disc harrow size

[wendlingknives]

Looking for a disc harrow, but not sure what size tractor can handle for small food plots. HST, 4wd, 45hp, 4000lb tractor. Is there a rule of thumb for hp/size of harrow? Red iron clay soil

 

[jeff9366]

Cutting unbroken ground for food plots requires a Disc Harrow with pans at least 20" in diameter, which yields ~~ 50 pounds of pressure ~~ on each pan.

Twenty-two inch pan diameter better. If your rear tires are filled with fluid, you will be glad pulling twenty-two inch diameter pans.

Scalloped pans front and rear cut unbroken ground much better than smooth pans.

Nine inch spacing between pans penetrates somewhat better than seven inch spacing between pans.

Nine inch spacing between pans allows 5" to 7" surface rocks to pass between angled pans.

Seven inch spacing between pans penetrates less but leaves a somewhat smoother output behind the Disc Harrow.

Disc Harrow width should be no wider than your rear tires for food plots, preferably slightly narrower, for maneuverability moving forward and in reverse. You need to pass between trees with both the tractor and implement, with tractor potentially turning a bit. Hanging up a Disc Harrow between trees on a slope can be miserable.




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[EddieWalker]

I have a 37 hp tractor and a 5 foot disk. I got the disk really cheap off of Craigslist, but wish I had bought a bigger one. It's a light weight, angle iron disk without an name on it to know who built it. I can get all the parts for it online, so that doesn't really matter who built it. Heavier would be better, but I have a milk crate on it full of rocks to add weight and that works good.

You can easily handle a 6 foot disk. Just remember that if the ground is really hard and it's never been disked before, it takes quite a few passes to break through the crust. Especially if it's already hot outside. Then after so many passes, it starts to work great and then you can really turn the ground into powder.

 

[Birdhunter1]

For your tractor I would say it could handle anything between 6-7' and some disks between 8-10'. All depends on how deep and heavy it will cut. My dad has a 7' with 6 1/2" spacing that does a great job in plowed or chiseled ground and does a really good job on late summer / fall tillage in the garden if the trash residue level isn't really large or if it is not sod.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Is there a rule of thumb for hp/size of harrow? Red iron clay soil

Yes there is: it is 6 horsepower per foot of disc.

So for your 40 HP tractor, you should be matched to a 7 foot disc harrow. (40/6=6.7)

The only caveat for this is that this is for a wheeled tractor. For instance, I had a 50 hp bulldozer, so with its added tractive effort, I could go with a wider disc, if I was to use the bulldozer for that work.

 

[LD1]

Are you wanting a cheap no-name 3ph disc to use as a secondary tool behind a plow? OR are you wanting something HEAVY with BIG pans and do it in one pass.

I can pull a 12' transport disc, with 32 pans 18" diameter 9" spacing with a MX5100. Which is 51hp, 3800# bare tractor. (I do have 700# fluid and 600# wheel weights too).

One of the old 7' MF tube frame discs with 16" pans on 7" spacing like this



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