Texasmark1
Well-known Member
Anybody use one of these?
I bought one a couple of years ago from my JD dealer....didn't know mother deere had started selling non JD implements, but they do....Pioneer implements here also.
Anyhoooo, I got my calving done and moved the critters out of the "pen" to another pasture; course the pen is a couple of acres or so.
The grass was beat down, poop everywhere, hard as a brick black clay and all, and have about a 4:1 slope.
I have a little 57 PTO 4wd tractor and can only run a 4 shank which is about a 5' cutting width whereas my tires are at 6' outside to outside making for a little overlapping.
The implement has coulter wheels preceding the ripper shanks which have a high strength cutting blade welded on the shank. Cutting depth is about 10" max.
When comparing to a moldboard, it doesn't roll the topsoil and expose the roots. The coulter cuts the bermuda runs which makes the grass multiply as each new shoot develops it's own root system and becomes a self supporting plant. The top soil remains on top and finally, the surface of the ground isn't all that torn up....just little slits in it. Course when you are plowing rock hard clay, sometimes a sizeable clod will surface but I would just make a loop and slice it up.
Anyway, first run was contoured across the hill and I could only get it to penetrate about 6". I came back at an angle that generated a diamond shape of cut material and she went all the way down to 10".
Came back with one of the newly designed spike harrows and had a really nice field.
In the past, I could do nothing with ground this time of year. Don't have a moldboard and the turning disc devices, ala disc harrow we use for plows around here just bounced off it.
Now the good part. I immediately came back with broadcast fertilizer and seed with one more pass with the spikes.
The next 3 days I got moderate rain and drizzle amounting to a total of around 1".....how bout that for luck.
I am a happy camper and LOVEEEEE that subsoiler.
Mark
I bought one a couple of years ago from my JD dealer....didn't know mother deere had started selling non JD implements, but they do....Pioneer implements here also.
Anyhoooo, I got my calving done and moved the critters out of the "pen" to another pasture; course the pen is a couple of acres or so.
The grass was beat down, poop everywhere, hard as a brick black clay and all, and have about a 4:1 slope.
I have a little 57 PTO 4wd tractor and can only run a 4 shank which is about a 5' cutting width whereas my tires are at 6' outside to outside making for a little overlapping.
The implement has coulter wheels preceding the ripper shanks which have a high strength cutting blade welded on the shank. Cutting depth is about 10" max.
When comparing to a moldboard, it doesn't roll the topsoil and expose the roots. The coulter cuts the bermuda runs which makes the grass multiply as each new shoot develops it's own root system and becomes a self supporting plant. The top soil remains on top and finally, the surface of the ground isn't all that torn up....just little slits in it. Course when you are plowing rock hard clay, sometimes a sizeable clod will surface but I would just make a loop and slice it up.
Anyway, first run was contoured across the hill and I could only get it to penetrate about 6". I came back at an angle that generated a diamond shape of cut material and she went all the way down to 10".
Came back with one of the newly designed spike harrows and had a really nice field.
In the past, I could do nothing with ground this time of year. Don't have a moldboard and the turning disc devices, ala disc harrow we use for plows around here just bounced off it.
Now the good part. I immediately came back with broadcast fertilizer and seed with one more pass with the spikes.
The next 3 days I got moderate rain and drizzle amounting to a total of around 1".....how bout that for luck.
I am a happy camper and LOVEEEEE that subsoiler.
Mark
