School Me On Disc Harrows

Bill VA

Well-known Member
We've been scuffing up some fields to be returned to hay over the summer and our farm's 3pt disc (5ft two gang) is getting a workout. This disc belongs to my Dad, but everyone in the family uses it. I just started using it and have been pleasantly surprised as how well it skins the soil. In as much as we are the Saudis Arabia of rocks, I now feel this is the route we need to go in preparing our ground for replanting for grass hay or alfalfa vs moldboard plowing or even tilling.

The plan is to lime, fertilize, based on soil samples, work that stuff-in via the disc. Once we've got the ground worked up pretty good, we'll hit it with roundup and then plant and pack down the seeds with our recently aquired cultipacker.

Working our fields takes the family disc from occasional garden and deer plot duty, to some pretty heavy duty use - so I feel I should buy my own disc and if I break it, it's on me, no one else's problem.

I like a 3pt hitch disc from a transport standpoint, but it leaves something to be desired when turning in our odd shaped fields where perhaps a tow behind disc would do.

The minimum tractor I've got is my trusty MF50 diesel. So whatever I get - can't be so large that the MF can't pull it.

Any advice on disc harrows to seek out for what I'm doing? I see 3pt, a few pull behind disc harrows - most look like they are a few pulls from a repair. Ford, MF - any particular brand disc you would recommend just on repair parts availability?

Below is a link to the Nebraska test for my MF50. Max drawbar at almost 2000 rpms is 32ish hp. The MF runs at around 1400 ish rpms at 540 PTO speed. I like he sound of the tractor there - don't want to abuse the machine. Maybe I should up the rpms to 2000 and get use to that and perhaps no harm will come to the 54 year old tractor?

5, 6, 7, 8 ft - what do you recommend for the hp I have? 3pr or pull behind? How do you transport a pull behind without tearing up the ground between fields?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks!
Bill
MF50 Diesel Nebraska Test
 
This will get you from field to field.
a228062.jpg
 
Yep you have found one of the disadvantages of a 3 point and something that digs up the ground you pretty much have to do a straight line lift and then turn then set it back down. By the way if your tractor has draft control you should have it in draft not position.
I have over the years used an had both pull type and 3 point disks and each has its advantage and disadvantage.
For most disking I prefer the pull type since they tend to run better and both set of disks tend to stay in the ground better then the 3 point type do. I have a 3 point disk that work okay but but the front gang tends to dig in real well while the back set seems to like to ride up into the air. If I set it so the back set rides low then they drag the ground when I lift the 3 point up
 
A wheel disk is heavier than a 3 point.It will go into the ground beeper and consequently do a better job. However wheel disks only go down to 8' or so. 8'ers are hard to find,wearas a 10' is much easier to find.As far as brand there are a lot of good ones to choose from.Too many to mention. Some popular ones are JD;IH;Oliver;Schafer;Krouse;Kewannee.........You have enough ponies for 10ft. but you may need to add some tire 'ballast'.Another possibility is an offset. these can be had down to 6 or 7 ft.Around here,the small offset is often reffered to as an 'orchard disk'. But they tend to pull harder but have better ground penetration.
 
Since you are in VA I am guessing you have some hills. That will drop you down some on disk size. I would go with about a 8-12 Foot pull model. They will lift about a foot off from the ground. As for brand that will depend on the parts support you have. I myself like an IH or would consider a Krause. They are a heavy disk. The IH is probably more common to find used. There is a leveling crank for leveling the disk when in use and can be used to help level it for transport.
Since you have lots of stones in your fields why not try a danish tine or swedish tine field cultivator. They will do what you want and you will not be replacing disc blades. You do have a shovel/sweep you have to change as they wear out though.
 
Going in a slightly different direction,can you use/rent a no til drill(our county has one)?And use it after spraying roundup.Mark
 
white 252 is a very good disk and handles rocks well also right in your size range I would want a 10' for that tractor.
 
I've got a 10 foot Oliver, think it's a 241 (similar to the 252 already recommended). Can pull it easily with my Oliver 88, which probably has less HP than your MF. Disc gang angles can be adjusted depending on what you're trying to do. Whatever brand you get, get one with lift/transport wheels.
 
I've owned a couple of Oliver disks over the years.Darn good disks. I currently have a 15ft 252(?)with dual transports.Nice heavy disk.
 
I"d get a field cultivator, rather than have all the maintenance on a disk. Not a Danish tine if you have large rocks- get a real FC with 4-6 inch sweeps. Single heavy shank like a Glencoe 1850 or similar. Check out an IH 45. Regarding using Roundup- you say you"d work the field down and spray. Roundup is a contact herbicide- weeds need to be actively growing. Roundup has no residual effect, so spraying pre-plant does nothing.
 
I happened across this old 8 footer John Deere JBA disc ( I think) And love it!

The diesel MF 65 could handle way more but it pulls it nice and easily. Can kinda set it as deep as you want by how much weight you put on.

But, I really would like something with transport wheels.
a228096.jpg
 
With that MF 50 stop with a 9', do not go larger, will overload that tractor. Same 38-39 horsepower as the A John Deere I had and the Deere is a heavier tractor for better traction. Some conditions the A would pull the 13' but others the 9' all it wanted.
 
I bought an old pull type JD disk at an auction for $90 that will really tear up the ground for a regular not offset disk.No idea what model it is but the disk have wider
spacing than most pull types its about 7ft wide and pulls pretty hard for that size disk.Also has greasable bearings.
 
8' is the maximum I'd go with if the 50 has to run it, particularly if you don't want to work it too hard. M-F used to make a nice little mounted disc... model 25 or something I think. We have one around somewhere.... It's a decent little mounted disc that can well be handled with that tractor and mabey a few front weights.
I don't get what all the griping is about with using a mounted disc. Mounted anything is easier to deal with from a useful functionality standpoint. Just mabey not so easy to hitch... The other consideration is that for all the tractor you want to use, a wheel disc will be hard to pull with the traction you will have. Mounted disc and draft control will greatly increase what you can pull....

Rod
 
Your Oliver if standard 88 and not Super 88 has 43 horse to his 39 in the MF 50 with diesel engine, gas is 35 horse. Plus you have way more weight for traction plus bigger tires. I think his tractor has 28" tires to your 38". Your 88 would be considered a 3-4 plow tractor while his MF is 2-3 plow.
 
If you can move a pull type (no lift mechanism) disc on your farm the one shown above works great and will cost almost nothing at a farm auction. Your 50 will handle up to a 7ft but I'd go with a 6'. The MF 3pt discs are the best built but still bring about $600 here. I'd like to try a wheel lift disc, easy to hook up and move, but requires hydraulics. plus I don't need anymore old junk here on the farm, especially a disc which I would use very infrequently.
 
I always favor a field cultivator, but one reason is the same for a disc...if it is mounted, you can back into a wet spot, drop the implement, and pull out. So often, just scuffing the ground surface is enough to let it dry for a few hours, or overnight, and then you can drive right through. When I had the JD 4020 with an 18 foot mounted FC, I would back in, hit the diff lock, and pull out. Growing up, with AC WC, we"d hook a 20 foot drag on a long chain, pass a wet spot, crank hard to one side, and let the drag scuff the wet spot. That was before duals on tractors....50s/60s.
 
The 50 is the smallest tractor made at that time under the MF name. The model that would compair to your Oliver would be a 65 if your Oliver is a standard 88, if yours is a super 88 then it would be a 85 MF. The 50 developed from the Ford 9N to the TO-20, then the TO-30, then the TO-35 all same unit size but with upgrades, then came the F-35 and the F-40 that was same basic tractor but with heavier front end and larger fuel tank, The F-35 and the F-40 became the MF 35 and the MF 50
 

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