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By:
cityhunter
Date:02-Nov-14
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What are guys using for there farms , Spoke to many farmers who only use Disc but they are doing large tracts . What's the big diff between these two items. One is drag one is PTO powered .
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By:
drycreek
Date:02-Nov-14
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Louis, I get by with a disc, but I wish I had a roto tiller. I think the main difference is with the disc you have to make more passes and with the tiller you are one pass and done, although you have to go slow in a low gear. I believe that the tiller does a better job in the end.
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By:
cityhunter
Date:02-Nov-14
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It seems u can run a larger disc then a tiller ?Also for a area that hasn't been worked wouldn't a disc work better. I understand tiller works soil finer what are the advantages of this .
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By:
Teeton
Date:02-Nov-14
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Try to get a used 5 or 6 ft tiller for 350 bucks!! For a food plot, dose it have to be that level.. I'm a disc guy.. eD
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By:
CAS_HNTR
Date:02-Nov-14
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Here is our rig going into action this summer......old tractor, old disc, old cultipacker. ....works good for us!
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By:
greg simon
Date:02-Nov-14
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Farmers don't use pto driven tillers. They use disc with maybe a field cultivator and a harrow drag. Way cheaper than tiller, lasts longer, easier to use and very little to no difference in final crop quality or quantity.
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By:
greg simon
Date:02-Nov-14
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Main thing finer soil does is erode worse. You have to have it broken enough to plant but not to fine.
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By:
Genesis
Date:02-Nov-14
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PTO tillers are sexy and really are neat implements,however for my long distance farm I prefer a hydraulic disc to turn soil and then to lightly disc over seed to harrow.Just quicker for my limited time and I get good stands with heavy seed rates.
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By:
lewis
Date:02-Nov-14
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Have both go with good disc Lewi s
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By:
t-roy
Date:02-Nov-14
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I don't have a roto-tiller so I can't give any input on them, but I use my disc all the time. It depends on how much trash you have to work in. Bean stubble is no problem, but cornstalks are another thing altogether.
A field cultivator levels the ground really well if you don't have much trash to contend with.
I just bought a 14' cultimulcher & can't wait to try it next spring.
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By:
TurkeyBowMaster
Date:02-Nov-14
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Light weight row planters love the pulverized soil left by tillers. If all you are going to do is broadcast plant go with the disc.
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By:
TurkeyBowMaster
Date:02-Nov-14
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Light weight row planters love the pulverized soil left by tillers. If all you are going to do is broadcast plant go with the disc.
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By:
lewis
Date:04-Nov-14
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Pat x 2 Lewis
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Date:04-Nov-14
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I have both, and little rock so I like my tiller better since my plots are worked each year I can get it all done on one pass.
On new fields or those with some vegetation as Pat is showing, I like to spray Round-Up first. Killing the plants really makes a difference on turning the soil with a disc. Once the roots are not holding the soil the dirt turns over much easier.
The farm stores sell a 3 point sprayer. I pump water with a small gas engine from my pond since I am in the middle on no where. Since the water is a little dirty I increase the chemical because dirty water just does not work as well.
It seems conditions vary and that makes equipment needs change. Good luck!
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By:
cityhunter
Date:04-Nov-14
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thanks
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By:
Tndeer
Date:05-Nov-14
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I use both... break ground with disk then till.
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By:
Rex Featherlin
Date:06-Nov-14
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If anyone in west-central Illinosi is looking for a tiller. My buddy has 2 and is wanting to sell one. 6 footer with new cast iron gear box and great tines $1400
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By:
loprofile
Date:06-Nov-14
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On established fields with no rocks or stumps nothing beats a tiller in my opinion, especially if you are going to use a drill or planter.
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By:
dizzydctr
Date:06-Nov-14
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I also use both. I have what we call "post oak" soil here in central Alabama that can turn from mud to cement in 30 minutes. I am fortunate to have a heavy disc to break up the field initially and a 7 foot tiller that I can run over it a second time if the field is not too large and I have the time. The tiller evens it out and makes it a pretty seed bed. I think it helps get a better stand from my seed also. So far my tiller has been reliable but I dread the day that something breaks down and I have to work on it. I do usually plant with a drill or 4 row planter. I don't think I would use the tiller as much if I was mainly broadcasting seed. For large fields a "do all" or drag harrow after discing would do a good job a lot faster than a tiller.
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By:
TMA1010
Date:06-Nov-14
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I'm in IL so rocks aren't a concern - I haven't hooked the disk up since we bought a rototiller. I picked up a 7' tiller this fall on sale so I'm excited to get it out this spring. I'm expecting to get my plots turned over 16% faster with the extra 1' width.
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Date:06-Nov-14
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The timing of your tillage will make a good bit of difference in the way the soil breaks up. Don't ever plow in the spring, you will have major clod issues. I've had good results in waiting until very near planting time before I disc and watching the moisture content.
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By:
cityhunter
Date:06-Nov-14
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anybody disc in the late fall or will this set many weed seeds
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By:
badlander
Date:06-Nov-14
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City, most of the fields we break from sod we do late. Right now around us most every hunk of CRP is broken the day after its contract expires which is usually Oct. 28th I believe.
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By:
Teeton
Date:07-Nov-14
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I my neck for the woods it is to late to plant anything. Discing this late I would worry about erosion over winter and early spring..
Is the area your thinking doing at this time flat so hilly??
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By:
cityhunter
Date:07-Nov-14
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thanks badlander its flat but bottom ground
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By:
cityhunter
Date:09-Nov-14
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ok next question what size disc for 35 hp im about to buy a 22ft bat wing type :< naaa is 6ft to large
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By:
sawtooth
Date:09-Nov-14
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I use both. Rototiller is prefered in food plots if rocks are not a problem. Great for 1-5 acre food plots.
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By:
Bfulldraw
Date:17-Nov-14
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The only problem with tillers, other than that they are slower, is that they really "fluff" up the soil. If you are going to be planting small seeded crops like brassicas, clover, alfalfa, chicory etc, this can be a problem. Loose fluffy soils allow the seeds to be pounded down into the soil if you should get heavy rains soon after planting. This results in too deep of a planting depth for the seed and poor emergence. A disc does not fluff up the soil quite as much although they can to some extent. Which ever means you use, I suggest a cultipacker or some kind of roller before planting in order to firm up the seed bed. Larger seed crops such as soybeans, cowpeas, winterpeas, and to an extent, rye, wheat or triticale can deal with a little deeper planting depth and are not as finicky as smaller seeded crops. Tillers do chop up residue very nicely though, as long as it is dry. I have had issues with tillers "balling" up when trying to till a lot of green vegetation. A disc is hard to beat because of its versatility(in my opinion). City Hunter, I have a 32 hp tractor and use a six foot disc. I wouldn't suggest going much larger.
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By:
R. Hale
Date:17-Nov-14
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Anyone heard of a No Till drill? Advantages are many.
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By:
Bfulldraw
Date:17-Nov-14
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No till drills are great to an extent. The problem I have is that there is usually so much debris and residue that I get poor emergence. Also, most no till drills that I have seen are quite expensive. At least most of them are out of my reach. But they do definitely have a place in food plot management.
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By:
cityhunter
Date:17-Nov-14
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thanks for all the advice !!
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By:
Teeton
Date:17-Nov-14
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35 hp it all depends on ur soil. I have a old 45 hp and pull a weighed down 6 foot with no problems. Flat no hills,in the mid west should work fine. Is it a 2 wd or 4 wd drive. If the tires have good tread it should work fine with 2wd. You can always make a a few passes going deeper each pass. May sure you kill it a few weeks before you disc. Makes it a lot easier to disc. eD
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By:
cityhunter
Date:16-Dec-14
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ok got my Disc. Spring cant get here soon enough !
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By:
Rayzor
Date:16-Dec-14
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Have both. Wish we had a grain drill. Tilling makes a nice seed bed if you are killing off n field and planting new. The more we till the more I wish we had a drill though.
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By:
wildan
Date:20-Dec-14
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I use a tiller for about ten acres a year.Plow first and till once.We have a lot of rocks and I just leave the discharge flap wide open.I am on ten years with my Bush-Hog tiller with no problems.
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By:
Kurchak
Date:21-Dec-14
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a disk is secondary tillage tool on all but the lightest soils. A tiller is both primary and secondary. A moldboard or chisel plow followed by a disc harrow as secondary is what most farmers used prior to the 1990s. For small acreage in clean soil a tiller is a one pass tool and is fine. For most applications the plow/disk method is best. No-till is a great option, but is a more complicated process, as well as requires expensive equipment to be done properly. Plow/disc/plant with old farm equipment for the 60s is bombproof and inexpensive.
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By:
BIG BEAR
Date:29-Dec-14
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I have 20 acres in Michigan's U.P. and want to put in a few small food plots. (Very small compared to what you guys are doing).....
I am wondering if I should invest in a small disc that can be pulled behind my 4-wheeler;; Or use a garden type roto tiller.... I have 2 small clearings that I have in mind for food plots..... What is best for the initial breaking up of the ground ??
Also;; Have any of you heard of or had any experience with the ground hog max disc for quads... I have and older (2000) Honda Fourtrax; I Think some modifications would have to be made to my receiver to install the ground hog;; But the Demo videos of the product really impressed me....
Any help would be appreciated.
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Date:29-Dec-14
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Bear,
Started off with both, a garden tiller and then a ATV disc. A lot depends on the soil type IMO. Should be easy enough to rent or borrow a garden tiller before investing in the expensive disc. Depends on the size of the plots as well. I would also try frost seeding some clovers and then use an ATV sprayer with appropriate herbicides to get the results you desire.
Good luck!
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By:
cityhunter
Date:30-Dec-14
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Big bear i played with them walk behind disc in Iowa sucked ! They are made for garden wk ... If u have any weeds more then a few inches u will spend more time cleaning the tiller then doing wk !
I bought a nice used 6ft disc cheap !!
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By:
BIG BEAR
Date:30-Dec-14
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OK Thanks !! I don't know a thing about food plots;; But as of right now I'm leaning toward 2 very small plots using no till "Throw and Grow"...
I think I'd still like to break up the ground; and I'm leaning towards purchasing the Ground Hog Max Disc for my ATV.....
Thanks again !!
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By:
cityhunter
Date:30-Dec-14
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big bear its easy if u could go do a soil test and while there spread some lime for next season
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By:
wildan
Date:31-Dec-14
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I use a tiller for my ten acres of food plots.Plow first ,till once.A disc would take four or five passes to work up after plowing.My tractor is 44HP and 7,000lbs. Of course the large AG operations use disc,running 200+HP tractors and monster disc (very heavy). The smaller tractors do a lot better IMHO with a tiller. I have tons of rocks;I just leave the discharge flap wide open and it(for the most part)it just spits them out the back.
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By:
cpudoc
Date:31-Dec-14
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You can pull about 2' of disk per 1000 lbs of tractor and maybe 3' with a 4WD tractor per 1000 lbs of tractor. Light disks do a POOR job and take many passes. Ones with notched front blades do much better in trash than smooth blades.
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By:
daddycute
Date:13-Jan-17
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For my farming I use a tractor. But for my gardening I use rototiller. It's convenient to use for my gardening project.
https://www.jenreviews.com/best-rototiller/
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By:
MK111
Date:14-Jan-17
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I had to buy a rototiller for my planting. I turned a 75 yr old cattle pasture into a food plot on my farm. The ground was so hard and solid from 75 yrs of cattle being grazed on it a disk only rolled across the top making scratches. Doing over I would have picked up a used field cultivator and tried breaking the surface then disking. For the couple acres I do it works out great. A cultipacker in my mind is almost a must have. The 1st couple years I got by with a fence drag but a cultipacker I now have makes a much better finish job.
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By:
Buffalomtn
Date:14-Jan-17
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Don't disk or till your soil every planting. Use a disk for new field preparation and the plant from then on with a No Till Drill. Keeps moisture in the ground and does not encourage germination of weed seeds that are in the soil bank.
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By:
Scooby-doo
Date:14-Jan-17
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I myself use both but all my plots are disked when I am first putting in the plot. After they are in and I re-do them it depends what was planted. My blots with turnips and radishes and beets will get the roto tiller as they tend to help keep the soil softer. My other plots like corn or soybeans get the disk and then a springtooth to level them out. If I could only have one it would be a set of discs. Scooby
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By:
t-roy
Date:14-Jan-17
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Cultimulcher. Kind of a combination of a springtooth and cultipacker. Other than my tractor, it's the best piece of equipment I own. It makes an awesome seed bed.
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Date:14-Jan-17
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I have a Howse disc harrow, which is a disc with notched blades that you can set the angle for both gangs of discs so it really digs in. It is very heavy, over 900 pounds, which helps a lot.
Tillers are great if you have small plots and no rock. I have large plots and lots of rock, so a tiller is a no go and that's fine. I can move at about 3 or 4 times the speed I'd have to go if I had a tiller.
Tillers are also very mechanically complicated compared to a disc. Lots of bearings, drive parts, etc. Tillers do produce a nice looking seed bed, but overall I would question if this much more than a cosmetic benefit when it comes to growing most plot crops.
I would have to believe that tillers are hard on weeds because the turn the soil so completely.
To BigBear - I've tried ATV discs when we had small plots and I wasn't that impressed. They are slow and it's hard to add enough weight to really get them to dig in. The constant turning at the end of the plot is difficult in confined spaces. Maneuverability is just so limited because unlike a 3 point disc for a tractor, you can't lift the disc to turn more easily.
I have not tried the GroundHog things but I've heard great reports from several owners. They seem to solve a lot of problems compared to a drag behind disc.
Grouse
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By:
XMan
Date:17-Jan-17
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XMan's Supporting Link
For those of you who have not read up on no tilling, here is a great article on it. We don't need to buy costly equipment to do foodplots. Although I did breakdown and buy a drill :)
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By:
Russell
Date:17-Jan-17
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Not to highjack this thread, but are Plotmaster machines better for part-time farmers planting food plots?
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By:
Teeton
Date:17-Jan-17
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I added about 5/600lbs on top of my discs. Really helped it cut.
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Date:18-May-17
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Unless it is 30" disk blades and requires 15 HP per foot, a disc is secondary tillage tool. A rototiller is both a primary and secondary tool, but is slow and expensive and does not work well in rocks. Old chisel or moldboard plow (primary tillage), old disk with drag (secondary tillage), and old cultipacker work awesome. If you have access to a new style no-till drill or planter (Great Plains, sodbuster, TYE, JD etc, and reasonably competant with herbicides and ATV sprayer the new fangled drill does all of the soil prep at seed site in one pass. A rebuilt JD 7000/7100 two row corn planter with no-till coulter and fertilizer bins(the big unit in FRONT of the seeds with it own openers) can be bought for under $3000, can be used with a 30 hp tractor, and will plant corns/beans/sunflowers better than any old style system in one pass (other than spray passes with ATV sprayer for burn down and maybe one post emerge pass). For fall brassicas/wheat/rye etc they can be broadcast into the standing beans once the leaves turn brown with professional results.
