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Tillage & Soil Prep Equipment
Plows, disks, cultivators, tillers and rippers prepare the seedbed, and the soil pays for mistakes in timing and depth. Learn the equipment, the systems and the care that keeps it working.
50 guides in this section.
- Primary Tillage vs. Secondary Tillage
Primary tillage opens up the ground. Secondary tillage finishes it into something a seed can use. Knowing where one stops and the other starts keeps... - Moldboard Plow Basics
The moldboard plow cuts a slice of soil and turns it over, burying residue and leaving a clean surface. It is old technology that still earns its... - Chisel Plow Use and Setup
A chisel plow tears and loosens soil without turning it over, so it leaves a good share of residue on the surface. Set up right, it is one of the... - Disk Harrow Buying Guide
A disk harrow is a workhorse for breaking clods, chopping residue and smoothing ground. Whether you are buying new or used, a methodical inspection... - Offset Disk vs. Tandem Disk
Both disks cut and break soil, but they are built differently and behave differently in the field. Here is how to tell which suits your acreage and... - Field Cultivator Basics
A field cultivator is the go-to secondary tool on many farms. It levels, kills small weeds and prepares a seedbed in one trip, if you set it up and... - Cultivator Sweeps and Shovels
Sweeps and shovels are the small parts that do the real cutting. Picking the right shape and replacing them before they wear out saves fuel and gives... - Deep Ripper Benefits
A deep ripper fractures compacted soil far below the reach of a plow or disk. It can help a lot, but only when compaction is really the problem and... - Subsoiler Use and Adjustment
A subsoiler breaks hardpan below normal tillage depth. Getting the adjustment right is the difference between shattered soil and a field full of... - No-Till vs. Conventional Tillage
No-till leaves the soil alone and plants straight into residue. Conventional tillage works the ground before planting. Each has trade-offs, and the... - Reduced Tillage Systems
Reduced tillage sits between plowing everything and touching nothing. You cut the number of passes or the depth, keep more residue on the surface and... - Strip Tillage Basics
Strip tillage works only a narrow band where the seed will go and leaves the rest of the soil and residue untouched. It tries to give you a warm... - Vertical Tillage Explained
Vertical tillage tools work the soil mostly up and down rather than turning it. They chop and size residue and lightly fracture the surface, usually... - Rotary Tiller Buying Guide
A PTO rotary tiller turns hard ground into a fine seedbed fast. Choosing one that fits your tractor and your soil matters more than picking the... - Tiller Tine Maintenance
Tiller tines wear faster than almost anything on the machine. Keeping them sharp and correctly installed makes the tiller work better and protects... - Power Harrow Basics
A power harrow uses driven tines that rotate or oscillate in a horizontal plane to break clods and create a level, fine seedbed in one pass. It is... - Soil Pulverizer Use
A soil pulverizer breaks clods into fine particles and firms the surface, often in one pass. Used at the right moment it saves work. Used too often... - Land Leveling Equipment
Level ground drains evenly, mows cleanly and plants consistently. The right leveling tool depends on how big the high and low spots are and how much... - Grading a Driveway with a Box Blade
A box blade can turn a rutted gravel drive into a smooth, crowned surface in an afternoon. The trick is to plan the water flow first and then work in... - Building Raised Beds with a Tractor
Raised beds improve drainage and warm the soil sooner. A tractor can form many rows quickly, but you need to plan bed width, wheel track and the... - Soil Compaction Prevention
Compaction is far easier to prevent than to fix. Most of it comes from driving or grazing on soil that is too wet, and most of it is avoidable with... - Managing Soil Moisture at Tillage
The same tillage tool can leave a fine seedbed or a field of hard clods, and the difference is usually soil moisture. Learning to read it saves fuel,... - Tillage Depth Decisions
Deeper is not always better. Every inch of tillage depth costs fuel, time and moisture, so the right depth is the shallowest one that does the job... - Seedbed Preparation Checklist
A good seedbed is mostly preparation and patience. Work through this checklist and you will catch the problems that usually show up weeks later as a... - Fall Tillage Pros and Cons
Fall tillage can spread out your workload and give heavy ground time to weather. It also leaves soil bare through winter and spring, so it is worth... - Spring Tillage Timing
The calendar does not tell you when to start tillage in spring. The soil does, and a few simple checks will keep you from smearing wet ground or... - Cover Crop Termination with Equipment
Ending a cover crop with equipment instead of chemicals is doable, but it depends on growth stage, weather and the right tool. Here is how to think... - Roller Crimper Basics
A roller crimper flattens a cover crop and crushes its stems in one pass without turning the soil. It is simple equipment, but timing and setup... - Mulch Tillage Systems
Mulch tillage works the soil enough to prepare a seedbed while leaving a good share of crop residue on the surface. It sits between full plowing and... - Erosion Control on Farm Roads
A farm road that washes out after every storm costs you time, equipment wear and topsoil. Most problems come down to water, and water can be managed. - Terracing Equipment
Terraces break a long slope into shorter ones so rain slows down and soaks in instead of carrying soil downhill. Building them takes planning, the... - Waterway Construction Equipment
A grassed waterway is a shaped, vegetated channel that carries water across a field without cutting a gully. The equipment is familiar, but the shape... - Drainage Plow Basics
A drainage plow cuts a narrow slot in the ground and feeds drain pipe into it in one pass. It is an efficient way to dry wet ground, and also an easy... - Tile Plow vs. Trencher
Both machines put drain pipe in the ground, but they work differently and suit different jobs. The right choice comes down to soil, scale, depth and... - Soil Testing Before Tillage
A soil test costs little compared with the fuel, time and inputs you put into a field. It tells you what the ground needs before you spend a pass on... - Lime Application Equipment
Lime fixes acid soil, but only if it lands evenly and in the amount your soil test calls for. The spreader you use has a lot to do with that. - Fertilizer Spreaders for Tillage Systems
The right fertilizer spreader depends on how you till. Conventional, mulch and no-till systems each put different demands on how and when product... - Compost Incorporation
Compost builds soil, but only if it ends up where roots can use it. Spreading, timing and incorporation each affect the result. - Manure Spreader Setup
A manure spreader that is hitched, set and calibrated properly puts nutrients where you want them. One that is not can overload a spot, throw product... - Tillage Equipment Maintenance
Tillage tools work in dirt, rocks and moisture, so they wear fast. A simple routine of looking, greasing and fixing small problems keeps them running... - Bearing and Seal Replacement on Tillage Tools
Disc and gang bearings live in grit and moisture, so they fail more often than most parts on a tillage tool. Catching trouble early saves the hub,... - Sharpening Tillage Blades
A sharp blade cuts residue and soil with less pull. A dull one pushes, plugs and burns fuel. Sharpening is simple, but done wrong it can ruin a good... - Replacing Shovels and Sweeps
Shovels and sweeps are the parts that touch the soil, so they wear out first. Replacing them on time protects the shanks and keeps tillage even. - Preventing Plugging in Tillage Equipment
Plugging stops work, wastes fuel and tempts people to take risks. Most plugs trace back to wet soil, heavy residue or a machine set up wrong for the... - Tillage Fuel Efficiency
Tillage is one of the biggest fuel burners on a farm. Small changes in setup, timing and practice add up over a season without any special equipment. - Tillage Equipment Transport Safety
Moving a big tillage tool from field to field is when many close calls happen. Wide loads, slow speeds and distracted drivers make road transport a... - Buying Used Tillage Equipment
A used tillage tool can save real money, but only if you inspect it the way a mechanic would. Look past fresh paint and ask what the machine has been... - Storing Tillage Equipment
Tillage tools sit idle for months, and rust, moisture and mice do a lot of damage in that time. A few hours at the end of the season pays back in... - Tillage Equipment for Small Farms
Small farms need tillage tools that fit a small tractor, small fields and small budgets. The best choice is often the simplest tool that does the job... - Tillage Equipment for Large Acreage
On large acreage, the question is not just what tool works but how many acres it can cover in the days the soil is ready. Capacity, timeliness and...