Questions about chain harrow capabilities.

[jeff9366]

I do have a little spring tooth cultivator that I can use as well, it's small, but I've considered modifying to add some width.

Cultivators are for bare ground. You will break this tool trying to penetrate Bermuda grass.




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[bdog]

I wouldn't recommend it as a commercial endeavor but rototilling 7 acres with a 5' tiller is entirely possible. It has been over 15 years ago but I tilled 5 acre, 6 acre, and 8 acre fields with a 6' tiller. With a 5' swath at 2 MPH you could till 1.2 acres per hour. Should be able to till all 7 acres in 6 hours. Even if you had to go slower it would be entirely doable in a weekend.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I found grass a nuisance for my harrow, simply getting caught on the spikes. Plus, no matter what you do, the teeth are just too few and far apart.

I'm not sure I would buy it having known what I know now. I have used it upside down, to smooth out landscaping work. But really, dragging just about anything will do that and these things are miserible to find a place to store them out of the way. Or mess with them, changing configuraion.

 

[bdog]

On that note I have drug a chain harrow over my pasture a lot over the years to break up cow patties. It never did anything to disturb the soil. If you had tilled ground and broadcast some seeds on it that needed to buried very shallow it might work decent for that but they don't disturb native soil much at all.

 

[Greenvalleymatt]

That's mainly what I was hoping to use it for, to cover seeds once broadcasted. The guy I bought it from says it's does amazing at leveling his gravel driveway, which we plan on building one soon, about 300 yards long, so if it does only that well it will be worth the 100$ I spent on it.

On that note I have drug a chain harrow over my pasture a lot over the years to break up cow patties. It never did anything to disturb the soil. If you had tilled ground and broadcast some seeds on it that needed to buried very shallow it might work decent for that but they don't disturb native soil much at all.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would have to disagree on being a great tool for the driveway. Although I did discover a rather unintended outcome. I found the spikes when used in non-agressive mode, left scratches down my limestone screaning driveway. Which I didn't like the look of, but it didn't affect ride quality. But, on a hill where I was having washouts, these small ruts kept the material from just flowing off to the side. It lost ground in a downpour, but survived an amazing amount of rain.

 

[Smokeydog]

Think you can flip them with the spikes up for smoother results.

Chain harrow worked a little better than the log drag on the pastures pies. Not what I would use to over seed. Missing good advise and possible money on the table without your county agents help. If your soil conditions are not right you can waste money on seed and diesel. Light disking works when you can’t use a seed drill. Don’t plow or go deep with a tiller. You want your best soil on top to grow grass not encourage weeds. Compaction issues use a subsoiler. Maybe missed the spring window. Had better results planting in the fall.

 

[Greenvalleymatt]

I do need to get with my county agent

Think you can flip them with the spikes up for smoother results.

Chain harrow worked a little better than the log drag on the pastures pies. Not what I would use to over seed. Missing good advise and possible money on the table without your county agents help. If your soil conditions are not right you can waste money on seed and diesel. Light disking works when you can’t use a seed drill. Don’t plow or go deep with a tiller. You want your best soil on top to grow grass not encourage weeds. Compaction issues use a subsoiler. Maybe missed the spring window. Had better results planting in the fall.

 

[bdog]

That's mainly what I was hoping to use it for, to cover seeds once broadcasted. The guy I bought it from says it's does amazing at leveling his gravel driveway, which we plan on building one soon, about 300 yards long, so if it does only that well it will be worth the 100$ I spent on it.

It will do it if you are working in loose tilled soil. If you are just dragging it across undisturbed ground it will not.

 

[Greenvalleymatt]

Thanks!

It will do it if you are working in loose tilled soil. If you are just dragging it across undisturbed ground it will not.