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 | bobc61
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1 Georgia 
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2004-03-21 80583
I am trying to "plow" some food plots on my land and my first attempt was not very successful. I am using a 48" gang disc, some people call this a harrow, behind a 24 HP tractor and found that I could only scratch the surface in many areas. Where the ground was soft, it worked well but in harder areas, it did not penetrate the soil very much at all. Should I be using something else or am I doing something wrong? Any help will be appreciated.
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 | BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 649 Central West Virginia 
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2004-03-21 80587
Unless the ground has been plowed recently, you'll need to plow it with a moldboard plow before discing.
If you see farmers discing only in the spring, it is likely a field that is worked every year. Usually they will plant a cover crop for the winter months and then disc that down before planting in the spring.
You can get varying results from a disc harrow by changing the angle of the discs (if it is adjustable) and adding weight. Most disc harrows are made to allow stacking cinderblocks or sandbags on the frame.
Even the nice rotary tillers that attach to the three point hitch on our tractors have a tough time in virgin sod. It is still best to plow first.
Good luck,
Bill ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa 
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2004-03-21 80588
Bobc; The small light duty 3pt. disc harrows were never meant to be a primary deep tillage tool. They are meant to work down a seed bed that has been deep tilled by a moldboard plow, chisel plow or some other impliment that works the soil down to 7 to 10 inches deep to loosen it up so your disc will penetrate the soil. Wait till the soil looks plenty dry then wait another day or two before doing any deep tillage in heavy soils in the spring. Working heavy soils while they are too wet will get you the nicest assortment of grapefuit size clods you ever saw. Pick up a handfull of unworked soil, squeeze in the palm of your hand, if it stays in a solid ball it's too wet, if the ball of soil fals apart it's time to go. Depending on how large an aeria, how much surface trash, etc. are involved maybe a rotary tiller is your best choice, but then don't use the disc behind the tiller as you've did everything you need in one pass. Enjoy your new project, Frank. ....
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| DonBurrell
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 17 florida
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2004-03-26 81175
Alot of times you can add a little weight to your harrows to get better penetration. "Always remeber that we drag harrows and ploughs and a tiller helps push us".
Watch for extra strain on your tractor when adding weight and ploughing extra wet dirt. ....
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| CraigC
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 83 Hebron, IN
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2004-03-26 81186
Don't know about a tiller helping push you, have heard of tillers taking out tractor rearends because they are pushing against the tractor. ....
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| DonBurrell
Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 17 florida
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2004-03-26 81199
You must have a much firmer soil with a lot of stones. I am from north Fl and the fellow that needed advise if from GA.
Our soil has alot of sand and clay, no lime rock etc, Once it is broken up a tiller makes a great seed bed and for us Our tractors run cooler using a tiller. I can not say I have heard of the rear ends having trouble down here.
We have a King Kutter II that has treated us well. We plant 30 acres several times a year for our deer. ....
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