What is a disc harrow's ideal application?

[Freep]

Greetings, TBN,

From these forums, I generally get the sense that a dis(c/k) harrow is rarely the ideal tool for a job, that a tiller or some other relatively more modern implement is usually better for most things for which a disc harrow is used. Am I misreading the expertise collected here?

I am interested in learning what the disc harrow excels at, if anything. Is there anything a disc harrow does as good or better than any other tool? Are there other compelling reasons to buy one rather than to buy a tiller and/or rotary harrow, and/or etc?

Thanks,

~Freep

 

[Turbys_1700]

We used a disc to level plowed ground for planting in the spring. We typically plowed all our ground in the fall and left it until the spring for the disc harrow. No till has pretty much eliminated that use anymore.

As far as gardening some old timers still plow and disc their gardens. A tiller will pretty much do what a plow and disc will do but it will take several passes. A friend that still gardens uses a tiller, disc, and plow. HE plows in the fall followed by a disc and then finished with a tiller. You can actually get your soil too soft and thus will pack down with spring rains if you allow your tiller to sift it too fine. More wear on a tiller tines and the machine in general versus a plow and disc harrow. I can only think of a couple of times that we actually changed out the points on our plows and never changed out our disc. They were well worn.

There are offset discs that are more suited for cutting the soil and not leveling or finishing. They are typically heavier, narrower, and require more horsepower and weight to pull. I was referring to a finish or leveling disc in my discussion.

 

[jeff9366]

Generally speaking, a Disc Harrow does not have enough weight bearing on each disc to be effective until the disc are 20" in diameter. Weight should be at least 45 pounds bearing on each disc. Such a Disc Harrow will weigh around 1,000 pounds and require a tractor of at least 3,200 pounds bare tractor weight to pull it through fields with moist soil. Disc Harrows must be pulled at a fast clip to mix soil and level soil properly. I disc in HST/MED at full throttle. So Disc Harrows are not for the lighter tractors discussed here. In drier soil, a Disc Harrow with 20" discs may require two or three passes to mix less than optimally moist soil satisfactorily.

When fields increase in size, a rapidly moving tractor/Disc Harrow combination will mix soil in less time than a Roto-tiller. If the shape of a small field is rectangular, the tractor/Disc Harrow combination has more time to operate at speed and has fewer equipment reversals to make, relative to square fields.

A Roto-tiller can mix soil close to fence lines and in field head spaces precisely. It is more difficult for a Disc Harrow to mix soil close to fence lines and in field head spaces. Roto-tillers serve as compact Three Point Hitch counterbalance to FEL burdens.

Towed Disc Harrows, which articulate independently from the tractor, are well suited for leveling rolling fields, however require more space and time to turn. Towed Disc Harrows take considerable space on trailers. Unlike mounted Tandem Disc Harrows, towed Disc Harrows cannot be adjusted for ground penetration with Three Point Hitch hydraulic position control.

I lightly disc my game food plots twice each year. I disced for Spring planting of legume food plot mix April 1, 2019.
I lightly disc my Fall food plots for forage Oats in September of each year for a Winter crop. (October starts our dry season.) The land had the still growing prior season residue mixed in as green manure. Soil fertility improves each year. Legumes fix nitrogen.


MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...disc-harrow-selection-compact.html?highlight=

 

[M5farms]

disk have more uses than just prepping plowed fields. They are used most often to plant small grains and cover crops in pastures . On established fields the disk will only cut the top few inches which will allow seed to be broadcast or drilled to insure soil contact. they are also used to cut hayfields and pastures to promote growth. cutting fire lanes and new roads. I find that they are one of the most valuable implements to have around

 

[nybirdman]

Disc work great on large fields and large(100+ tractors);not so well with smaller/lighter tractors and smaller areas.Roto-tillers are the way to go and do a fine job(slower) but with one pass.

 

[oosik]

I've always though a good set of disks would be nice. Anything big enough and heavy enough is big dollars. I've just never been able to justify the cost. For the cost - I could get a really heavy duty PTO driven rototiller. Easier to use and gets into tighter places.

 

[M5farms]

Disc work great on large fields and large(100+ tractors);not so well with smaller/lighter tractors and smaller areas.Roto-tillers are the way to go and do a fine job(slower) but with one pass.

hmmmm, Must be a southern thing because for every 8n ford here there is a 5' or 6' disk harrow setting there but if your garden is only 36 x 50 I understand . FWIW I do not know a single person within 10miles of me with a 3 point tiller. We had a 12' one with a tool bar and planters back in the 90's

 

[jeff9366]

hmmmm, Must be a southern thing because for every 8n ford here there is a 5' or 6' disk harrow setting there.

Harry Ferguson Disc Harrows for the Ferguson Three Point Hitch were available for the early, Ferguson-licensed-to-Ford tractors (9N,2N,8N) beginning in 1939.

PTO powered Roto-tillers were not available until ~~20~~ years later, perhaps about the time the two-stage tractor clutch for PTO engagement was introduced. (??)

 

[MESSMAKER]

A good working disc harrow is a thing of beauty on plowed ground. It does work well for over seeding as well.

 

[Freep]

Harry Ferguson Disc Harrows for the Ferguson Three Point Hitch were available for the early, Ferguson-licensed-to-Ford tractors (9N,2N,8N) beginning in 1939.(??)

The reason I ask is that I recently acquired two (field cultivator, boom) of a set of five Ferguson implements originally purchased in 1954. A friend of mine's grandfather purchased them new and used them for 60 years to manage, plow, and sculpt the family plot. Sentimental fool that I am, I kind of dislike 'breaking up the band' and am considering purchasing the other three implements: Plow, disc, and another implement that I cannot recall (it was in rough shape and I didn't pay much attention). The harrow seemed the most useful of the three so I ask the question to see if I can somehow justify the purchase.

It sounds like it might be most useful as a light surface tiller. I've read elsewhere they can be useful in working moist soil into compacted states as an early stage of road construction, as well. I have relatively little useful for either of those presently, but could see some light usage here and there throughout the years.