Need more down pressure on my 3PL for a Ripper

[Alien]

I bought a Ripper/pipelayer and find I need more down pressure on my 3point linkage. Tractor is a CK30 HST. Any ideas?

 

[Dave Canfield]

Add a few weights. Whatever is handy and easily mounted so it doesn't fall off. Check the top link adjustment to be sure that the ripper tooth is trying to cut down as it is pulled through the soil.
Tractor Time With Tim has a few YouTube videos on the subject I think.

Dave

 

[4570Man]

You might try a more aggressive angle on the ripper by adjusting the toplink. If that fails add more weight to the ripper.

 

[jeff9366]

The inboard end of your TPH Top Link pins through operator choice of three or four paired, vertically stacked holes on the tractor.

I speculate Top Link is pinned into the highest or next-to-highest paired holes.

Try installing the inboard Top Link pin through a lower pair of holes.

Then adjust Top Link for best angle-of-attack by ripper tip. Top Link will be fairly short.




CREDIT: "pmbutter" March 18, 2019

"There is a lot of contradictory information about which paired holes to use for the tractor/inboard end of the top link.

The top holes give the least elevation change of the tail wheel, but better maintains parallelism with the ground.

An earth turning plow ought to be in one of the upper holes, so it remains at a proper working angle, regardless of its depth.

The bottom holes provides the greatest elevation change of the "tail wheel" of my "implement", but it also the greatest angular change relative to the plane of the ground.

The bottom holes are best for something like a landscape rake where you might want to lift it up and out of the way, perhaps with a little more angle so trash drops off the tines."





I own a moldboard plow, a subsoiler and a field cultivator/All purpose plow. All three enter the ground via "plow suck" where the forward motion of the tractor acting on the slightly down oriented point forces the implement into MOIST ground.

I am skeptical about adding weight but I have not had every ground contact experience in the world.

Are you working MOIST ground?

 

[Alien]

I thought weight might be the answer but I'll need to work out how I'm going to do that. The cutting angle is quite aggressive so there isn't much more I can do with that. If I go over the cut a couple of times it works OK. I managed to rip some roots around a dead tree OK and pushed it over. Thanks for the replies.

 

[old and tired]

Quick check to see if more weight is the answer is to get someone to stand one it. I've done that to get a potato plow to dig in deeper... Tighten up (shorten) your top link will make it dig deeper.

 

[kantuckid]

Proper angle makes sense to me... Too much angle and it will go too deep. Place concrete blocks on it?

 

[Alien]

Not really anywhere to add weight to it unless I fabricate something.
It won't go too deep as it is made for a maximum of 350 mm depth. (about 14")
I have managed to get out some tree stumps that were bugging me by going over the 'scratch' a couple of times and ripping the roots up. Hardest part is the strain on my neck screwing around and watching what I am doing. That is not pleasant at all. Never figured on that!
I had one dead tree I had tried nudging on several occasions and it would not budge. I ripped around it and walaah, it pushed over nicely.
When I use the pipe layer attachment I will just have to rip the trench once or twice first before I lay the pipe. It seems that that should work OK.

EDIT @ jeff9366
No Jeff, my ground is very rarely damp. We get little rain (except for today) and it does not penetrate unless we get a couple of weeks of persistent rain. It is a bit rocky in places but the ripper deals with it OK. I do wish I had nice deep soil like some of you.

I will try and add a photo of the set-up next time I get to use it.

 

[Alien]

2 x photos.
fully up and sitting down.

 

[K5lwq]

When using my subsoiler I have found going slow as I can allows it to sink down deeper then I can speed up a little. If it starts to rise I have to slow up again. However, I am not using it to rip up roots so not sure how far ahead you are starting.