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Pulling a subsoiler

M

Mark

Well-known Member
I have been pondering how folks ever pulled a subsoiler through hard clay soil with a small tractor.

My tractor isn't a big machine by any stretch, it's a JD 5320 with 4 WD and I've had juiced up to 82 horses. But I am here to tell you, when my single shank subsoiler with mole ball attached is sunk down 24" deep, it's all the JD wants.

I had a neighbor subsoil for me many years ago and he used an old Super C.....but I don't remember how deep the SS went. Looking back, I wonder how it ever pulled it and cannot imagine an 8N or similar doing it either.

What small tractors have you seen do this work?
 
I think it is pretty safe to say the low horsepower and much lighter antiques didn't rip down very far. 24" seems deeper than you would need. Now if you upgrade to that 13 shank......
 
For regular plowing in many kinds of soil when it's extra dry the plow pulls harder and pulls up "bolders". Maybe you're dealing with that?
 
24" is as deep as any "normal" subsoiler can go. Most don't go that deep. My Brillion subsoiler has a warning that says to avoid going deeper than 16". Even with 32" shanks. The higher shanks are for underframe residue clearance. A JD 5320 isn't quite big enough. A 5420 would be. Bigger 4 cyl 276 cu in engine. I have no problem pulling a 3 shank Brillion subsoiler through hard red clay to a depth of 17-18". But I couldn't do it seven years ago on the first try. Land has loosened up a bit due to repeat passes.
 
I pull mine about 20" deep with my WD45. Pulls nice till it hits buried "treasure". Then it's a party.
 
I rarely went over 16" deep. I liked to subsoil twice at 45 degree angles across a field, 6" below the plow hardpan. Or run the passes to a waterway. I also ran an oliver plow in off years that had small teeth attached to the frogs and ran them 4" below the plow shares. I would take a soil probe in the spring while it was wet to check for hard pan, the other way was if you know the land well enough you could tell if the water wasn't getiing to the field drains. Odd number of shanks in a V shape pull easier than shanks in a straight row. It is suprising how much a subsoiler moves the dirt sideways below ground..James
 
My subsoiler has a 36" shank.....I built it. 24" of penetration is all my little tractor can handle and that"s in 4 WD and the FEL raised all the way up, to distribute the weight evenly over the wheels. It doesn"t spin much as long as the draft control is properly adjusted.

The reason I sank it as deep as it would go, is due to one section having a wet spot and I want to channel that water away. Furthermore, I know this ground hasn"t ever been subsoiled and the hardpan was like rock.

As for seeing the ground move..hehe, it"s weird to see it hove up 6 inches high and out a foot on either side of the trench. I was always told to SS when it is dry...as this causes the ground to shatter better.....and, I believe it. Sometimes, clods the size of footballs will roll out.

Yes, it would be nice to own some monstrous tractor that would play with a SS"er. I have a pal with a gorgeous rebuilt JD 4630...that would be fun to watch it toy with a single shank SS"er.....you reckon it would handle it!!!?
 
The hardness of the clay is subject to how we perceive it, but subsoiling at 24" will make any 82 horse tractor struggle like crazy. I don't know how it calculates out exactly, but the deeper we go the more power it's going to take per inch of depth.

I put my Deere five shank V ripper behind a 210 horse four wheel drive and sank it down an honest 17", I measured the depth several times, and in the tough spots it's all the tractor wanted both traction and power wise. I found out some of the drainage tile was only 16" deep. Oops! Jim
 
Without even mentioning Steam tractors, there sere plenty large tractors made in the 20's and 30's..

The 1932 Case "L" was a 4-plow tractor and the Oil-Pulls were made with up to 60 Horse Power..!

I think those were "Belgian" Horse Power..!!!
Not the same as the way it is measured these days...
 
Jim,

I would imagine that most folks would also be wanting to cover some ground and get as much done in a day as possible. I was in no hurry and did all my work in low gear......no need in destroying the clutch or tearing something up.......if a truly big rock was encountered 2 feet deep.

Most hard pan is just below regular plowing depth....8" to 12" deep and 16" subsoiling should get it all. If I ran my single shank subsoiler at 16".......I could seemingly fly with it...hehe!

We have been in a drought this summer and the ground is so hard and bone dry. It was a great opportunity for me to hit that spot that generally is wet during a normal year. The mole ball makes a nice channel for the water to follow...at least that"s the theory.

And as for depth of penetration....yep, I measured how deep the shank was going...24"-25".

Still yet, I am surprised at how hard it is, to pull a narrow subsoiler through hard ground....it"s like dropping anchor!
 
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