Disc Harrow w/L3200?

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rhouse181

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Apr 6, 2019
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Houston
Trying to plan out implement purchases for a new to me L3200... I have about 40 acres of old bermuda grass pasture that I'm converting back to native grasses and forbs to improve hunting on my property.

Plan on burning the pastures next winter to remove the matted bermuda. I then need some implement to provide enough soil disturbance to create a decent seed bed to reintroduce the natives.

My first inclination is a smaller disk harrow because of the area that i'm covering, but some have the opinion that the L3200 doesn't have the pulling power to be effective once you start adding some weight.

Just wondering if anyone has taken on a similar project and there is some good advice for implement selection...
 
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Wbk

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Feb 20, 2013
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St Adolphe Manitoba Canada
A few years ago I purchased a 5' and pulled it behind my bx 2660 to cut up some sod but I only had a couple of acres to do (it was working real hard). Is there no farmer in your area that you could hire to do it as it sounds like a one time occurrence.
 
GeoHorn

GeoHorn

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I'm not a farmer and didn't know squat about a disc harrow when I bought a brand new Land Pride from Kubota last year to tearup/disturb the dirt on 10 acres before grading/smoothing it for a heavy roller. (Grass aircraft runway with hog damage.)

I was also concerned that my little 9N Ford couldn't do the job and bought a much larger Kubota (M4700DT). What over-kill and waste of time and money.

I'll bet (depending on soil conditions) your L3200 will pull a disc harrow just fine. I grew up in Houston and the soil down there would not be difficult at all for your set up.

The only problem I have is... I found out my compactor roller didn't need the soil loosened up to solve my problem. All I needed was to wait until it rained and run the roller over it a couple times. Now I have a barely used Land Pride Disc Harrow I cannot use. And a 72" Tiller also. :(

Exactly where near Houston are you? Maybe you'd like to try my disc out with your tractor...and if it works... you and I both will benefit.... I'll be able to get some of my money back on a disc used for an hour and you'll get a new disc harrow below retail. :)
 
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Russell King

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L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Jun 17, 2012
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Austin, Texas
Find a seed company with a no till seed drill


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Fordtech86

Fordtech86

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Aug 7, 2018
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Pineville,LA
I have a 60 inch land pride disc harrow for my L3200 and it has no issues pulling it at all, besides I could use a little more weight on the disc to help it dig more. It could probably go a little bigger. I even pull the disc with an old school spike harrow chained to it and its never had an issue.
 
Fordtech86

Fordtech86

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Btw, my 3200 is gear drive with r4 tires. Doubt it would make much difference with an hst tho. Not sure what your buying...
 
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bambam31

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L3800HST 4x4,R1,FEL, 6'disc, 5'bush hog,piranhaTB,6'grader,6'rake, 48"forks
Apr 3, 2014
315
26
23
Mobile, AL
I have a 6’ disc with 20” blades that weighs 650 lbs. My L3800 pulls it plus a telephone pole without a problem. You don’t have to turn over ever blade of grass to get something to grow so I don’t use any extra weight. Deep tillage is not necessary. You just need to scratch the surface. We have been using this method at our deer camp for years and we have saved a ton of time and fuel costs.
 
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rhouse181

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Apr 6, 2019
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Houston
bambam31 said:
I have a 6’ disc with 20” blades that weighs 650 lbs. My L3800 pulls it plus a telephone pole without a problem. You don’t have to turn over ever blade of grass to get something to grow so I don’t use any extra weight. Deep tillage is not necessary. You just need to scratch the surface. We have been using this method at our deer camp for years and we have saved a ton of time and fuel costs.
Click to expand...
You use the telephone poll as a "cultipacker" behind the disk?

I'm not trying to turn 12" of soil... 2-3" should be more than enough to get something established.

Appreciate the feedback everyone. Think I'll start creeping around craigslist to find an old disk harrow to try...
 
S

SDT

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multiple and various
Apr 15, 2018
3,084
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SE, IN
rhouse181 said:
Trying to plan out implement purchases for a new to me L3200... I have about 40 acres of old bermuda grass pasture that I'm converting back to native grasses and forbs to improve hunting on my property.

Plan on burning the pastures next winter to remove the matted bermuda. I then need some implement to provide enough soil disturbance to create a decent seed bed to reintroduce the natives.

My first inclination is a smaller disk harrow because of the area that i'm covering, but some have the opinion that the L3200 doesn't have the pulling power to be effective once you start adding some weight.

Just wondering if anyone has taken on a similar project and there is some good advice for implement selection...
Click to expand...
40 acres?

Best way would be to spray it with Round Up (at the appropriate time), and no till the seed.

You will not kill the existing grass by discing.

SDT
 
S

sparky45

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L 3301DT
Dec 5, 2018
248
51
28
SEDAN
I wish you lots of luck in destroying or cutting back the Bermuda grass; here in SE KS we routinely run a disk over Bermuda in the early spring to cut it up, seems to make it thrive.
 
B

bambam31

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L3800HST 4x4,R1,FEL, 6'disc, 5'bush hog,piranhaTB,6'grader,6'rake, 48"forks
Apr 3, 2014
315
26
23
Mobile, AL
rhouse181 said:
You use the telephone poll as a "cultipacker" behind the disk?

I'm not trying to turn 12" of soil... 2-3" should be more than enough to get something established.

Appreciate the feedback everyone. Think I'll start creeping around craigslist to find an old disk harrow to try...
Click to expand...
I cut it down to about 7’ and screwed in two eye bolts. I run two chains from the pole to the disk. The pole doesn’t compress the soil like a cultipacker. It just smooths, levels and covers the seed.

FIW, we always spray before disk and plant.
 
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rhouse181

New member
Apr 6, 2019
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0
0
Houston
I'll be working with a gear drive on r1s...

I like the telephone pole idea, might have to borrow that one! Also want to try some old chain link fencing which seems like it would work well mixing in small seeds.

Fighting established bermuda is definitely going to be an uphill battle. I'm hoping that burning the field will knock everything down. Plan to disc immediately after and let it sit for a couple month during the winter. Then disc again in early spring, followed by the first pass of seeding natives. Rinse and repeat the next couple of years to see how it goes.

Would like to avoid indiscriminate herbicide application if at all possible. Between the little kids and dogs running around, not worth the exposure. Already have a hard enough time keeping them out of all the prickly pear after spot treatment.

Would love to upgrade to a no-till drill eventually... too many capital intensive projects competing for resources to pull the trigger on one right now. Those RTP Genesis drills look pretty sweet.
 
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K

Kingcreek

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Grand L3010 GST 4wd, LA481FEL, various attachments and accessories
Aug 3, 2011
457
1
18
NW Illinois
SDT said:
40 acres?

Best way would be to spray it with Round Up (at the appropriate time), and no till the seed.

You will not kill the existing grass by discing.

SDT
Click to expand...
+ this
you need to borrow a seed drill.
Don't know about your area but here the state agencies and pheasants forever rent them cheap.
 
A

AllDodge

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M9540 RTV1100
Jan 19, 2019
191
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16
South Central, ky
I'm in about the same place, going to buy a 3pt disc harrow (bush hog 3D96) and then do some reseeding. Have a bunch of real ruff stuff that needs smoothing. Looking into a used cultipacker for finish and seed, but from the answers might see about a no drill
 
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Kingcreek

Member

Equipment
Grand L3010 GST 4wd, LA481FEL, various attachments and accessories
Aug 3, 2011
457
1
18
NW Illinois
AllDodge said:
I'm in about the same place, going to buy a 3pt disc harrow (bush hog 3D96) and then do some reseeding. Have a bunch of real ruff stuff that needs smoothing. Looking into a used cultipacker for finish and seed, but from the answers might see about a no drill
Click to expand...
Check with your local pheasants forever or quail unlimited, or your regional govt offices for NRCS, soil and water conservation, or DNR etc.
I rented a seed drill pretty reasonable and they delivered it and picked it up a few days later. Had to get on the list and time my herbicide application etc but worked great. Last time I bartered with a neighbor for his. I've only needed a seed drill 2x in 25 years and I have 24 acres of prairie grass.
The food plots I can manage without a drill.
 
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