Introductory Guide to Tillage Equipment
When you need to till a large piece of land, you’re going to need tillage equipment to help you out! Tilling also helps bury the residue left by the previous crop and kill weeds that may have sprouted since then. Over time, tillage equipment has become more precise and efficient, so when you get the right piece, you not only save time and effort, you also have a less negative impact on the soil.
Bucklin Tractor & Implement is proud to be the preferred tillage equipment dealer in Kansas! We also like to help our clients make the right decisions for their operations. Read our guide below to figure out which machine will help you till your land best. If you’re looking for tillage equipment for sale, contact us and one of our helpful staff members will gladly assist you!
Discs
The disc harrow is the preferred tillage tool of the Corn Belt. Also known as simply ‘discs’, these are rows of carbon steel or boron disc blades that are fixed on a frame. As the disc is dragged, it breaks, lifts and loosens the soil. Usually, one pass with a disc is enough to get the job done. Too much discing and you’ll reduce effective erosion control.
Herbicides and other surface-applied products can be incorporated to a disc. These shouldn’t be used when the soil is wet as it compacts the soil and you’ll need additional tilling operations to break that up. When compaction happens at a deeper level, it can restrict root growth and reduce yields in drier years.
Plows
Plows are some of the oldest farming tools. They use blades that are drawn through the soil to create furrows. Plows can be used for medium-depth and deep tillage. A chisel plow can till the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches using a row of staggered shanks that can be adjusted according to your needs. A moldboard plow has wing-like blades that cover all the soil leaving behind clean-cut furrow slices.
If you need to reach greater depths, you can use subsoil plows. These plows have tines that can be straight or have a bent leg (called a paraplow). These are used for deep tillage and leave behind evenly-spaced slots that are 15 to 20 inches in depth. This type of tilling doesn’t usually require other operations and the crops can be planted in the tilled rows directly.
Rippers
These are primary tillage tools that can limit compaction and control moisture. Rippers can help to enhance soil conditions and often lead to higher yields. You can use rippers to manage the post-harvest residue and create a soil environment that helps seed placement and conserve the resources necessary for a good harvest.
For your main tillage needs, you can get disk rippers or in-line rippers. Both can help you cut, size and mix crop residue to control soil erosion and give your higher yields. Rippers help to increase organic matter in the soil, allowing moisture to penetrate faster and improve drainage. Just adjust the settings to get the best results for your fields.
Cultivators
If you want less-aggressive primary tillage equipment, check out cultivators. These are a good option for soil that’s medium-textured and well-drained. Since this is a shallow tillage option, it’ll require less fuel, time and labor to get done than other options in this list. Cultivators are also used as secondary tillage tools before spring planting.
Field cultivators come in various sizes, from ones that can be used in small gardens to ones that can help you take care of large fields. You can use your cultivator to destroy any weeds that cropped up after your primary plowing. Its staggered tines provide clearance so that clods and plant residues can freely pass through. A sweep cultivator has large v-shaped blades that can cut soil up to depths of 12 to 15 cm.
We hope this article has given you a better idea of which style will suit your fields the best! If you need more information or are ready to check our tillage equipment for sale, get in touch with us at Bucklin Tractor & Implement to see what we have available! We’re proud to be the leading tillage equipment dealer in Kansas!