Re: Re: 656 Hydro, the perfect tractor?

Posted by Darren on January 31, 2001 at 21:29:12 from (64.154.184.213):

In Reply to: Re: 656 Hydro, the perfect tractor? posted by Robert on January 31, 2001 at 15:38:04:

Sir Robert,

A couple years ago I got it into my head that a fella' could do in two or three passes (disc twice, rototill) what most guys do in five or six (disc twice, plow, disc twice, roller, soil condition or some such) and with less soil compaction to boot. I brought it up to some of the big farmers 'round here and found myself promptly shot down. In the end it's probably more a case of personal preference or sircumstance than pure science.

Here in Western Washington State for instance, say you spend all day on a tiller then get rained on, well there goes your seedbed, and you're back to five or six (very expensive) passes. Using conventional equipment you could whack down the same piece of ground in an hour, and be planting in two.

Come spring here we farm when the "weather window" is open. We've got alot of ground to cover and minutes count. And unless you've got a big red S on your chest you can't rototill at a plows depth WELL with anything remotely resembling swiftness. She'll climb or walk on ya'.

Anyway, that's what the big guys think. Me, I'm not a big guy and here's what I think;

Until you brought it up I hadn't even considered using a good tiller INSTEAD of a plow, guess I'd just forgotten that option, and it's a good one. The gentleman I've been leasing equipment from would flip if I did twenty acres with his new tiller. But if we're running our own gear, Bob, we can do whatever we damn well please, can't we? Except for eight acres of pumpkin ground I'm only working up half-acre hunks at a time anyway (market farmer, lotta little plantings ten days apart).

But even if so, I'd still disk it up a week or two beforehand, otherwise nasty little grass and weed clumps would invariably end up on the surface and play havoc with the precision tools. A disk will also level last years ruts; if a tire dips or rises with a tiller on so does your seedbed, then you've got a rollercoaster to deal with all season.

As for the speed, come on over to my place and I'll show you a sandy-loam carrot bed dug damn slow and nose-heavy with the Flintstone mesh wheel barely touching down giving you the consistency of twelve inches of angel food cake. THAT'S supreme.

Did I pass?

Highest regards,
Darren

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