disc, till, cultivate??

[Bubbas Boys]

So we are new to the whole growing food and pasture thing. We are wanting to plant large garden, pasture reconditioning for hogs and chickens. Eventually we want to be ablr to handle the entire property that a local farmer is doing for us now (HAY)! What equipment do we need to do some of theis stuff? The hay suff will be way down the road but am wanting to know what I need for the garden and pastures, disc, Cultivator? I am guess a tiller is best but if disc will work for a garden I would ratherhave something that will work for multiple plots. I am unsure what the right thing is to start with. Thanks.

[homstdr74]

We found that we have to own several implements: good garden tiller (old TroyBilt Horse model); disc plow, disc, cultivators. Purchased it all used at auction or from private parties.

[Twobottom]

I started with only a 3 pt tiller and it was fine even on previously unworked ground. I eventually got a 2 bottom plow for deeper tillage. Now I probably use the tiller more often, but sometimes when I want to go deep ( especially on new ground ) I'll use the plow first then the tiller to prep before planting.

Honestly I think people use all types of combinations effectively. Alot depends on your soil, but generally I found the tiller to be the most versatile....that is I could make do with just the tiller, but I couldn't make do with just the plow.

[wally]

Raised bed gardens would elminate the need for all that equipment. For haying equip you will drop some bucks for equipment to bale it.. might be best to consider having it put up on a share agreement with some one who already has the costly equipment

[jwal10]

A lot depends on your tractor. If it does not go slow enough, a tiller does not work well/ That 300 Farmall probably goes to fast for a tiller. IF it has a TA (torque amplifier) you can not use it for tilling as the tractor free wheels with TA engaged. A plow works for deep tillage, a disk, will work but if a light one may take several passes. If the ground is rough you need something to smooth it out to make haying easier. An S-tine cultivator and drag harrow/roller makes a good seedbed.

Haying, best to have something that crimps the stems so it dries faster, but a cycle mower and tedder or rake and a baler, round or square. Round balers take more horsepower than the older small square balers.

Gardens. I do not like a tiller in the garden, many do. I like a S-tine cultivator and a basket roller. When you are ready to garden, it may not be ideal conditions and a tiller can ruin soil if too wet. A cultivator can be used to open up the soil to get it to dry out and then used as needed to make a good seed bed without making a hard pan or making clods of the soil or a hard pan....James

[bigjon]

a rear tine tiller is great for (gardens)I rototill my garden25'x50',but my veggie field gets plowed=then disc-ed-fertilized -then lightly disced again.i have sandy-loom.then I lay plastic mulch and plant.

[jwal10]

The 300 IH 2 pt. hitch with an adapter to 3 pt. does not work good with a 3pt. plow as the 2 pt. does not have a true depth control. You would need a 2 pt. plow or a trail (tag) plow....James

[Terri]

We tilled up a new patch for the garden this year. One pass of the tiller left great chunks of grass roots: I figure on raking those and then tilling again in one weeks time. A third tilling MIGHT be needed, but I think twice might do it.

Then again we have a good rear tine tiller: I suspect a cheap tiller would not do much in our heavy soil with large grass roots.

[Bubbas Boys]

Great info, thanks. I know a tiller will not be ideal for us as it looks like we are going to have a ford 9n and a farmall 300. I was wanting a disc but then kind of curious what a cultivator would do for us. Thanks again.

[jwal10]

IF the ground is hard and sod a cultivator takes a few passes and then more to get the sod torn up. A plow turns it over and buries the sod, then that needs made into a level, firm seedbed....James

[FarmboyBill]

IF your thinking of useing the cultivator to turn over/under HARD NOT PLOWED ground, You could bend your cultivator shanks. Its NOT made for to do any primary tillage.
A plow breaks the surface, and turns it and whatevers growing on it over and if done right completly under givin g anything sown a chance to get rooted and growing before the undergrowth has turned itself around and seeking above ground again.
A DISC, is used to break up the long furrows into fist sized clods, and if done right, will be good enough to plant big seed, corn, milo, soybeans, ect. With a wing disc, you ---uld have to either half lap qwhen discing, that is having 1/2 rthe disc going over ground just disced, and the other 1/2 cutting into plowed grownd.
A harriwm ir rotery how makes the clods into smaller/finer particles fit for sowing grass seed.

[FarmboyBill]

What happened to the Super C?

[Bubbas Boys]

Well the C is still an option but I was thinking that the 3 pt on the ford will allow me more options. What you think? Even though most like the ford N I really want the C more. It is buried in back and will have to be dug out but not that big of a deal. It needs new muffler on it Grandpa said but the ford is good to go I guess.

[FarmboyBill]

Somebody said the lift on the C is force up AND force DOWN. The Ford only has Force up, and gravety down/ Course, you have to buy a 3pt set up for the C. aget on YT Forums on the IFarmall forum and ask whether the C is both force up and down. IF that is right. its worth much more than the Ford with a 3pt that has gravety down.

[Bubbas Boys]

What are some forums to ask it on. I am dying to get more info on these tractors. Feel like I will get real into it real quick. haha.

[Bubbas Boys]

Sorry just got it, YT (yesterdays tractors). Thanks!

[jwal10]

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-trac...farmall-c.html

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-trac...rmall-300.html

[Rectifier]

If I were you I would try to borrow an old one-way disc ("Breaking disc") from someone for breaking the sod. You won't need it again for a garden. If you want to break pasture to reseed then you are probably going to want to own one.

Once the land is broken you can use a cultivator in the future, they are much gentler on the land than plows and breaking discs and retain much more moisture. They leave a much nicer tilth for seeding into. But they can't break sod.

But how big is this garden going to be, I can't even get my cultivator through the gap in the shelterbelt trees to use it in my garden

What I really want is the rototiller attachment for my JD210 yard tractor. I think that would be ideal for gardening.

[Waterwheel Farm]

I have a 5 foot tiller, using it with a 50 horse diesel. Does the tiller with great ease...shoulda got a six footer. My experience with the tiller is that it makes a beautiful garden spot and the ground looks picture perfect. Downside for my particular dirt is that if you till it too fine, it packs hard as a rock when it gets wet. Also, the tiller doesn't go deep enough for root crops like taters, etc.

I also have a three point disc that for my purposes is basically useless.
I also have an old two-section drag disc that is really sweet. I can pull it around and make sharp turns without raising it up like the three point disc. I have an 8N that was my first tractor. I hook up a three point PTO driven seed/fertilizer spreader to the 8N, then attach the drag disc to the seed spreader and that's how I renovate my pastures. I can keep the spreader turned off while I disc however much is needed, then I turn on the spreader, the disc comes over the top over the seed, which lightly covers it up, then I have a large pipe attached by chains behind the disc to bust up any stubborn clods and levels the ground. Low budget operation and does pretty good.

I did my garden for a long time with just a plow and a disc, worked fine. Cultivators and harrows make it even better if they're in your budget. Plus it can all be used with an N tractor or the 300, or equivalent.

[FarmboyBill]

Now, I was talking about row crop mounted cultivators. Are you talking about field cultivators? which are pulled?