BCS and Berta Plow

[wstr75]

Rey, thanks for your comments. My 853 with 12 hp diesel will be arriving tomorrow with 6.5 x 23 tires and a double rotary plow. My ground is rocky, too and from your comments, it sounds like my big tires may be a bit fast. We'll see. I'm 200 pounds but as a 55 year old am not a strong as I once was, so it will be interesting to see if the diesel's extra weight up front will make a difference. I am dripping with excitement like a lactating cow that hasn't been milked in two days awaiting tomorrow's delivery.
Bill in NC

 

[rey]

My pleasure. Let me know how it works for you; us rock farmers need to network. Be sure to remove the stationary blades (as noted in the manual) for use in rocky soil.

 

[milkman]

I've seen the video of these working, but would love to watch one in person, did any of you get to see one live before you purchased. I know that Joel at Earth Tools uses the machines that he sells, but don't know if he would demo one if I took the time to drive the couple of hours to see one. I know if I visit there, I'll see a lot of stuff that I'll really want to bring home.

 

[wstr75]

Milkman, I bought it on faith (and the video). Joel's men told me the big tires were not a problem on the 853 as they had shipped quite a few with the 6.5 tires and that they had also sold several diesel 853s with the double Berta plow. Joel's shop guys answered the phone one afternoon and gave me excellent answers which led to my buying the double Berta and big tires. The clincher was they told me it was the last double Berta in stock.

Lombardini, BCS, Palladino, Berta . . . . may need to get one of those learn Italian CDs or a least look authenic Italian while plowing by wearing some of those rubber boots like in those Berta plowing videos.

 

[farm23]

I have the 853 with the diesel engine and single discharge plow. The best thing I grow is rocks. My plow has extra weight on it's top and it performs well with this arrangement. I am 71, 5-10" & 145# so you can see I am not the strongest but still I do not have too much trouble with the plow and rocks. I am sure the double plow is very good, I just didn't want to spend the extra money.

Joel demos the tractors at various shows and has a link on his web site where he is going. I also think if you let Joel know you are coming and what you want to see working he will arrange a demo.

 

[milkman]

Thanks, I didn't know that he had a listing of his shows, I'll take a look.

 

[wstr75]

Rey, you are correct about needing front weight when using the double Berta rotary plow. I got my 853 with Lombardini diesel with double Berta plow today. Tonight I bolted a 35 pound Weider barbell-type weight to the motor guard and now it feels about right.
Bill in NC

 

[wstr75]

Berta Swivel Rotary Plow (flip over double) in wet and rocky red clay. It rained approx. 1" the night before and would have been too wet for a tiller. The Berta's stone guards were left on as per Earth Tool's recommendation. Large stones are thrown with the tillage. Twice the tractor cut-off with a wedged stone but the stone fell out on its own before restart. The third time a relatively small, flat stone shaped just right wedged tight and had to be removed.

The Berta makes beautiful tillage in this wet, red North Carolina clay and is easier to operate while plowing along than a tiller as it does not require down pressure and there is less bucking and jumping when hitting stones. Notice I said while plowing as this swivel Berta version is more work at the end of the row flipping over the swivel plow. A single direction Berta would be less work for the operator other than more walking. I bought the double direction Berta because of hillside plowing. I ran it at half throttle in first gear while picking and flinging stones aside. It will plow at full throttle in second gear (BCS 853) but the wheels slip because the tractor is trying to move forward faster than the plow can eat up soil. In a looser soil like loam or sand, it would probably move along just fine in second gear at full throttle.

Beautiful tillage and a lot less trouble in rocky soil than a tiller. I can see why the Berta is less dangerous (tiller jump) and less work in previously un-tilled land like a long-time pasture or lawn. The Berta plow is a keeper!
Bill in NC

 

[mn_voyageur]

I am purchasing a 853 with the single discharge Berta.

What pattern do you use? Is it best to work in an ever growing rectangle? (Turning clockwise.) This would throw the soil into the center of the garden. Is tossing everything to the center going to cause problems?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[js5020]

I alternate plowing direction everytime I plow. I personally dont like the hump in the middle or the ditch so I only alternate from side to side,, in the fall I started on the right and plowed to the left,, this spring I started on the left and plowed to the right, keeps the plow furrow on one side or the other, but doing it this way is not the most efficient way of doing things as you plow out one side and then return "empty" so to speak, I am only plowing a small garden so time isnt a problem. If I was plowing a bigger area I would start in the middle and plow both ways out to the sides on one occasion and the next time I plowed I would start from the outsides and plow in to the middle, so you dont get a big hump in the middle or a ditch from years of plowing the same way.

 

[mn_voyageur]

Since this is a new garden, I suppose it really won't matter which way I go.

I would guess that moving counterclockwise around the perimeter and working toward the center would be the most productive for a larger garden. The only problem would be when I basically hit the center strip.

 

[clarksvilleal]

Since this is a new garden, I suppose it really won't matter which way I go.

I would guess that moving counterclockwise around the perimeter and working toward the center would be the most productive for a larger garden. The only problem would be when I basically hit the center strip.

In a larger plot for the first plowing I usually start in the middle and work my way out both sides. Then I plow up raised beds when I am doing the final preparation for planting most of my vegetable crops, with the exception of corn, and small fruits, such as strawberries and raspberries. That means working each row or bed from both sides toward the middle. Finally I level the beds off -- by hand using a 3' wide landscape rake for narrow beds (less than 3' wide), or using the 30" rototiller if they are wider beds.

Al

 

[farmerboybill]

Hey,

I agree with Al, start in the middle and work your way out the first year. This leaves one deadfurrow on each side of the garden instead two side-by-side in the center. This is how big fields are plowed with regular moldboard plows. The next time you plow, the deadfurrow will still be on each side of the garden and you can drop your wheel in and plow out. The double deadfurrow will not be so bad since the dirt you had thrown in the previous year will still be there.

Even better, buy a double rotary plow and have a single deadfurrow on one side of the garden every year.

 

[mn_voyageur]

I appreciate the information.

My 853 arrived two weeks ago. I jumped into plowing the new garden and before I was finished playing, I had 100 x 50 plowed and planted.

Bill - I would love to buy the double plow, but I don't know if that needs to be at the top of the list. I have a 300' ditch along the state road that I would like to cut (both sides). It is too steep to cut with a tractor/riding mover. I am thinking about the 38" finishing mower. How well does yours work? Would you/do you use it around the house? (Also, how do you like you chipper?)

Getting back to the plow, any suggestions about how to handle the clumps of grass? The plow did a good job of breaking everything up, but I raked out the clumps of grass. I was afraid that they would take over, if I left them. I am curious because my wife is asking for more garden space this fall. So, I will have to extend the garden over the summer.

I have forgotten what she was going to plant, I was too busy eating the strawberry jam that she was putting up. (Strawberry season is here!)

 

[farmerboybill]

Hey,

To be honest, I haven't mowed with it on the 850 yet this year. The lawn is JUST getting to the point of mowing here. Last year, it was aggravating on my old 715, but most of the problem I had was due to the too-slow speed, the lack of turning brakes, and the lack of instant reverse on the 715. These problems should be remedied with the 850.

Otherwise, my two biggest gripes were the solid mounting of the mower to the tractor and the fact that the mower stops every time you disengage the clutch to reverse, change gears, etc due to lack of live PTO. The sickle and rough-cut mowers have 15 degrees of tilt for going over uneven ground, but the finish mower does not. Due to that fact, it made me nervous about the stress at the mounting point between the tractor and the mower.

Funny you asked me about the mower tonight, I just had a long conversation with Joel about it on the phone today. He said I shouldn't be concerned about the lack of tilt. He mows an acre and a half all summer on an 850 and has never broken it over uneven ground. He did say that the price on them is gonna shoot way up to nearly 2 grand when his current supply is exhausted as BCS just took a significant jump due to a redesign of the gearbox.

Bill in WI