3-point disc harrow, and some very basic tillage questions

I have about 10 years of running a backhoe, but no tillage experience beyond small garden plots with hand tools and walk-behind rototiller.

The neighbor that raised corn near my house growing up had a monster rototiller, so I really haven't seen much of most other methods for working the soil.

My more recent Ford 4500 industrial (~50 hp) does have a 3-point (Cat I/II convertible), but has no PTO, so I won't be getting a rototiller. It might not be a good idea anyway, since I have rocks, but no PTO just takes it off the table. Tillage is not a large part of what I'll be doing with it, and the area I might do tillage on is not too large - an acre or two which I'll first be going over with a backhoe to remove the overgrown christmas tree stumps (once I reduce the trees to stumps, anyway - some have been there 40-odd years by the looks of it, but the way they are planted speaks of Christmas tree plot gone bad). Goal is to sort it out, possibly terrace a bit (it's somewhat sidehill) and put in garden / orchard / small fruits.

I gather from reading here and elsewhere that standard procedure calls for plowing and harrowing, and disc plows are far more substantial objects than disc harrows, but I find myself wondering how much a disk harrow (alone) can do, given lack of sod and the ability to make as many passes as it takes, since they seem to be more available on the local market than plows. The soil is sandy/gravelly with occasional rocks that belong in the stone wall and haven't been dragged over there yet; drat that guy who ran off to get free land that was flat back in the 1800's. He did put a lot of rocks on the wall before he left, but there are plenty more.

What to look for in a used disc harrow would also be beneficial.

If I simply must plow, would something like a chisel plow (or a ripper) be the best bet for either getting between rocks or hauling them to the surface? I'm guessing the disc harrow will either ride up over the rocks or find all the ones that are the perfect size to jam between discs and get loaded with them. Anything big I find when ripping out stumps will be taken out with the backhoe, but there will probably be some that don't come to light right away.

I might be able to get someone to come in and do tillage without me having to track all the implements down, but I'd like to at least investigate the options for doing it with the tractor I have and a few more implements.

Thanks!

A chiesel plow if you can find one would probably be a good idea.

A disk is sometimes too closely related to a packer, and so many trips over the same area doesn't always give good results - in clay you make a hard paved parking lot of the ground. In your course ground the disk likely will do better than in my fine clay.

Often it is nice to have something that does primary tillage. Like a chisel plow. You will curse the rocks it brings up, but such is the life of a farmer.... It might also not like rmaining roots in your soil, so not sure if it is actually a good idea....

My opinion works well in my type of soil, which is different than you have, so might want to hear from others who have dealt with what you have.

--->Paul

Choices for primary tillage are moldboard plow, disc plow, and chisel plow. Disc harrow and field cultivator are for secondary tillage...ie, the pass(es) after primary tillage. Might be hard to find a chisel plow small enough for 50 hp, but plenty of moldboard and disc plow choices. Everybody here seems to think they need a disc harrow, but they are good for compaction and get a lot of abuse from rocks. Field cultivators with a mounted tine harrow behind make a good seedbed and handle rocks very well. 50 hp should handle a ten-twelve footer very well.

I would say with that small of tractor, try to find you a good cuting disk, not a pulverizing disk. May have to go over it several times, then come back with a vibra-shank (field cultivator), drag harrow to get a finished seed bed and plant away

soundslike it was planted in trees for a reasonLOL jim

If it were me I'd take my time and 1st use a rip plow or a moldboard with trip springs. Big thing to keep from breaking stuff up is don't rush and allow the tool to work. Using a disc isn't in my book until everything is turned over because it hard to get the initial deep cut and the rocks can break teeth. Your tractor can handle more but for working an acre and on a hillside you should be able to find plenty implements that are small and cheap. Just an idea where i'm at in VA a 1 tooth chisel is like $100, 2-12 or 14 plow $400-500, and disc $100-300. Of course these are used prices but shop around to find some good stuff and happy farming.

Cliff

OK, I'll look harder for a disc plow/chisel plow/ripper/moldboard plow, and see about following that with a spike or springtooth harrow or field cultivator (most of which look very similar to springtooth harrows, to me, anyway) and a bedspring or two, skipping the disc harrow unless a deal falls in my lap.

Picking rocks just comes with the territory - and I prefer it to fighting the clay where I have a garden plot now, as options go. Price of living in the mountains. For the tiny amount of land and percentage of overall use this is, small will be fine - also, I may not have the greatest setup for plowing anyway - industrial transmission (4 speed power reverse) and will probably have R4 rather than R1 tires (R4 bald at the moment, but shopping for replacements).

If I can at least cover the width of the tractor (7 feet or so) that would be nice, but availability (used, local) will nnalert any sort of ideal - and I suspect from what I read the power probably isn't there to manage that much width in primary tillage anyway, though it should be easy in the harrow end (I think.) Certainly looks as though one ripper/subsoiler shank is it at this power level - might be able to do a bit more with a chisel plow (not as deep, I guess? But hardpan is not likely here.)

This particular chunk was a meadow and/or field for about 100 years, by the look of it and from old maps - then came the Christmas trees. The other side of the wall looks to have been trees for longer, though it was probably pasture 150 years ago.

I fear that if you try to break ground burdened with rocks and tree roots with a moldboard plow it will test your patients, your wallet, and may even cause you to violate that pledge we all took or should have taken never to curse again. Any chance you can hire a local that has a big heavy chisel plow with twisted spikes to cover it a couple of times in different directions. This will tear up the roots and bring rocks up.
It will make life with a small 3 pt cultivator or disc much happier. As others have said, multipul passes with a disc is an excellent way to compact the ground. It is how they build roads around here.