Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Small Disc Harrow or ?

Guys,

I have about 1.5 acres on the south side of the pond that is rougher than a cob. It takes me forever to mow because I have to go so slow and it still beats me to death. I'm looking for a 5 foot or so cat 1 single gang disc harrow to smooth it out when the ground is soft. All I've been able to find in that size are pull behind types. I want to be able to lift it up for transport. I can get a pull type for $200 to $300. I found a cat 1 about the right size but it is a double gang and I don't want to pull my little JD X585 that hard. Anybody now of a company that sells a small single gang cat 1? Anybody have another idea on a piece of equipment that would do the job in the same price range? I don't want to spend the bucks for a pull behind tiller with motor or PTO driven as I doubt I will use it very often in the future.

Bill, I had an area that was rough and hard to mow out a little ways in my pasture. I disced it up real good and it helped, but then I had a light go off in my head. We replaced our bedroom mattress and box springs. I took the old box springs and zip tied several cinder blocks on top for weight, them I pulled it behind my tractor to smooth the area up.

There was an old rig called a harrowgator see if you can find one of these. They will make your area as smooth as a driveway.

Cheers Don.

Good suggestion. I used something similar to that when I smoothed up some other areas that were unplanted. The problem area is planted in native prairie so lots of root structure. The heavy equipment drove around back there when we were digging the pond and left it all rutted. I'm thinking I will need something that can cut. I don't mind if I have to go over it half a dozen times.

Thanks Don,

I will check it out.

Thanks for the thought Don but, as far as I can tell, harrowgators are for leveling unplanted ground as well and will just plug up in planted ground.

Bill, I worry about using a cat 1 disc on that 585. I'm not sure it's up to the task. She just doesn't have the bulk to do a good job with it. Hate to see you spend the money and be disappointed, can you rent a disc locally, as a trial?

sounds like it is a one time job, if it is done right. you might hire it done really cheap by someone with a large tractor.

Wish I could. I can't even find anybody that makes a single gang cat 1. What do you recommend, just go with the small single gang pull behind? Thanks for your input Tony. I don't want to do something that will pull the guts out of this tractor.

You might try a pull-type, but a disc pulls deceptively hard, especially with weight added. I like Scott's suggestion of hiring it out with a larger tractor, then using the 585 and a small blade or yard box once the bulk is smoothed out.

I'll bet the box springs worked pretty well also. I know a guy who used to do the same thing once he drained down his HBG pond....worked wonders at freshening up the pea gravel. The box springs brought it right up out of the pond bottom.

Definitely being considered Scott. Cost of buying a disc and having it done is about the same. Nothing is cheap where I live. I was thinking, if I can buy a tool to do the job for the same money as having it done, I still have the tool at the end of the day.

I'm also buying a pull behind sprayer for the same reason. I can buy the sprayer for 1/3 the cost of having one treatment done to the lawn. Adding the cost of the herbicide and I'm still at 1/2 the cost.

The pull behind disc I'm looking at in Northern Tool catalog has adjustable degrees of attack, starting at 0 degrees. Still too much in your opinion? Maybe start at 0 for the first pass and then gradually increase with each successive pass? Don't mean to put you on the spot Tony but I consider you the guru on this stuff.

Probably be okay, just listen to the tractor, it'll tell you when you're set too aggressive.

Thanks Tony! I've never actually pulled the motor down on the 585. So far, I lose traction, even with the diff lock, before then. I'll move forward with the little pull behind disc. If nothing else, I get out in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine while I'm getting beat to death driving the tractor over the rough ground!

Do a search for pasture harrow.

They make small ones that are 3pt.

Will take multiple passes, but can be used on hard or tilled ground. Levels driveways pretty good too.

Farm stores likely will have one in stock.

In my soil, just disking brings up all the stone making matters worse. I have to plow, then disk, then use a potato harvester or York rake to help with the stones (or throw out my back). All done with small 2nd-hand devices bought at auction.

Another method I have seen that worked next door to me was to use what the farmer called a "breaker bar" which was simply a bent heavy steel rod driven into the ground about 10" and dragged through the area about to be plowed to break up some of the plants and roots. Otherwise with established vegetation it can clog up the plow often preventing the plow from getting to the depth needed.

If you want to preserve the vegetation as much as possible, set the plow depth very shallow. Just enough to hit off the bumps and fill the crevasses. Disking doesn't do much on its own other than breaking up the clods from plowing. If there is a lot of established vegetation, the disk will mostly ride over the top until you go over the area a lot of times. Make sure you have a good cushion on your seat!

What is making the ground rough? pot holes, old ruts, dirt mounds, bunch grasses, big rocks...

Are you mowing with a tractor or lawn mower?

Something to think about. I used railroad rail drags since the 80's to smooth fields and pastures. I have used them in home made drags both straight and V shaped.

Edit note: I always found it to work best for me to turn the top edge of the rail forward when making a drag.

Also this is not my drag pictured.

I use a JD X585 4WD tractor with belly mower.

I have used a box blade with rippers a couple inches below box to smooth ruts in a field with pretty good success. Also a homemade 3 point drag harrow built out of 2 7/8 pipe and railroad spikes.

I have a small 4' 3 pt disc and never been pleased with anything that I have done with it. To bad you not close enough to borrow it.

It is really hard to smooth and keep grass.