just curiosity, but I've always wondered. It seems like farm fields always get worked with plows, but home gardens get worked with rototillers. What's the difference? Aren't both trying to achieve the same goal?

Thanks!

Plows more or less turn the soil over. Tillers churn it up. They make the soil almost a powder, probably destroying all micro-organism paths, etc. I used a rotary plow on a Gravely ONCE. Then did no till. Used a soil ripper on the JD 4010 ONCE, then did no till.

 

[RalphVa]

Just a thought........If I would have a choice between the two i.e. a plow or a PTO driven tiller, I'd buy a tiller.

Cheers,
Mike

I'd rent. Only use once.

 

[jeff9366]

In very rocky soil a disc plow is the implement of choice.

It cools over large rocks and large roots, rather than stopping the tractor on encounter.

A plow with a short learning curve.

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[spruce Deere]

Mold board plowing works better when 'breaking the ground' or when the soil has not been worked in a while. They cut tap roots and turn the dirt directly upside down putting top side debris under. Not so much mixing like a tiller. Mold board plowing is semi deep aggressive working of soil.

Plowing leaves ground rough then needing tilled or more implements too work the dirt to a planting worthy 'tilth'.

 

[denchen]

Two different uses really. The plough in the autumn [fall] leaves the soil standing high, and allows mother nature to help the farmer. The exposure kills off a lot of unwanted bugs and rubbish plants, and a good frost will `break down` the soil so making it more crumbly and easier to work in the spring. The tiller or rotovator gets rid of unwanted rubbish and makes the soil into good seed beds. But you bury lots of seeds, including weeds. Per horse power a plough takes much less effort per acre than a tiller. Disc ploughs and disc harrows are said to need less effort to pull than traditional ploughs, but are not so rugged and you need big discs to go deep.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I prepared our garden in two ways. One half was broken with an 8 hp Troy bilt Horse. The second half was first broken with a single bottom moldboard plow and then hit with the Troy bilt tiller.

This entire garden area was virgin ground. Never had been broken previously. The second method make it all go a whole lot easier. Both ways took roughly the same amount of time.

I had to till the ground two times when I only used the tiller. AND it was a real "ride" using the Troy bilt Horse. First pass with the tiller was shallow. Second pass went to full depth.

The second year I used the rototiller only and it went well.

All things considered. If I had the Kubota and a large, heavy PTO driven tiller - that's probably all I would have needed. I initially had a Ford 1700 with about 20 PTO hp. Not enough to drive a heavy tiller.

We run an 8' Long brand tiller behind a 1900 Ford we bought in 1980.

 

[MossRoad]

H

Two different uses really. The plough in the autumn [fall] leaves the soil standing high, and allows mother nature to help the farmer. The exposure kills off a lot of unwanted bugs and rubbish plants, and a good frost will `break down` the soil so making it more crumbly and easier to work in the spring. The tiller or rotovator gets rid of unwanted rubbish and makes the soil into good seed beds. But you bury lots of seeds, including weeds. Per horse power a plough takes much less effort per acre than a tiller. Disc ploughs and disc harrows are said to need less effort to pull than traditional ploughs, but are not so rugged and you need big discs to go deep.

Have to also remember that plowing in the fall leaves the soil bare to wind and rain erosion. When I was younger they used to do that south west of town. If it rained, the soil was washed into the creeks and drainage ditches. If it was dry, the soil was blown into town. Huge dust storms. If winter was light with little snowfall, it was worse until spring after the crops came up. We the advent of no-till/low till, there have been a lot fewer dust storms and the ditches require less dredging.