plowing

[mediocrates67]

i bought a disc for my 3-pt thinking it would work ok for small food plots in breaking up the sod. doesn't work the greatest. i will probably need a plow. do i need a chisel plow or a 2-bottom plow? i have a 45 hp diesel century tractor.

 

[kf4uda]

For food plots, I would consider a field cultivator. You should be able to pull a 7~9 shank with your 45hp tractor. There are a few advertisers on here that has them. Here is one example.

Fred Cain Tractor 3 Point Field Cultivator, Ripper, Tillage Tool, Jitterbug, Field plow, Bermuda grass plow

 

[Johndeere3720]

I have a few customers that use their Jake Rake's to prep their ground for food plots/gardens/reseeding. The solid ripper shanks work great for digging up the hard packed earth, plus the rear rake does a great job at breaking down the dirt clods produced from the ripper shanks. Check out my website in my signature to see what the Jake Rake is all about. :thumbsup:

 

[timberwolves]

Did you try spraying a round-up type product on the plot before discing ? I now have a bigger set of transport disc that can cut sod good, but before that I used a little set of three point discs. We would spray the area with 41% gly. atleast 10 days prior to discing it up. The more time you leave it the roots die and it becomes easier to disc. John

 

[HCJtractor]

I agree Roundup helps alot. My 3 point disc also is pretty sorry. Even after adding several hundred pounds, it still works poorly and takes muliple passes, and forget it if it is dry. The disc is Leinbachs biggest, so its not a cheap disc. It definitely helps to use a moldboard plow first. I use a 3 bottom Ford 101 with my 70 horse. It really speeds things up as it really tears up the sod leaving it soft for the disc to follow. But it can leave the field uneven, so after discing, you may need to use some sort of drag harrow (I made one) to smooth things out.

I recently restored a heavy Athens 166 disc, not a 3 point. Now it is a beast, and no plowing is necessary. But it is all my tractor can handle.

Get a nice plow, a two bottom, but make sure it has trip protection. It will take the frustration out of disking.

 

[ljohnson778]

Yep, sometimes we ask too much of disc harrows... But to be clear, chisel plows are not what you want for sod... A good turning/moldboard plow, then discs are what you would want.

 

[heviduty]

Do you have a box blade? Lower the scarifiers, retract the top link so the box blade tilts forward, and have at it. After a few passes at right angles, your disc should work just fine. You may find you don't need the disc after smoothing the plot with the box blade.

 

[HCJtractor]

Do you have a box blade? Lower the scarifiers, retract the top link so the box blade tilts forward, and have at it. After a few passes at right angles, your disc should work just fine. You may find you don't need the disc after smoothing the plot with the box blade.

A plow will flip the sod in one pass and go deeper. And nothings more fun and satisfying than plowing!!!!!!!

 

[schmism]

2 bottom are quick and easy to find on Criagslist. takes a bit to learn to set one up but once you do they are a great tool for breaking virgin ground.

 

[mediocrates67]

thanks for the input everyone. yeah, i did round it up beforehand but it's been pretty dry lately. i do have a box blade with scarifiers on it, had tried it a little and will try it again.

i saw this cultivator for $279. any thoughts on if this would do the job?

CountyLine® "C" Tine Cultivator, 1 Row - 2128139 | Tractor Supply Company

 

[Johndeere3720]

thanks for the input everyone. yeah, i did round it up beforehand but it's been pretty dry lately. i do have a box blade with scarifiers on it, had tried it a little and will try it again.

i saw this cultivator for $279. any thoughts on if this would do the job?

CountyLineｮ "C" Tine Cultivator, 1 Row - 2128139 | Tractor Supply Company

First off I see the product weight of 122 lbs, you will not get the power to your teeth. Those "C" tine teeth are thin and cheap, you will see better results with your box blade IMHO however what I always had problems with was the front teeth digging in and the rear blade being pulled into the ground and dragging along a bunch of unneeded dirt which would be deposited in mounds all along the way. This is why I invented the Jake Rake, you can lift the rear rake out of the way for sub soiling, the solid tubing frame puts the weight where you need it most, plus it is built to stand the test of time. Just something to consider, I am sure you will end up with the best solution. :thumbsup:

 

[kneedeep]

For food plots, I would consider a field cultivator. You should be able to pull a 7~9 shank with your 45hp tractor. There are a few advertisers on here that has them. Here is one example.

Fred Cain Tractor 3 Point Field Cultivator, Ripper, Tillage Tool, Jitterbug, Field plow, Bermuda grass plow

This Product Is No Longer Available

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Are these harrows that don't cut to well adjustable? I have a 3pt hitch lift type 6' harrow and on my first cut I set it where it cuts most aggresively with the front and rear gangs and then usually on my second and final cutting I re-adjust it so that it is closer to straight and that usually does it, I would understand the use of a turn plow if you were tearing up a cow pasture or rested ground, but not a food plot that is probably planted at least once a year.

 

[clemsonfor]

Yea you can use the box blade, but if its to dry the disk really wont work no matter what. If your not adding like 50lbs per foot on top of the disk then you may not have enough weight on top of it. Most 3pt ones are to light and need extra ballast on them to cut. I put several hundred lbs on top of mine to get it to cut well. If the ground is moist it helps a lot too.

 

[Dadof3]

That cultivator will only frustrate you.

 

[crazyal]

2 bottom are quick and easy to find on Criagslist. takes a bit to learn to set one up but once you do they are a great tool for breaking virgin ground.

I wish they were around here. The only one I've seen was a Ford in the spring that another TBN member bought. Anything cheap gets bought up quickly. Sometimes it gets bought to be resold for a profit.

 

[mediocrates67]

thanks for the input everyone. i kinda figured that cultivator wouldn't do much good, it's pretty cheap. i will be trying the scarifiers first, my box scraper flips and has three settings...so the scarifiers are on their own side. i think the disc has one more setting to go more aggressive too, will try that and maybe add more weight. it doesn't help that it's dry.

also, yeah it used to be pasture and has been just overgrown with grasses and small trees until i mowed it and rounded up...trying to create food plots from useless land. hopefully will not need a plow, but we'll see. i don't have the money for a tiller. would a tiller even work on this type of ground?

this is all pretty interesting stuff, very new to me. my first tractor! thanks for your help.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

This Product Is No Longer Available

Here is a link to the new product page: Fred Cain Tractor 3 Point Field Cultivator, Ripper, Tillage Tool, Jitterbug, Field plow, Bermuda grass plow
After you click on the link, scroll down for a demonstration video.
It's the same rippers but we put the different sizes on separate pages instead of all together.
Good advice in this thread!

 

[clemsonfor]

If its that dry is it worth putting money into a food plot this year?

If your boxblade will roll over to expose just the ripper shanks thats basically the same thing as a ripper or spring tooth harrow without the spring action, so if one gets hung you will either start to pivot on tractor axle and pull a wheelie or you will just spin tires.

A tiller will work, but you will have to go real slow if its really hard and it will bounce you to death, and sound awful.

 

[mediocrates67]

i'm not planning any more food plots for this fall, just thinking ahead to spring.