Cereal drill for very stony land these days.

[L P]

How will a disc bury them? A tine or a suffolk coulter is only running at derilling depth, and pushes stones out of the way, dropping seed as it goes. A drilling disc mostly rides over the stones. A convex cultivating disc might go some way to burying them, but thats not the type found on a drill

Agree a disc drill wouldn't be my choice, sweep wing cultivators are shocking for lifting stone to the surface... looks like they want ploughing down, maybe a carrier type disc cultivator and tine drill, else most of the seed will be on the surface

 

[davidroberts30]

Agree a disc drill wouldn't be my choice, sweep wing cultivators are shocking for lifting stone to the surface... looks like they want ploughing down, maybe a carrier type disc cultivator and tine drill, else most of the seed will be on the surface

Plough to 8inch then kkk the field a few times get them all on the surface
Either stonebear them or plough field again 8inch then dd forever more

 

[DieselRob]

Whilst my first suggestion was in jest if you’re wanting to crop that field regularly rather than just reseeding grass then it might be worth the discussion with the landlord, to use for your own yard/tracks or something on the estate.

I farm on stony land (nothing crazy compared to what you’ve got!) and I’ve gone for a Weaving sabre tine, because it’s only pulling a leg to seeding depth you’re just shuffling round the stones at the top rather than dragging new up. I pick anything that is too big for the rollers to squash back in. Some 20ac fields now I’m only picking 1 or 2 off rather than a transport box full

 

[Drillman]

Plough it and combi drill on tine or Suffolk coulters

disc drill be a total and utter waste of time on that land

 

[L P]

Plough to 8inch then kkk the field a few times get them all on the surface
Either stonebear them or plough field again 8inch then dd forever more

Not sure the op is allowed to harvest the stone

 

[Nearly]

There's a difference between removing the stone from the field and removing it from the farmstead?
Surely the landlord can see the stone is creating a problem?

 

[Pilatus]

Many thanks for all your posts.
Apologies for not making it clear , that it was “when I was a tenant farmer”.
The farm was sold when we gave up the tenancy and has been min tilled with a top down ever since 1997.

 

[L P]

Many thanks for all your posts.
Apologies for not making it clear , that it was “when I was a tenant farmer”.
The farm was sold when we gave up the tenancy and has been min tilled with a top down ever since 1997.

Top down pulled all that up, not the drill, typical min till situation. Speed the plough...

 

[Will 1594]

Whilst my first suggestion was in jest if you’re wanting to crop that field regularly rather than just reseeding grass then it might be worth the discussion with the landlord, to use for your own yard/tracks or something on the estate.

I farm on stony land (nothing crazy compared to what you’ve got!) and I’ve gone for a Weaving sabre tine, because it’s only pulling a leg to seeding depth you’re just shuffling round the stones at the top rather than dragging new up. I pick anything that is too big for the rollers to squash back in. Some 20ac fields now I’m only picking 1 or 2 off rather than a transport box full

We once ridged up a field like that and had stone elevator on a reekie 330 ,took 2500 ton of 7 acre , did make a bit of difference , .looks like wants ploughing down ,and grass

 

[L P]

We once ridged up a field like that and had stone elevator on a reekie 330 ,took 2500 ton of 7 acre , did make a bit of difference , .looks like wants ploughing down ,and grass

2500t, worth way more than many successional grain crops

 

[ollie989898]

Get on and run the stone picker, make some lovely tracks with that stuff.

 

[Peaceagri]

Wow nobody would even try to crop farm that around here, it would have a herd of cows on it.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Not trying to be funny or anything, but I wouldn’t even bother trying to crop that land .

 

[CPF]

Not trying to be funny or anything, but I wouldn’t even bother trying to crop that land .

That land will still push out run 3 to 4 per acre in the Cotswolds . The soil will warm up very quickly with stones acting like little radiators from the sun’s heat, then it’s stored in the stone keeping soil warm over night . Then when the crop starts to smother them, they conserve moisture after a rainstorm, locking it underneath them.
I (we) use to do a lot of contracting in the cotswolds . I could guess that’s not few from Burford .
Tine drills was the best, co4 and co6 along with 2 amazons combi drills with a soil loosener in front doing just DD ing
disc drills would just bounce over the stones.
I guess OP will now where we used to operate in that area.

 

[Farmer Roy]

That land will still push out run 3 to 4 per acre in the Cotswolds . The soil will warm up very quickly with stones acting like little radiators from the sun heat, then it’s stored in the stone keeping soil warm over night . Then when the crop starts to smother them, they conserve moisture after a rainstorm, locking it underneath them.
I (we) use to do a lot of contracting in the cotswolds . I could guess that’s not few from Burford .
Time drills was the best, co4 and co6 along with 2 amazons combi drills with a soil loosener in front doing just DD ing
disc drills would just bounce over the stones.
I guess OP will now where we used to operate in that area.

fair enough, that makes sense in your context.

I just look at all those stones & shudder at the thought of running machinery through them - especially any disc planters

I agree, a tyne is the only thing I’d consider running through there

 

[Deerefarmer]

Not trying to be funny or anything, but I wouldn’t even bother trying to crop that land .

At the very best rent rate would have to be peanuts and the landlord certainly wouldn't tell me how to farm it!
And if all that isn't an option then I guess landlord can look for another tenant

 

[Pilatus]

That land will still push out run 3 to 4 per acre in the Cotswolds . The soil will warm up very quickly with stones acting like little radiators from the sun’s heat, then it’s stored in the stone keeping soil warm over night . Then when the crop starts to smother them, they conserve moisture after a rainstorm, locking it underneath them.
I (we) use to do a lot of contracting in the cotswolds . I could guess that’s not few from Burford .
Tine drills was the best, co4 and co6 along with 2 amazons combi drills with a soil loosener in front doing just DD ing
disc drills would just bounce over the stones.
I guess OP will now where we used to operate in that area.

Entirely agree, it’s critical that one gets some good downpours in May and June, if you don’t the potential yield is hit for six!!!

 

[Martin Holden]

View attachment 1173215

Hah! You beat me to it!

 

[Post Driver]

Horsch sprinter / Co here. View attachment 1173226

Where abouts in the Chilterns are you? I'm near Prestwood/Naphill. Sore on metal and tyres is the Chilterns

 

[warksfarmer]

How will a disc bury them? A tine or a suffolk coulter is only running at derilling depth, and pushes stones out of the way, dropping seed as it goes. A drilling disc mostly rides over the stones. A convex cultivating disc might go some way to burying them, but thats not the type found on a drill

When we used to a run a solo/rapid system life was easy and we had very few surface stones. Since then we've tried to direct drill mostly but where a cultivation has been needed its mainly been a tine in a few forms. We've now got a lot of surface stones in places I've never seen them before and the only difference has been a tine rather than a disc. You'll say the there was a tine in the solo, yes but it was a subsoiler and not a tine that 'boiled' soil and threw it around. Now with the current direct drill and a very narrow tine (Triton) the problem is not getting any worse but I am thinking about hiring a stone picker as I think we'll collect a substantial amount.