I use one of these "middle busters" on my little 4WD tractor for breaking new ground.
There are a lot of rocks and roots where I have my garden and where I keep adding food plots. These things do a great job of ripping roots and bring big rocks to the surface. I kind of level the furrows with a 6-foot landscape rack, also pulling up a lot of rocks and roots, and dumping it at the end of a row. I can then push the row of rocks and roots into a pile.
I did about a 100' x 150' plot late this summer that I will plant next spring. I haven tilled it. All the rain, snow, and freeze-thaw cycles have pretty much leveled it for me.
For one like this, I'll just scratch the surface in the spring with the rake and use a pull-behind spreader to seed it. I'll put out two of my big sprinklers attached to my 2-inch trash pump. They will run about an hour a day until the seeds have sprouted and have established decent roots.
I use a generic "wildlife foodplot" mix from the local farmer's co-op.
I prepared my main garden in late September using this technique, then planted winter rye cereal. It came up about three to five inches before the cold and snow started. I'll turn it over and till it next spring when the ground is workable.
