Disc Harrow Disc Harrow - Too MUCH hp?

[HAPPYNC]

Is it possible to have too much hp for pulling a disc harrow? I have a Mahindra 6530 4wd with Ag tires. It's 65hp and I'd guess about 8500lbs with the loader.

I've been looking for a good used disc for some recently cleared land and found a Howse model# HTR22022B.

The specs recommend it for tractors from 30-40hp. It's 22 notched 20" discs and weighs 887lbs. I realize this is a top of the ground vs in the ground implement so I don't see a lot to bend or break but thought I'd ask before I bought something.



Thanks!

 

[sixdogs]

Years back I pulled an undersized disc with a bigger tractor and it didn't perform as expected because I went faster than I should and didn't get sufficient ground penetration because of that. It pulled too easy.

When I went slower it worked just fine but the temptation to go faster--because you could-- lessened performance when I did.

 

[boggen]

google only brought back....
FarmEquipmentFinder.com
HTR22022B - 887 lbs.: 7 1/2' Harrow, 22-20" blades, ball bearings.

TractorData.com Mahindra 6530 tractor information

not knowing much. if disc was rated for "cat 1 3pt hitch specs" and running with a "cat 2 3pt hitch specs" on your tractor. i would then assume if you snagged a root / rock. you might end up bending / destroying the cat 1 3pt hitch equipment.

cat 2 has higher pulling force specs, and in that stronger / larger size metal frame work normally.

with above said you can run cat 1 stuff behind cat 2 tractor. just take some extra care about hooking into a root / rock or like. (make sure you pick disc up when you go into a sharper turn)

you may end up wanting to add some concrete blocks or like as weight to the disc. to help gain enough weight to get the disc to sink down into the ground.
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other resources for you...
www.tractorhouse.com
Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer

 

[cat fever]

Is it possible to have too much hp for pulling a disc harrow? I have a Mahindra 6530 4wd with Ag tires. It's 65hp and I'd guess about 8500lbs with the loader.

I've been looking for a good used disc for some recently cleared land and found a Howse model# HTR22022B.

The specs recommend it for tractors from 30-40hp. It's 22 notched 20" discs and weighs 887lbs. I realize this is a top of the ground vs in the ground implement so I don't see a lot to bend or break but thought I'd ask before I bought something.



Thanks!

I have a 66 Hp tractor and pull a disc similar to what you are looking at. (mine is land pride) Like the other posters have said it will work fine. I too could go much faster but I just cruise at a nice speed and let the disc work.

 

[HAPPYNC]

A little more information.....I had about 10 acres clear cut and stumped. Trees were hardwoods from about 10-30". The guy that cleared it used a Dozer with a single ripper behind and then went back with a root rake blade. So the land is in pretty good shape but lots of smaller roots in the 1-2" range and maybe 3" max.

We've had a bunch of heavy rain followed by blistering heat kinda weeks. So the land is crusting back over and starting to get a lot of plants shooting back up. I want to disk it up, rake the rocks and roots, and then get some amendments and some kind of ground cover back on it.

Ideally, I'd like a drawbar type but most of those are out of my price range even used. So the ones I'm looking at are the Howse for $850...

and this 20 disc King Plows Company disc.

It can fold up like a bog harrow and actually looks a little more beefy but I think it's only a 6 foot and the guy wants $1000. Other than that, I can't find any specs on it.

 

[sixdogs]

We did 8 acres years ago and after reflection believe the best idea is to spray it with Roundup and/or 2,4-D to kill off the weeds and shoots. Then go back later and disc it when things are more mellow. Disking now will be difficult and lots of weeds will escape. Just my two cents.

 

[oosik]

Years ago I bought a Land Pride DH1048 - 241# - and used it with my 28hp Ford. I still use it with the Kubota now. When my land dries out I think I would have to use dynamite to open it up. I have a 400# cast concrete block that I set on it. This helps, but if I were to ever get serious I would get something around 8' wide and weighing around 1200#. When I do till the land - first with the bottom plow, followed with the disk.

 

[HAPPYNC]

@sixdogs Lol, that would require me to build a sprayer :laughing:....which is on the list but I figured I better get this right now while I had the money and found something that should work.

I talked to the guy with the smaller but beefier King harrow and he wouldn't budge off $1000. The guy with the Howse wanted $850 but I talked him down to $800 so I'm going to go look at it tomorrow if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise.

 

[HAPPYNC]

@oosik What size Kubota do you have now? The Howse is almost 900 lbs. I had thought about putting a tray on top and getting 4-6 80 lb bags of Quickrete and forming a couple blocks to put on top and fit them with some rebar loops to lift them with. Four bags would put me over 1200 lbs.

 

[HCJtractor]

I pulled a similar Leinbach with my 68 horse Kubota. It worked fair. I added about 400 lbs of I beams bolted to the top, and that helped. But it still took many passes, and going back and forth. Perhaps using a scarfier first to rip it would help. Don't see where your size matters.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[Will_C]

Just realize that you may have the potential to damage a smaller implement, and use it accordingly.

Will

 

[jeff9366]

The Howse is almost 900 lbs. I had thought about putting a tray on top and getting 4-6 80 lb bags of Quickrete and forming a couple blocks to put on top and fit them with some rebar loops to lift them with. Four bags would put me over 1200 lbs.

Howse is a fair Disc Harrow. I owned a Howse 16/18". However, a Howse is not really that strong, it is a hobby-farm disc. I think you have a good probability of bending pans in collision with subsurface rocks or breaking the frame should you weight it AND pull it behind your heavy tractor. Strapping 350 pounds of concrete on a 900 pound Disc Harrow is ludicrous. Note that Howse gang angle adjustment pins penetrate through the main frame, weakening it.

Is it possible to have too much hp for pulling a disc harrow? I have a Mahindra 6530 4wd with Ag tires.

I've been looking for a good used disc for some recently cleared land and found a Howse model# HTR22022B.

It's 22 notched 20" discs and weighs 887lbs. I realize this is a top of the ground vs in the ground implement so I don't see a lot to bend or break.

With 22 pans, spaced at 7", this Disc Harrow will have a lot of float. My guess would be that max penetration of the soil will be about 6" with the gangs set aggressively, after 3 to 5 passes. It requires a MINIMUM of forty pounds total Disc Harrow weight bearing on each pan to accomplish much. Fifty pounds plus bearing on each pan is much better.

Is about 6" soil penetration enough for your needs?

How much patience and restraint is in your character?

 

[HAPPYNC]

@HCJtractor I'll put it most aggressive first but I figured I'll have to add weight. Of course, instead of using blocks of Quick-rete, I could use an assortment of BIG rocks I relocated to the edge of the property.

 

[HAPPYNC]

@Will_C I hear that! But sometimes you have to break something to find out where that "accordingly" was suppose to be! :laughing:

 

[HAPPYNC]

@jeff9366 I wasn't really clear. The disc weighs almost 900 lbs. I was talking about adding four 80 lb bags worth of concrete blocks. That would give me a 900 lb disc plus 320 lbs of concrete. = 1220 lbs.

As for weight, with 20" disc at say 18 lbs each that would equal about 400 lbs so I have about another 450 lbs of frame, etc. So if I understand correctly, 22 disc X 40 lbs = 880 lbs so I would need an additional 430 lbs of weight? 22 x 50 would be 1100 lbs minus 450 for the frame and I'd need another 650? Sounds like an awful lot!

Is that right or did I completely misunderstand what you're saying?

 

[HAPPYNC]

@jeff9366 Also, I'm not 100% certain but I think it has 9" spacing. You mentioning the adjustment pins through the main frame does give me second thoughts though. I looked back at the King Plow harrow picture that I posted and saw that it DIDN'T pin through the frame. But, again, it's a foot and a half narrower, $200 more, and the disc are much more worn.

As for soil penetration, 6-7" is probably enough. If I have to make several passes then it is what it is. Once I get this done I doubt I'll have much need to work it that hard again.

As for patience and restraint..............:dance1::confused3:

 

[jeff9366]

@jeff9366 Also, I'm not 100% certain but I think it has 9" spacing.

No, it has 7" or 7-1/2" spacing between pans; trust me.

I would be patient and look in the newspaper, farm auction announcements, on Craig's list and eBay for a used
Category 2 Disc Harrow. Get "enough" Disc Harrow in the beginning.

If an implement is not 'right' you will find you do not use it; it will just sit.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with Jeff, keep looking for a more appropriate sized cat 2 disc for your tractor.

 

[bindian]

Ideally, I'd like a drawbar type but most of those are out of my price range even used.

HAPPYNC,
No matter how much extra weight was on a 3PH disc I used in the past, it was never enough. That is why I bought this 9 foot Amco Offset disc at a Richie Brothers auction for $2500. It weighs around 3300 pounds and I absolutely love how my Mahindra 6520 pulls it. I replaced lots of bolts to a bigger size and painted it RED. Just pulling it out of the barn after painting.
As you can see, I bought it green with just two wheels on it.
hugs, Brandi

 

[HAPPYNC]

bindian That's a very nice looking disc. I just can't afford to spend that kind of money on something I'll rarely use after this project so I'm stuck trying to find something to make work.

My brother-in-law has a 10' pull behind but with the amount of money I think I'd have to put in it to get it transportable then I'd rather just buy my own even if it's much smaller. He estimates it is in the 6000 lb range. He pulled it with a Ford 9000 (110hp/12k lbs) and said it's all the tractor wanted. I've got partially hilly land so I'm not even sure I could pull it even with the tires partially down. Plus I'd have to pull it 5 miles just to get it to my land.