Darryle
Silver Member
I run mine where the right front wheel is over the previous pass, soil type and compaction will dictate. My reasoning was that the amount of time since the last time the soil was disturbed, over 30yrs ago.
Plowing with LS
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mred2
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Most people like to run a single subsoiler with the outside rear tire on top of the row beside it. It pushes the top soil back in place and the sod will fill it back in. The hard pan below it is still broken.
OP
Avenger
Veteran Member
There are many factors that will indicate when the next pass is required. Mostly on what you are trying to do. If you are tying to turn the filed to absolute dirt, then several passes with a subsoiler only will be required. Here is what I do for turning a field into dirt if the only thing I had was a subsoiler. I'm assuming that the subsoiler is a multi-shank subsoiler with shovel heads like a chisel plow. To me, a subsoiler is thin stout ripper that is used for breaking the hard pan without really turning the soil. Many different terms get flung around for tillage equipment.
After the first pass, I wait until I see the vegetation that is left on the surface start to die. There needs to be some moisture in the soil for faster decomposition, but every time you turn the soil, you will loose moisture. Without rain or irrigation, this is the limit of time between passes. Another limiting time between passes is the vegetation coming back, or new vegetation that start to popup.
Once the vegetation starts to die, give it another pass at an angle to the first, this mixes the soil and keeps things from getting too rough. Keep doing this until the field is dirt. Depending on soil moisture, thickness of vegetation, etc, will determine how many passes/how long it will take between passes, etc. For me, I try not to hit the field first with a subsoiler/cultivator/chisel plow or what is known as secondary tillage.
Primary tillage, like plowing, tends to create a rough surface finish to the field. But does an amazing job of turning the soil to put the vegetation in direct contact with moist soil for complete decomposition. With plowing, you literally take the top 5-7 inches of top soil and turn it 180 degrees upside-down. Secondary tillage can be preformed very shortly after plowing. Secondary tillage is tillage that is used to create a finer, smoother surface finish ready for seeding, creating a seed bed. In my opinion, implements like a chisel plow, cultivator, etc are secondary tillage. But that is not to say that they do not do a good job of turning /mixing the soil, just not as efficiently as primary tillage equipment. I typically use secondary implements to smooth out the roughness (and to mix the left over vegetation into the ground if any) of a primary tillage operation.
I said before, that we would typically plow the fields every few years, that is not to say that we didn't turn the soil over every year. Typically after harvest of our row crop fields, we would simply drag a disk a few times over the field before winter. In the spring, hit it with a cultivator to loosen the crust and prep for seeding and whatever else we had to do. By spring, the majority of the previous years crop is dirt.
So time frames. Really depends. Just gotta do it, look at it, and do it again when you feel the time is right. If you all you need to do is prep a seed bed, run it over once or twice, pull some sort of leveling device like a drag harrow or cultipacker (to make it more smooth) and seed directly into the new seed bed along side to the existing vegetation that will begin to come back. Depends.
I noticed that the question asked was rather simple, and I responded with a wikipedia page. Probably not the response you were expecting, but I hope this clarifies some of the confusion for anyone. Tilling is a rather simple... complex operation that most farmers simply take for granted. You till the field, what's there to figure out? Well, for someone who doesn't know, there is quite a bit. And it all depends.
After the first pass, I wait until I see the vegetation that is left on the surface start to die. There needs to be some moisture in the soil for faster decomposition, but every time you turn the soil, you will loose moisture. Without rain or irrigation, this is the limit of time between passes. Another limiting time between passes is the vegetation coming back, or new vegetation that start to popup.
Once the vegetation starts to die, give it another pass at an angle to the first, this mixes the soil and keeps things from getting too rough. Keep doing this until the field is dirt. Depending on soil moisture, thickness of vegetation, etc, will determine how many passes/how long it will take between passes, etc. For me, I try not to hit the field first with a subsoiler/cultivator/chisel plow or what is known as secondary tillage.
Primary tillage, like plowing, tends to create a rough surface finish to the field. But does an amazing job of turning the soil to put the vegetation in direct contact with moist soil for complete decomposition. With plowing, you literally take the top 5-7 inches of top soil and turn it 180 degrees upside-down. Secondary tillage can be preformed very shortly after plowing. Secondary tillage is tillage that is used to create a finer, smoother surface finish ready for seeding, creating a seed bed. In my opinion, implements like a chisel plow, cultivator, etc are secondary tillage. But that is not to say that they do not do a good job of turning /mixing the soil, just not as efficiently as primary tillage equipment. I typically use secondary implements to smooth out the roughness (and to mix the left over vegetation into the ground if any) of a primary tillage operation.
I said before, that we would typically plow the fields every few years, that is not to say that we didn't turn the soil over every year. Typically after harvest of our row crop fields, we would simply drag a disk a few times over the field before winter. In the spring, hit it with a cultivator to loosen the crust and prep for seeding and whatever else we had to do. By spring, the majority of the previous years crop is dirt.
So time frames. Really depends. Just gotta do it, look at it, and do it again when you feel the time is right. If you all you need to do is prep a seed bed, run it over once or twice, pull some sort of leveling device like a drag harrow or cultipacker (to make it more smooth) and seed directly into the new seed bed along side to the existing vegetation that will begin to come back. Depends.
I noticed that the question asked was rather simple, and I responded with a wikipedia page. Probably not the response you were expecting, but I hope this clarifies some of the confusion for anyone. Tilling is a rather simple... complex operation that most farmers simply take for granted. You till the field, what's there to figure out? Well, for someone who doesn't know, there is quite a bit. And it all depends.
OP
Avenger
Veteran Member
After reading the above responses (while I was writing a book... again) I realized that "next pass" has different meanings. 
:laughing:
:laughing:
3Lfarms
Platinum Member
My soil is hard clay. I find that I only have to run my single shank subsoiler in passes about 4’ apart. When you stand behind my tractor while subsoiling, you can see the ground surface lift up a little the entire width between the rear tires.
I make the second pass on a 45 degree angle to the first set of passes. My pasture went from wanting to pond up all winter, to never having any standing water at all.
My subsoiler is an old Ford, but the plow edge is 2.5 “ wide and about 10 inches long. I think it’s made out of an old truck leaf spring. It definitely makes my 68 hp tractor know it’s back there.
I make the second pass on a 45 degree angle to the first set of passes. My pasture went from wanting to pond up all winter, to never having any standing water at all.
My subsoiler is an old Ford, but the plow edge is 2.5 “ wide and about 10 inches long. I think it’s made out of an old truck leaf spring. It definitely makes my 68 hp tractor know it’s back there.
PCABE5
Platinum Member
OP
Avenger
Veteran Member
Thats super encouraging! Thank you!
super55
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Thats impressive especially since thats a rollover plow. Those things are heavy..
Only 10 acres and only grass wanted don't understand the hassles with plowing and subsoiling. The 45 hp tractor and 6 ft tiller will make quick work of it. Till a day or two after a rain and the ground isn't rock hard. Use any type of drag to level after. I've seen contractors use I beams. I've done several conversions such as this using an old pull type disc and a 12 foot oak switch tie pulled behind to level. If you have big areas to fill or need to adjust grade get a box blade. I've also used a box blade pulling a drag to make smooth. I've done several soccer fields for free as a service to the community and none needed redone.
Subsoil it and it will continue to settle uneven after it's planted.
Subsoil it and it will continue to settle uneven after it's planted.
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