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dinman127263
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3 Woodstock, CT
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2005-08-08          114495


Hi. I'm a newbie to tractors and gardening, and would like to get some information about ploughs, mouldboard ploughs, tillers, disc harrows, cultivators etc. Basically, what do each do and which do I really need for a successful garden? I've got a Simplicity Legacy XL 27hp diesel with a 3-point category 1 hitch. I've read what I could find online, but am hoping to get a good definitive article defining all these attachments and exactly what each is best suited for. Thanks alot!



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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2005-08-08          114499


For gardening, a PTO driven 3 point tiller is probably best suited for your application. This will get the soil ready for planting. A small walk behind tiller for going between the rows after planting is also beneficial. ....


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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2005-08-08          114501


A mouldboard plow is old technology and lots less expensive than a tiller. Your tractor will be able to pull a single bottom (one mouldboard) and possibly a two bottom in sandy soils. You would normally plow 6-8" deep and this turns the soil over. It is good implement to break up new land and cover old crops like corn stalks. By flipping over the soil, the stalk for instance breaks down and rots creating nutrients for the soil. You would usually fall plow.

The new state of the art is not to till so deep since often by going so deep you turn over hard clay and get beneath the richest top soil. Farmers today use chisel plows which break up and loosen the soil but do not flip over the soil. The argument is that the old foliage decays above the ground faster than below. I don't agree.

In northern climates with frost, the plowed land loosens from freezing and thawing. You want loose soil so the root systems of plants are not impeded. ....


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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2005-08-08          114503


After fall plowing, in the spring time you could use a disc harrow to further break up the turned over soil and slightly level it off. Usually you would also drag some device behind to further level it out like a spiked drag.

If you have garden crops that decayed above ground like tomatoes, pumpkins you may chose to not plow but merely disk the soil to break-up and loosen the soil.

So if you use a plow, you will also need a disk or some other device to smooth and level the soil.

A tiller does several jobs all in one. You drive much slower but take a wider path of cut. Having a tractor will hydro operating the tiller is best, to be able to go at a creeping speed. Some geared tractors may be able to be used is the PTO is live. (ie. the PTO continues to operate with the clutch depressed). Hdro is optimum.
....


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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan
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2005-08-08          114504


Cultivators for garden use is pretty much obsolete. A walk behind tiller does this job.

A cultivator usually has 2,3 or more rows of horizontal beams (square shafts) that have a number of shanks attached with a knuckle. These shafts can be slid sideways to get overlapping coverage. On the end of the shank is a cultivator shovel. Several shapes and sizes are available. Object is to cut all the soil by overlapping shovels about 1-2" below the soil to desturb the root system of weeds. You place half shovels near the row crop and as it matures and grows you move the shovels further apart making sure the root system of the crop is not cut. ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-08-08          114510


I installed a garden about 3 years ago. I only had a walk-behind tiller with the tiller tines out in front. It did not want to cut through the sod. So a farmer friend came by with his big tractor and plow and turned it over for me. That cut the sod. I then used the walk behind tiller to bust up the sod chunks in spring. That took many hours and lots of sweat, cursing, etc.

The next patch I did I removed the sod with a shovel and then ran the tiller. Better, but gobs of work.

This spring, I bought a 60" tiller for the 3-point of my tractor. Why did I ever mess with the other crap? Because the PTO on the old tractor was broken and I have other excuses. The 3-pt tiller rocks!! It left a beautiful bed for planting.

But I grow weeds now since with the baby and everything else, my weeding hasn't been kept up. Oh well. BTW, my primary garden plot is 25 ft x 50 ft. The secondary is 15 x 15. It took me 20 minutes to till both with the big tiller. ....


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Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2005-08-08          114511


I looked at one of those 6ft tandem 3-point disk units. But I asked around for those who use them. They said it's ok, but not so good for breaking fresh ground or on hard packed soil. They just don't have enough weight to penetrate. The cemented the choice of the tiller. ....


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bmeyer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 175 Central Wisconsin
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2005-08-09          114558


I bought a GTC Woods Tiller for my John Deere 2210 and I couldn't be happier with the work it does. It turned over my new garden area with ease. The soil was rock hard and no match for my front tine tiller. I'd suggest you look into a tiller - lots of choices out there.

The other tools I've found helpful are my box blade and my landscape rake. Each helps move and groom soil around the 5 acres I have. I use the box blade as ballast for my loader and have been pleased.

My "worst purchase" was a Sub-Soiler point and plow. Without "down pressure" it rides up in hard soil. Not enough weight to keep it down. I now use my box blade to tear up new ground.

Lots of great stuff to purchase with the compact tractors! ....


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dinman127263
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3 Woodstock, CT
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2005-08-09          114563


I want to thank everyone for their answers, unfortunately, I'm currently being a cheap #*(* so a tiller might be out of the question for awhile. Also, I can't see all of your answers because I'm not a premium member of this site. Poor me huh?! Anyway, thanks alot, I do appreciate all your help. ....


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dinman127263
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3 Woodstock, CT
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2005-08-09          114578


I want to thank everyone for their answers, unfortunately, I'm currently being a cheap #*(* so a tiller might be out of the question for awhile. Also, I can't see all of your answers because I'm not a premium member of this site. Poor me huh?! Anyway, thanks alot, I do appreciate all your help. ....


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lbrown59
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2005-09-17          116564


I use a tiiller to back into dirt piles to create fine dirt for landscaping.
This is some thing you can't do with those other implements. ....


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