alternatives to shakearator legs

[Badshot]

I've taken on a few fields and want to subsoil due to past management decisions. I don't do any currently except where I've made a mess with a 16000 L tanker, and using the shaky legs is just to disruptive to the surface and structure. I'd like a leg that is much gentler in it's approach. What's out there that can bolt to the existing frame? I really don't have need for a new multi 000£ machine.

Thanks

 

[PSQ]

I don't want to sound antagonistic when I say this, but It sounds like you are trying to subsoil without subsoiling.

A Shakearator with narrow points is probably the most gentle leg out there, it does a fantastic job in the correct (friable) conditions, maybe slow the forward speed to minimise throw, or reduce the leg count and increase the spacing?
A Horsch Terrano 40mm narrow point has similar disturbance, as does an Opico tine bar, as does any leg being pulled through soil.
The only thing that might reduce surface disturbance would be a grassland Shakearator with leading straight discs?

 

[Badshot]

I don't want to sound antagonistic when I say this, but It sounds like you are trying to subsoil without subsoiling.

A Shakearator with narrow points is probably the most gentle leg out there, it does a fantastic job in the correct (friable) conditions, maybe slow the forward speed to minimise throw, or reduce the leg count and increase the spacing?
A Horsch Terrano 40mm narrow point has similar disturbance, as does an Opico tine bar, as does any leg being pulled through soil.
The only thing that might reduce surface disturbance would be a grassland Shakearator with leading straight discs?

On some soils the shakearator works well, here on this heavy snot it heaves the living daylights out of the ground and is common to pull up horses heads and leave the resulting hole behind it. Low disturbance it aint, not here.

And yes, I'm wanting to pull a deep leg through deeper than the previous ploughing was done to, to alleviate the possibility of a pan/compaction . It's next door to ours, the difference is ridiculous. I feel a fresh start is required. The only difference is management. Weed issues mean I don't want to bring anything more up than I absolutely have to, hence the low surface disturbance. I keep hearing of alternatives for shakers, I figure someone must have tried some on some real heavy stuff.

 

[MrNoo]

Run them here with no issues, I understand re horse heads on occasion as I get them here on some of our ground. Mine are on a Weaving Subdisc, have found the discs do a great job behind but the packer really does a great job of levelling it off.
I guess the only other thing to use is a proper subsoiler if a Shakerator leg pulls up too much. We have in the past taken the shin pieces off and pulled just the leg through with the narrow points, horse heads minimal if at all then. Fortunately we don't have abrasive soil so wear is negligible when doing this.

 

[Iben]

If the ground is that heavy, is a dry summer not your best bet? No disturbance either.

 

[APJ]

The quvigone pluto leg is a fantastic leg that causes little disturbance, but i think weaving make a retro fit leg for the shakearator.

 

[Badshot]

If the ground is that heavy, is a dry summer not your best bet? No disturbance either.

I've given it quite a few years now to see if it will sort itself, but it's just not happening.
My normal approach is keep everything on tramlines wherever possible and ignore wheelings etc.
And normally within a year you forget about them as they're no longer an issue.

However these fields have had 10 years (actually dry summers are few and far between) to sort themselves out, and it's not worked so my feeling is to subsoil and see if that helps.
Ditches made out, still a few drains to jet but most are done .
Not much else to try, and if subsoiling doesn't help then I'll accept it's just how these fields are going to be.

 

[Wigeon]

Think jj metcalfe make one. Similar to the cultivating solutions leg.

 

[mo!]

Metcalfe NG, but they are dear. Take the shins off the shakerator, new legs are cheap enough.

 

[Wilbada]

Weaving do a kit to convert shakerator into a lower disturbance subsoiler - let's be honest it is never going to be low disturbance.

 

[Wigeon]

Metcalfe NG, but they are dear. Take the shins off the shakerator, new legs are cheap enenough.

They do a differemt one piece leg I think.

 

[ConanPB]

The quvigone pluto leg is a fantastic leg that causes little disturbance, but i think weaving make a retro fit leg for the shakearator.

Seconded. Metcalfes made us some adaptions and we now use these on our cousins v-form. We ran a discerator years ago (shakearator legs) and swapped it for a quivogne scd subsoiler (Pluto legs) with a carrier mounted on the back. Big improvement on heavy land

 

[Brisel]

I have a Mzuri Rehab. It doesn’t heave much up but having narrow wings, it can’t go very deep. 8” max, which isn’t deep enough for a plough pan.

How deep can you go with other low disturbance legs? By their very definition, they will not be wide enough to heave much. For a decent pan shatter at depth, you need a wide wing. I think the old formula devised by Silsoe was 1” width for every 3” of depth.

Have you dug down to see what the structure is at depth?

 

[alomy75]

Tillso legs probably have the most research behind the design. Metcalfe probably the best engineering. Beware of shiny machines that just get some wings slapped on some hardox until it looks about right. You need a little bit of disturbance; the knife through butter analogy really means you’re not doing enough.

 

[Badshot]

I have a Mzuri Rehab. It doesn’t heave much up but having narrow wings, it can’t go very deep. 8” max, which isn’t deep enough for a plough pan.

How deep can you go with other low disturbance legs? By their very definition, they will not be wide enough to heave much. For a decent pan shatter at depth, you need a wide wing. I think the old formula devised by Silsoe was 1” width for every 3” of depth.

Have you dug down to see what the structure is at depth?

It's tight, it's nasty, but then so is all of it here in this area. But it's only these few fields that are an issue.

Jim Bullock used to say he had a few fields that just needed something else doing to them.

My thoughts are to try the subsoiler and if that doesn't work, then rip the daylights out of it to give it a total reset. If that doesn't work then plough it (need to find a nice 3 or 4 furrow to go behind my 856 or 956)

DD has sorted out most of the farm in the last 12 years, just a couple of fields not responding so there's got to be something else required to get them going.

 

[Heathland]

I've converted my Simba DTX into a low disturbance subsoiler and it works really well,just converted my Simba Flatliner now.
To be fair they are just up the road and are very helpful,Just had a look and they make a low disturbance leg what you are looking for.

hope this is helpful.

 

[Bill Turtle]

Tillso legs do lift without upsetting the surface structure. They were designed for use in a direct drill environment.

 

[Badshot]

I've converted my Simba DTX into a low disturbance subsoiler and it works really well,just converted my Simba Flatliner now.
To be fair they are just up the road and are very helpful,Just had a look and they make a low disturbance leg what you are looking for.

hope this is helpful.

It is,

Thank you.

 

[Spud]

I've taken on a few fields and want to subsoil due to past management decisions. I don't do any currently except where I've made a mess with a 16000 L tanker, and using the shaky legs is just to disruptive to the surface and structure. I'd like a leg that is much gentler in it's approach. What's out there that can bolt to the existing frame? I really don't have need for a new multi 000£ machine.

Thanks

We converted our 1979 shakerator to Metcalfe legs which cost about 3 grand iirc. Discerator packer courtesy of eBay for £300 & jobs a goodun. Just needs a paint job it'll look a lot younger than it is.
It does a much better job than it did on the old shaky legs, moves the full width with certainly no more disturbance

 

[Brisel]

We converted our 1979 shakerator to Metcalfe legs which cost about 3 grand iirc. Discerator packer courtesy of eBay for £300 & jobs a goodun. Just needs a paint job it'll look a lot younger than it is.
It does a much better job than it did on the old shaky legs, moves the full width with certainly no more disturbance

What is the leg spacing please?

50 cm (20") apart on a Rehab