Need Advice

[Brother Bob]

Been a member for a few years. I haven't spent much time on here as I've got a plate full most of the time. Here's the deal. I have 40 acres of land in Oklahoma and have decided to farm it. I just got through Master Gardening class through the Oklahoma State Extension Service. My problem is that I have a small Troy Bilt tiller that is not self propelled. My property has had large areas of trees cleared with a dozer. There's still a lot of large roots and stumps, along with large rocks, all just below the surface. We also have a fairly large garden. I was going to purchase a walk behind, self propelled Troy Bilt for around $1,999.00. Some friends suggested a 3 point tiller for my Yanmar 3110, 4 wheel drive. that's 31 horse at the PTO. I purchased the tractor used, but I digress. I'm thinking I need a disc farrow, or something like that to break up the soil before I till it. I sure don't want to tear up a high dollar tiller on rough terrain. The Misses and I have planted pecan trees, peach trees, and apple trees. Just had a soil analysis done and I need to lime the stew out of the area, plus 10-20-10, and 0-0-60. I know I've covered an awful lot here, but I need some direction as I'm retired and on a fixed income. I can't afford to waste or throw money away. Thanks for all your responses.

 

[dave1949]

It doesn't sound like it is ready for a tiller.

How big and numerous are the rocks? Potato size, dinner plate size?

 

[Gary Fowler]

Before you can use a tiller without risking damage, you will have to get rid of the large rocks. Anything larger than fist size has to be removed for sure and possible anything bigger than gravel size. I had pretty good luck removing rocks from a small garden sized plot using a box blade with scarifiers to bring up the rocks, then hand pick up. I don't know if you can rent a rock picker or even if your small tractor would pull one if you could find one, but that would be the ideal implement.

 

[Brother Bob]

There's some pretty good size chunks of sandstone out there, maybe 2 ft. or larger. The terrain is pretty sandy with occasional stones about the size of my fist or a bit bigger. Then there's the big sandstone rocks along with a wazoo of Blackjack Oak stumps and roots. Yeah, I know......I need a bigger tractor. I'm working on that. Would a disc harrow pull most of this up or would it damage that implement, too? I've got sandy loam that turns to hard red clay, then to sandstone, and then back to sandy loam. I plan on amending the soil with cow manure and compost. I need to get after the area of fruit trees that I planted last Spring as the soil analysis showed a PH of 5. I was told to till in Lime, 10-20-10, and 0-0-60. This needs to be done now. Did I say I'm new at tractors and farming? LOL! I've got a good box blade, a back rake, and a Woods bush hog. Should I get my dozer operator back out here two re-clear the area?

 

[tmc_31]

Brother Bob, how many acres are you trying to clear? Don't use a disk until you get the rocks and stumps out. If there are not to many acres to clear, you could chisel it a couple of times to pull up the rocks an roots (stumps if they are rotten and not too large). Then rent a skeleton rake to pick up the rocks. The skeleton rake (rock rake) is usually used on a skid loader but if you have a front end loader with a quik attach, you should be able to use it on your tractor.

Tim

Tim

 

[Brother Bob]

Brother Bob, how many acres are you trying to clear? Don't use a disk until you get the rocks and stumps out. If there are not to many acres to clear, you could chisel it a couple of times to pull up the rocks an roots (stumps if they are rotten and not too large). Then rent a skeleton rake to pick up the rocks. The skeleton rake (rock rake) is usually used on a skid loader but if you have a front end loader with a quik attach, you should be able to use it on your tractor.


It's about 3 acres, but I need to work the other 37+ acres, too. Just need to know what 3 point implements I need to work my land under the conditions I explained. I guess I can go dig out the rocks that I can see/find.

Tim

Tim

It's about 3 acres, but I need to work the other 37+ acres, too. Just need to know what 3 point implements I need to work my land under the conditions I explained. I guess I can go dig out the rocks that I can see/find.

 

[jeff9366]

A Disc Harrow and a Roto-tiller both churn the soil. A Disc Harrow is NOT the implement you want to pull up rocks.

Consider a Field Cultivator for bringing up rocks. The parabolic shaped tines are easily moved across the width of the implement. It will "trip" the springs when you encounter really large rocks but at least you will know where they are to dig them out.

As GARYFOWLER notes, a Box Blade with rippers is often used to pull up rocks. Your tractor does not have enough oomph to pull Box Blade rippers through rocky soil. Box Blade rippers are usually 1-1/2" wide and not parabolic shaped. That is why I suggest a Field Cultivator.

You could also consider a Disc Plow, which is better than a Turning (Moldboard) Plow where there are rocks and roots in the soil. A Disc Plow turns soil but rolls over large rocks and roots, at least in theory. Downside is Disc Plows leave the ground pretty rough and it would require a Disc Harrow to knock down the furrows after opening the ground with the Disc Plow.


LINKS:

Tractor Ripper, Field Cultivator, Tillage Tool

https://www.google.com/search?clien...+Plow+site:tractorbynet.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

http://www.monroetufline.com/products/discplows-series.htm

 

[Brother Bob]

A Disc Harrow and a Roto-tiller both churn the soil. A Disc Harrow is NOT the implement you want to pull up rocks.

Is your Yanmar 3110 two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive?

Consider a Field Cultivator for bringing up rocks. The parabolic shaped tines are easily moved across the width of the implement. It will "trip" the springs when you encounter really large rocks but at least you will know where they are to dig them out.

As GARYFOWLER notes, a Box Blade with rippers is often used to pull up rocks. Your tractor does not have enough oomph to pull Box Blade rippers through rocky soil. Box Blade rippers are usually 1-1/2" wide and not parabolic shaped. That is why I suggest a Field Cultivator.


LINK:

Tractor Ripper, Field Cultivator, Tillage Tool

My Yanmar is 4 wheel drive. Thanks for the info. I do have a new box blade and have considered dropping the rippers to the deepest level and getting after it.

 

[dave1949]

If you have a loader on your Yanmar, you could speed up the rock picking by using a rock screen. Buy or make one. Pretty expensive to buy one I think.

Pull a ripper or even a single blade sub-soiler through a patch to loosen it, scoop it up and dump on the screen. That would let you expand the "finished" garden at least over time. Three acres full of rocks is a lot of work. Thirty seven acres would be a lifetime of work if there are lots of rocks.

Maybe discuss your options with the dozer guy. He knows the conditions and what people typically do in your area.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/144413-my-rock-screen.html

 

[Brother Bob]

If you have a loader on your Yanmar, you could speed up the rock picking by using a rock screen. Buy or make one. Pretty expensive to buy one I think.

Pull a ripper or even a single blade sub-soiler through a patch to loosen it, scoop it up and dump on the screen. That would let you expand the "finished" garden at least over time. Three acres full of rocks is a lot of work. Thirty seven acres would be a lifetime of work if there are lots of rocks.

Maybe discuss your options with the dozer guy. He knows the conditions and what people typically do in your area.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/144413-my-rock-screen.html

Will do Dave. My dozer guy charges $85 an hour with a 4 hour minimum. Got tons of Rose Rocks here that, when extracted and sold, could help me defer some of the expenses.

 

[dave1949]

Will do Dave. My dozer guy charges $85 an hour with a 4 hour minimum. Got tons of Rose Rocks here that, when extracted and sold, could help me defer some of the expenses.

Had to look that up.

Timberlake Rose Rock Museum, Noble, Oklahoma
The Rose Rock

Within the Garber sandstone,
A barite crystal grew,
The Oklahoma sand
Gave it a reddish hue.

Seawater bathed it; and,
As a flower grows,
God formed its shape
Into a lovely rose.

Nancy Ann Stine
© 1977

$85/hour, 4 hour minimum for dozer work sounds fairly standard compared to here. It is amazing what a good operator can get done in a day with the right equipment.

To tackle 37 acres, I would try to have a dozer smooth it enough to pull a bush hog over it. You will probably have some rocks to pick, or windrows of rocks, but a dozer can flatten things out pretty well. If you keep it bush hogged, you can work on it one or two acres at a time as the budget allows.

Beyond that, you have to decide if making the whole 40 acres tillable is going to be worth it in the long run. That wouldn't pay around here if it's really rocky/stony, but I have no idea about your area.

Do you know if the rocky soil is just a layer, or does it stay rocky deep into the ground?

 

[Brother Bob]

Had to look that up.

Timberlake Rose Rock Museum, Noble, Oklahoma
The Rose Rock

Within the Garber sandstone,
A barite crystal grew,
The Oklahoma sand
Gave it a reddish hue.

Seawater bathed it; and,
As a flower grows,
God formed its shape
Into a lovely rose.

Nancy Ann Stine
© 1977

$85/hour, 4 hour minimum for dozer work sounds fairly standard compared to here. It is amazing what a good operator can get done in a day with the right equipment.

To tackle 37 acres, I would try to have a dozer smooth it enough to pull a bush hog over it. You will probably have some rocks to pick, or windrows of rocks, but a dozer can flatten things out pretty well. If you keep it bush hogged, you can work on it one or two acres at a time as the budget allows.

Beyond that, you have to decide if making the whole 40 acres tillable is going to be worth it in the long run. That wouldn't pay around here if it's really rocky/stony, but I have no idea about your area.

Do you know if the rocky soil is just a layer, or does it stay rocky deep into the ground?

Yeah, that Rose Rock museum is a ripoff! LOL! PM me, tell you where I can send you one and it will be in the mail in a week. Again, thanks for the info. It's gonna be a while before Brother Bob becomes Farmer Bob.

 

[dave1949]

Yeah, that Rose Rock museum is a ripoff! LOL! PM me, tell you where I can send you one and it will be in the mail in a week. Again, thanks for the info. It's gonna be a while before Brother Bob becomes Farmer Bob.

Thanks for the offer, but I don't know what I would do with it. I suspect it would end up in a box somewhere my kids would find after I'm gone. :laughing:

The only OK museum I have visited was the Frank Phillips (oil) home near Bartlesville. That was a nice place with Native Arts and a huge gun collection.

 

[Brother Bob]

Thanks for the offer, but I don't know what I would do with it. I suspect it would end up in a box somewhere my kids would find after I'm gone. :laughing:

The only OK museum I have visited was the Frank Phillips (oil) home near Bartlesville. That was a nice place with Native Arts and a huge gun collection.

Heck, everyone can use an extra pretty red, rose looking rock in their pile of junk, especially from Oklahoma! You can show it to your neighbors and become the envy of your neighborhood.........on second thought, better send a few extra, huh? LOL!