Share your knowledge please

[sisterpine]

As some of you know, I bought a tractor when I found my stead. I recently purchased a 3 point disc harrow. I am ready to begin plowing my field but I really don't know how to do it properly. It is ten or so acres.

Do I leave the blades on the disc straight or do I angle them....does this change after the first go round?

[TnAndy]

I assume your disc has round blades since you ask about changing the angle. I've not heard of anyone plowing with a disc....maybe the DO on huge ones....but not on a smaller tractor.

Plowing generally involves a PLOW that will cut 8-12" into the soil, turning it over.

Then the disc is used to cut up that up, making a finer soil to plant. Sometimes discs are using alone, to simply cut the ground slightly, for weed control.

[wogglebug]

You don't plough with a harrow. NOT! That would be roughly the same as digging with a rake.

You can use a disc plough to plough. Google it. The cupped disc acts like a mould-board ploughshare, cutting and turning the soil from the furrow. It's just a little easier to cut into the soil with the disc than with a ploughshare, and easier to have it ride over obstructions.

[sisterpine]

OK so my ignorance is showing. What I want to do in my soft sandy soil is shred up the weeds and mix them with the soil. It would be like weed control only I want to put some decent pasture seed out there before spring.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by sisterpine

OK so my ignorance is showing. What I want to do in my soft sandy soil is shred up the weeds and mix them with the soil. It would be like weed control only I want to put some decent pasture seed out there before spring.

Go over it the first time with the blades angled pretty steep. if your soil is loose and sandy you may only have to do it once to get close to what you want. You may need to go over it two or three times depending on how thick the weeds are. Once you have it under control broadcast your seed, straighten out the disc and go over it once lightly to cover your seed. Come spring you should have some decent pasture grass coming in.

[sisterpine]

Thank you so very much!

[rambler]

A disk is a middle tillage tool. It doesn't 'plow' and it doesn't 'finish' the soil well.

It is the in between tool.

As such, in your sandy soil it likely will do what you want.

Angle it a lot.

Sometimes some weight on it - concrete blocks or such, will help it work better. But this is harder on it, so you be the judge. Some are designed to hold some weight.....

Paul

[fordy]

Originally Posted by sisterpine

Thank you so very much!

...........If you'll do a google search with something like , small tractor plowing a field+you tube.........several video's should be listed showing you how the various operations are used to prepare a field for planting . , fordy

[Rectifier]

Out here we never "plow" we only use heavy discs and field cultivators.

A disc will have a hard time sinking into native sod. It will need added weight. I broke my garden plot with just Roundup and a 3 point disc and it did a good job.

What I would do (unless you are organic or opposed to sprays) is a no-till type procedure. Knock down the weeds and old grasses with Roundup. Let them dry down and kill the roots. Then your disc will cut through a lot better, and your new pasture will have no competition from weed regrowth.

First go at it with lots of weight, low speed, high angle. Then straighten it out and clean up the seedbed at higher speed. Spread your seed and drag a light chain harrow to cover it.

[geo in mi]

A three point disc on sand should do the job for you, if you are willing to make a few passes. It would be nice to have the weeds dried out, so you may want to make a pass or two to chop them up and wait until they dry out--then start again, so they can get buried. If you don't have too much sod grass, a few passes with the disc set at the most extreme angle should do it. For a final pass or two, you can straighten out the angle for a smooth finish, and do that in a higher gear. On a three point set up, you will have to experiment with your top link to get the front gang and your rear gang at the correct, equal depths so they bite into the soil equally. The top link is a double threaded screw, that by turning the collar one way or the other, you will level them out. And, usually, you will find on the right hand side link, a horizontal leveling crank, that adjusts the horizontal position of the gangs so the right side bites equally with the left. With experience,(after ten acres with multiple passes, you should be an expert...) Your finished soil should be pretty smooth, crumbly, and level, with no center hump down the row.

Have fun, but be safe, too.

geo

[AmericanStand]

In the OP you say you have a Disc-harrow There is a Disc-plow But it is a bit more rare.
Around here a Disk is commonly a group of four gangs of disks That form a rough X shape when seen from above. (they can be two gangs V shaped and pulled from the middle of one side of the V)
A Disk-harrow would be a VERY lightly built disk. Intended to cut shallow and
usually NOT adjustable for aggression .
A Regular disk is usually adjustable in aggression. By changing the angles of the gangs you change the angles the blades enter the ground and that effects how deep the disk will go.
Some disks with Large diameter ,widely spaced blades WILL plow as much as 12 inches deep! But remember most Disks don't work much more than HALF their diameter (or 2/3 the space from blade edge to outside of hub)
A Disk-Plow is usually 3 -6 separately mounted widely spaced very large diameter(18 -24 inch) disks.
The amount of "dish" in each blade also effects how aggressively a disk cuts.
The speed you pull at will effect the Throw and thus the mixing of the dirt.

In your situation I would set the blades to cut shallow and use it that way to get a good chop on the weeds. let them dry and burn what I could, THEN set it deep to help bury the weeds .

LOL Don't worry you are going to have GREAT fun playing with Depth and speed to find the way YOU like it to work!

[PrettyPaisley]

Originally Posted by sisterpine

OK so my ignorance is showing. What I want to do in my soft sandy soil is shred up the weeds and mix them with the soil. It would be like weed control only I want to put some decent pasture seed out there before spring.

Well don't worry about that ! You're in the right place to learn. The folks here will hook you up with all you need to know !!

[geo in mi]

This will give you an idea of what a three point disc can do on sod. The WD is about a thirty horsepower tractor. Takes a while, but it's doable:

YouTube

geo

[am1too]

Originally Posted by sisterpine

As some of you know, I bought a tractor when I found my stead. I recently purchased a 3 point disc harrow. I am ready to begin plowing my field but I really don't know how to do it properly. It is ten or so acres.

Do I leave the blades on the disc straight or do I angle them....does this change after the first go round?

>eave them as they are set. What you have prepares a seed bed and is not really a plow. Yes there are disc plows. What you have will chop the vegetation and stir up the top of the ground for mixing in material. It may take several passes. Raise the harrow before turning the tractor. That keeps from breaking discs.

[rambler]

As general knowledge on this, disks work better in sandier soils, and not as well in heavy clay soils.

In sand or loam (loam is between sand and clay...) the disk cuts in, and does its job. The lighter soil does not pack easily so you can do several passes and get the job done.

In clay soil, you get one pass with a disk. If it is dry, the disk won't cut in. If it is wet, the disk will act like a packer, and compact th soil about 4-5 inches deep. Several passes make a very compacted poor soil in wet clay. It acts like a sheeps foot packer they use to make road beds.

There are several different grades of disk, light 3pt, mid grade pull type, very heavy tillage type.

You need a strong tractor, 100hp plus, to use the heavy type. So probably not what will be used on the homestead.

We have a few threads going on disks right now, in the sandy one I say it will work fine with several passes, in the clay soil one I say it isn't a good choice.... Just want to clear up the differences and why a disk might be good for one and poor for another.....

Growing up I ran dads light disk all spring long. Now I sometimes use my heavier disk when needed, but use a field cultivator most of the time. Much better in my clay soil. Much better. To work up hard clay soil like a sod or year old field, I use a regular plow or a heavy chisel plow. I have very heavy clay soil, and lots of water 'here'.

Paul

[idigbeets]

I'm a big fan of chisel plowing first... then coming back with a heavy disc to chop it up and smooth it out.... with a heavy enough setup you can roll the sod over too.

[Allen W]

No matter what I done I would be concerned with leaving enough residue to keep the ground from blowing this winter.

[FarmboyBill]

Living in NE Okla, I have somewhat sandy soil. SO I thought id just disc it up this year. I double disced with a wing disc, without wings, then I cross double disced. That's 4 times 2 different directions. I broke off 2 disc blades. Id had that disc since I was 18. The discs cost around $20 ea with shipping. It worked, but I wasn't proud of it. I wont do it again. It plow, disc, rotary hoe or harrow, sow, roller pack for me from now on.

[FarmboyBill]

Get on U tube, check out plowing. Then check out the ground after looking at it after looking at discing, Then look at the ground as its being harrowed, and decide how far you want your ground to be worked. I only plow and double disc when planting corn or milo/soybeans, but for small grass seed, I plow, double disc, harrow.

[sisterpine]

I am amazed at the different farming and soil preparation processes in different parts of the country. I realized that we all had different soil etc. But my ignorant brain thought farming was farming....I am so wrong LOL