Cultivator or Tiller

[BryanM]

Here is the situation I own aprox 17 acres. but they are split up some of which is fenced pastures and some of it is hay fields. aprox 11 acres of hay field a 5 and a 6 acre plot. I am looking for some advice weather to buy a tiller 7 to 8foot or a cultivator like a 8 ft perfecta. I need some way to do tillage when but my tillage is done on rotation meaning tillage is done every 4 to 5 years. I do have a disc that I use but it doesn't leave a finish level field, so I would disc first and finish with another tool

I have a 55hp tractor 82 inch wide JD 2155, what would be the best solution?

 

[hslogger]

I wouldn't recommend Tilling your pastures. You want to work them up, not pulverize them. Working them up gives a good seed bed. /Tilling is fine for your garden, but it can break down the soil structure.

 

[MH8675309]

A chain harrow in the spring does wonders for our pastures. It knocks down manure and little rises and imperfections while scratching the surface and encouraging new growth. Do this before grass starts growing when things have dried out a bit. I bought mine for $300 at a sale and had to do a bit of repair but well worth the money. A new one the size of the one I got (8 x 12) would cost $1500 or more. Try to get one with a 3 point frame like mine so that it can be carried while attached

 

[cglaser104]

I would imagine you would want to bottom plow them from time to time to turn over the soil and then disc harrow them to break them up. If you require a better finish then you can always use a multi action disk harrow as well with serated and smooth disks on it. Not sure how practical a chain drag harrow is for the much land over time.

Tillers absolutely beat the **** out of the ground and they a can be tough on a tractor as well depending on what you hit and if your PTO is properly set up for protection. They're good for home gardens or trying to mix stuff into the soil. They're good at pulverizing the ground for re-grading when using small machines as well.

Best of luck in your hunt for the right setup for you.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Tilling is fine for your garden, but it can break down the soil structure.

Only if it's "over tilled", and if it happens, it's called operator error!!

SR

 

[MHarryE]

A lot depends on your soil type. In my area I would be using a moldboard plow, then discing, and finish off seeding with something like a Brillion seeder. Go 150 miles west in my state and that would be completely wrong. My area is old pine forest land cleared around 1900, type loamy clay meaning over 50% fine particles defined as clay, and over 40% in the next size up defined as loam. Less than 6% sand, the next type class. Forests make very little top soil, unlike the prairies south and west of us. On the other hand the land is very cheap which is why my grandfather bought the farm on which I was raised in 1930. When I retired I moved back to a small portion of that farm that I had purchased in the 1990s and decided to waste our savings farming instead of fishing like my dad had hoped. For the first 20 years of my career, I was an engineer for a major ag manufacturer and got to work with farmers from the Mississippi Delta to the rocks of Montana, and Washington’s Palouse country. Such a variety of soil types and tillage requirements. Then I made a major career change to engineer for a major construction equipment manufacturer but got to visit sites from the volcanic soil of Japan to the desert sands of Arabian Peninsula. Mind boggling to witness the different farming practices needed around the world. That’s why I say you need to determine the best for your area, possibly by sitting in a coffee shop and talking to locals.

 

[RalphVa]

I agree with hslogger. Look into getting a seeder for use in no-till situations if you want some help to get seed in. Otherwise, you can just broadcast overseed with a seed spreader. Bush hog every year or two to knock down the potentially bad stuff.

I've used no till for my veggie garden, too. Just plowed once, sold or gave away the plow, and no tilled after that.

Ralph

 

[DJ54]

I have 3 tools I use in the hay field, and pasture here. #1, a 3 pt. Bush Hog aerator, for compaction from the horses, and tractors making hay. Usually done in April when the ground is firm, but mellow, where it can penetrate down 4". Makes a world of difference.

#2, an Easy Seed broadcast spreader I do nearly all of my seeding with, using the "frost seeding" method. Done the last 2 weeks of Feb., or first 2 weeks of March, when the ground is going through the freeze/thaw cycles. You're basically mimicking Mother Nature, pulling seeds into the ground, when the dirt honeycombs, opening, and closing pulling the seed in under the surface. If you have any clovers in your mix, the freeze thaw cycles also helps break the hard seed shell on it. I've been doing this method for over 20 years, and have had great success every time. Just mow the field down tight in the late Fall, so it's easier for the seeds to make better ground contact. I just re-seeded my small pastures this Spring (pictured) and had a very good stand once again. The Ohio State University has some very good instructions on it, through their online Extension service. It just needs to be done, when there is little wind. As you well know, it gets pretty breezy in March here in the Buckeye State. 2 years ago, I re-seeded the hay field in Sept. with Tuuka Timothy, and did it right before an expected 1/2"+ of rainfall, to get it set in. Very pleased with the results.

#3 is my Toro slit seeder. I bought this before I retired, to seed when the weather was nearly perfect, except for being too windy to broadcast seed on my days off. It worked great, but much slower than broadcasting, due to the 4' width. Suggested speed to seed is 3-7 mph with this seeder. Check with your local dealerships, and see if they have one to rent. Franklin Tractor, in Columbus rents them. Last I looked, you could rent them for $175.00 per day. Sure beats buying something you'll only use every 4-5 years. You can also check with you local Soil & Water Conservation office that probably has a larger no-till drill you can rent. I'm thinking a buddy paid $15.00 per acre to rent one here, 2 years ago.

You're in a good region to use the frost seed method. You could always experiment with one field using this method, compared to another with little investment. Advantages are using less seed per acre re-seeding, into an existing stand, and no crop loss of the existing stand. Normally, completely tearing everything up will decrease yield quite a bit, especially first cutting. OSU also has seed rate tables for new seedbeds, vs. re-seeding. I will put it on a little heavier than it calls for, when re-seeding, but I have the advantage of smaller fields, where buying in bulk bags is normally more then enough for the suggested rate.

I do soil tests every 3 years to keep the PH, and proper nutrient levels up to snuff. And the County Extension Agent here gave me the amounts per acre of NPK, to apply after first cutting hay, to keep it at it's best. With the pastures, PH levels are my main concern, and just enough fertilizer to sustain a good healthy growth, but not lush, due to me having horses. I don't want a lush Spring pasture, with grass having a 21% protein level, due to founder issues. Learned my lesson 8 years ago on that one. Cattle however, is much different...

Your County Extension Office can be a big help. It's your tax dollars, might as well take advantage of the free service. They should have the soil sample bags at the office. Soil tests have ran $8.50 ea. in the past, and are done by the University of KY, since Ohio State dropped that service. You normally get the results back in 2-3 weeks, and your local Extension Agent will go over it with you.

 

[Texasmark]

I have both and the tiller is a pulverizer subject to clogging with any loose forage if it has any length to it.....but it is a one pass implement, although time consuming passes at the required slow speed. But you can adjust speed, rear gate height, and depth for your intended purpose. Higher the gate and faster the speed the coarser the finds.

The disc (harrow) is the way to go making X passes, as many as needed...X vs square (90*) passes reduce your riding discomfort on the initial cuts. Then follow with a chain linked spike toothed harrow. Best would be if you were able to attach the harrow to the rear of the disc harrow and do double duty every pass. Only limitation here is the ability of the tractor to lift (and make the necessary turns required) your disc implement with half the spike harrow up in the air also.....foot part of the foot-lbs thing gets really large.