Rotary Power Harrow for BCS

[otus_branch]

Otus, I have heavy red clay here. I grew up in Eastern NC where the soil was friable and easy to work. We had a Farmall 140 with a double bottom plow and it pulled all day long in second gear without skipping a beat. Here in Central NC my Farmall 140 struggles to pull the same plow in first gear.

I've never tried growing in the true, Red clay of the Piedmont. You have my admiration and respect for doing so! Farm23 and I are in much less clayey soil up here in the mountains, though we do have more than our share of rocks.

In so far as knowing the soil structure consequences of using a power harrow, all I know is: a. Yes, it is likely creating a minor amount of compacted soil as the fingers rotate, but it cannot be any worse than using a rototiller with its wiping action on this clay soil and b. it loosens the soil sufficiently to get a seed bed established without trying to kill me with tiller jump. I got hurt two years ago when my tiller took off with me dumbly holding on and subsequently slamming into the rotating tines. I have a knee replacement and was lucky the large open sore on my shin did not get infected. I've got a lot of respect for my BCS tiller these days.

Wow, yikes. Sorry to hear about the injury. While the power harrow is pricy as tools go, it's downright cheap compared to any medical bills.

To repeat myself, all I want to do is to get green stuff growing, to keep the ground covered with green growing stuff and to thus increase the organic mass in the soil via roots of the green stuff. The power harrow appears to be the ticket for my clay.

Bill in NC

Sounds like you are on the right track. Whenever I talk about soil health, I emphasize growing cover crops often, and deeply. Glad to hear that you are doing the same!

-otus

 

[farmerboybill]

Bill, I'm glad that you found a deal on a used model, and are happy with the purchase. Having dodged a rock rocketing out of my rototiller more than once, I can also appreciate the increased safety that a vertical axis tillage implement provides.

But, do you really buy the whole 'reduced soil disturbance' & 'no hard pans' lines put forward by the power harrow advocates? While I have not yet seen a power harrow in operation, I can't really see how a knife slicing horizontally through soil (i.e.- a power harrow's operation) is substantially gentler than a knife slicing vertically through soil (i.e.- a rototiller's operation). Either way, that slice of the knife can create a hardpan if the implement is overused or the soil is too wet. But if used sensibly and in moderation, either implement can kill weeds and incorporate amendments without causing too much damage.

Yes, a rototiller will 'invert' soil within the tillage zone some, but I try to manage my whole root zone as a biologically-active, high-organic-matter community. So how much does it matter whether some of the soil that starts out at ~1" ends-up at ~4" or even ~6" after the rototiller pass? In fact, when I'm spreading lime and manure and compost, that's exactly what I want to happen.

I'm asking these questions not to denigrate your purchase Bill. In fact, if I found a deal on a similar used 29" power harrow I'd be all over it, since I have a love for multiple redundancies, backup equipment, and intriguing hardware. But at $2300 for a new model, I think that the machine has to be over-rated.

-otus

Hi Otus,

While these questions were not directed at me, I hope I can also provide some input.

A rototiller pushes down as hard as it pulls up. Anything that is above the tine will be pulled up and chopped up. At the same time, the soil below the tine is being pushed down. This is where hardpan is created. The power harrow does not push down, it stirs the soil. The only thing that can create compaction is the wheels on the tractor, the seedbed firmer, and your feet.

The power harrow really shines in seedbed prep. In stale beds, it kills the weeds that germinated since soil working, breaks up clods by crushing them between the tines, and shallowly incorporates soil amendments, all without bringing up new weed seeds to compete with your garden plants. It also does great for tearing up thin spots in a lawn as Bill gave for an example. A tiller can't compete with a power harrow in these two jobs.

But you are right - a tiller is more versatile for much less money. Used properly, the tiller can break ground, prepare ground for planting, and cultivate the garden through season. All for $580 for the 27". The 23" power harrow only does seedbed prep for $1870. While it is a grea attachment, it takes a lot of garden to justify owning one.

 

[farm23]

This is good information. I probably will pass on the Rotary Harrow. I have used my tiller set on minimum depth for seed beds with good results. I am sure the Rotary Harrow is a good implement but the cost is too high for me. We grow organic produce for profit so we always consider the cost/benefit ratio.

 

[Ford850]

If you had the power harrow, why would you need the tiller? Maybe just for new areas or tilling in cover crops?
I would think the power harrow would refresh the garden surface each spring for planting, eliminating the tiller. The tilled area of my garden acts as a pond after heavy rains. Then it settles and hard-packs like concrete. The area not tilled yet, in the same garden area, drains and recovers fairly quickly after a heavy rain. If I don't get heavy rains for weeks after tilling, the soil is in much better shape due to the root growth, worm and insect tunnels, etc.

 

[leonz]

Hello and good morning Bill, Otus, farm23,

FOR what its worth If you use mined gypsum or
chemically rendered gypsum it will dissolve your clay.

It works wonders for sod if you start with about
250 pounds pounds per acre applied with a
spinner spreader.

 

[wstr75]

Ford, I hear you. You have clearly stated how too much tillage is a problem. Regarding tiller versus power harrow, the only thing I am going to use my tiller for in the future will be to incorporate mass quantities of mulch and even then it will be a seldom done action. The power harrow will be used anytime a new seed bed is being started.

 

[wstr75]

Leonz, I have read about gypsum being the ticket for clay but have never known anyone locally incorporating it into their garden. Some good threads below regarding gypsum, but there seems to be some disagreement pro and con about gypsum for the red clay we have here in central NC.

Gypsum to amend clay - Soil Forum - GardenWeb
Soil improvement for clay? - Organic Gardening Forum - GardenWeb

I am okay with experimentation and will try gypsum in a new garden plot this year. Leonz, thanks for the advice.
Bill in NC

 

[rototiller2]

I have owned a power harrow for my BCS-850 for more than 6 years and value it very highly. It is a tool that makes a seedbed like nothing else. If used properly, an almost sterile seedbed is achieved. I am a market gardener and would not want to do without this tool.

 

[rototiller2]

Bill, I find that my R2 power harrow on my BCS-850 is also very heavy. Even with added weight on the front it is a beast. However, I find that instead of pulling up on the handlebars, it is much easier for me to put them in a high position when turning so that I am pushing up instead of pulling up. Much easier on the back. I have the 29" unit and because of the weight, I recommend the smaller harrows for most users. With the 20" unit, one round trip on a bed will cover 40", just size to the width of your beds.

 

[wstr75]

It is interesting you mention pushing up on the handlebars as I find myself doing the same technique. In my young days we called those type of weight lifts, "military presses" where you stand and push heavy weights upward. I now have 60 pounds of steel weights bolted to the motor guard and find it has made matters much easier. I totally agree with your recommendation about the 20" harrow width.