How much do you guys pull?

Another problem with our 18' spring tooth, is that the teeth are getting extremely hard to find. They're the type that mount onto a pipe like on the really old IH spring tooth sections. I just bought 15 from Nebraska Cowman last month, and the machine is missing, I think, 9 at this time.

It's not made to be used as the primary tillage after the plow, but for now it's the only thing that's big enough to give the 1855 a remotely noticable load. We used a 12 or 15' glencoe before the S-T, and we still use it for spots that get drowned out or small strips.

Also put this on the implements board, but I know this gets higher traffic.

I should also note, we can only pull 4-16's in 3rd gear with the 1855, and 5-16's would be very slow going in our soil.

Cultivators and disks aren't quite as bad, but last summer we borrowed a neighbor's 15 or 16' Minnie Mo disk with a big ol' water tank on it and that was a good size load. Of course with the extra weight from the water tank the axel (2 peices of channel iron welded face to face to the rockshaft) snapped off in our feild so I fixed it better than new with some (new) thicker channel iron and I made a new leg for that side. So far the neighbor is happy with my repair, and doesn't mind anymore that it was broke when they needed it for a feild.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Sweeps will pull harder.

A field cultivator needs to keep moving to do the job right. 6-8 MPH is best.

20+ foot would be a load for 100 HP and would not allow you to go that 6 mph.

I had 24 ft on a 150HP at 5 inches deep that was enough.

Figure on needing 6 HP per foot.

Just my thoughts, Gary

Right now our springtooth only works maybe 3-4 inches deep, and that's plenty deep for us. It does a really nice job of smoothing out dead furrows, and that's where I'll ussually dump all the trash and dirt that's acumulated in the teeth while working. Also had wings(hydraulic), so if the width were too much a guy could fold them up and keep going.

Donovan from Wisconsin

If you use straight shovels you will not knock all the weeds out.

Shovels should be 2 inches wider than the spaces to ensure good coverage of the weeds.

Now if your following right behind the disc then weeds aren't an issue.

But I go right into bean stubble 6" deep, one pass with the field cultivator and plant.

Disc cornstalks once early then go over once just before planting.

This is a 30 footer with harrow and its a load for 180HP at 7 MPH.

When my 2-105 still had the Perkins in it we pulled a JD F145H 5-16 plow in 3rd over/4th direct in good silty-clay loam soil. It was around 125-130 hp then. It now has a 6BT Cummins in it, inline pump/wastegate charger at around 150+ hp with a LOT more potential. If I ever retire I'm keeping it and going pulling! Anyway I don't plow anymore so I just have an IH 496 19'6" disc on 9 inch spacing and Krause 6155 Landsman XT 15 foot soil finisher with harrow/basket combo. I rent a tractor and ripper as needed. With what I have now the Perkins would have handled it OK about 1 full gear slower IE: 4th direct down to 3rd direct. I could probably pull a 17'6" finisher but it would be a LOAD. Like to keep it moving around 6.5MPH. If I had an 1855 such as yours I would say it would pull my finisher but probably not fast enough to suit me. It would be right on the edge of being practical, an 18 foot newer style field cultivator with a good harrow / basket or a 12'6" soil finisher would probably work better with your power. You should handle a 17 foot disk OK also. This would be in my area. Might be a whole 'nother thing where you are.