Dutch Harrow versus Power Harrow

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
When it eventually gets dry enough I need to knock down some heavy ploughing for drilling beet.

I hear all about the evils of power harrows and I do use one and have had some slumps where its rained heavily after drilling but over all its a fairly universal tool, used with care, i.e. not beating it to a pulp at depth.

Are dutch harrows any better? Anybody still using them? I would assume I might need another pass but if its moving at three times the speed and doing a better job overall then I don't mind. would it leave more tilth on top rather than shake it down between the cobbles?
 

Lincs Lass

Member
Location
north lincs
Dutch harrow is great on light land but on heavy stuff they dont do much good ,just ride over the lumps ,,before we drilled direct into pressed sand land ,the dutch harrow was brilliant as it firmed it up ,soon as it hit anything abit tough ,it just look like you had lifted it out
 

Hesston4860s

Member
Location
Nr Lincoln
Dutch harrow is great on light land but on heavy stuff they dont do much good ,just ride over the lumps ,,before we drilled direct into pressed sand land ,the dutch harrow was brilliant as it firmed it up ,soon as it hit anything abit tough ,it just look like you had lifted it out

Always used a Dutch harrow preparing our beet land and we had some strong ole land but it still worked a treat !. Did have a couple of cage wheels chucked on top of like lol.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Cousins machines look to have a couple more rows of tines than normal, which must help but id be surprised if they could match a power harrow for pulverising action, though ill stand to be corrected.

I do get the feeling they are a lighter land or fen land tool though. Have never seem many round here even years ago. Usually just heavy zig zag or duck foots chain linked to a harrow pole with a load of old lorry wheels on top of them. Then the power harrow took over. Spring tines went through a phase but they didn't really do it either.
 

DeeGee

Member
Location
North East Wales
We use Dutch harrows on medium/light land and two passes will usually get a seedbed in the right conditions. Have to admit that they don't level from side to side like a power harrow does, nor will it fill in plough reams as well.
However when you consider the low capital cost and the low power requirement, ultra low maintenance and high speed they can still be a very cheap and efficient seedbed cultivator.
 

DeeGee

Member
Location
North East Wales
Will a Dutch Harrow take out your wheel marks or compaction in loose ground?

Yes, wheelings are eradicated in good conditions, and it also does a really good job of consolidating without compacting. We always roll furrows a day or so after ploughing to consolidate, break clods and prevent moisture loss in drying winds. The soil is thus partly broken down before the Dutch harrows do their job of levelling and making a finer seedbed.

If the conditions are too wet or sticky then it's not fit to be on the land with anything anyway.
 

grainboy

Member
Location
Bedfordshire
Why not try one of these, both for sale.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2553.JPG
    IMG_2553.JPG
    503.2 KB · Views: 451
  • IMG_2480.JPG
    IMG_2480.JPG
    608 KB · Views: 439

Mark C

Member
Location
Bedfordshire
Cousins combination harrow much better than a Dutch harrow. We used to use a Dutch harrow for beet 2x on over wintered ploughing. Had a cousins combi harrow for about 10 years. Brilliant bit of kit.
 

carbonfibre farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
We seem to have nearly all the above....:rolleyes:
Blench Dutch harrow, 3mt germinator, Marstig spring tine harrow and lely 2.5m power harrow...........
Dutch harrow is a good tool but where it's heavier (relatively speaking) ,no chance,just bounces along on top. So I go and create dust like this with the power harrow.
WP_20170330_022.jpg

Cousins is a good tool. Neighbours got one and put a hydraulic ram in to control the spring tine elements. Works well especially say on a headland where you need to push them in more(y)
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
We seem to have nearly all the above....:rolleyes:
Blench Dutch harrow, 3mt germinator, Marstig spring tine harrow and lely 2.5m power harrow...........
Dutch harrow is a good tool but where it's heavier (relatively speaking) ,no chance,just bounces along on top. So I go and create dust like this with the power harrow.
View attachment 493730
Cousins is a good tool. Neighbours got one and put a hydraulic ram in to control the spring tine elements. Works well especially say on a headland where you need to push them in more(y)
What do you think of the Germinator ?
 

carbonfibre farmer

Member
Arable Farmer
What do you think of the Germinator ?
Speed.
You need speed to make it work best.
Used to use it on the 2wd TL70a. Could never really go quick enough:(.
The Axos solved that (and 4wd :sneaky: ) around 12km/hr bubbles up nicely.

Does pull up stones and you have to be careful you don't get any amount of rain on it before drilling or it turns into a pudding. Makes a nice seedbed.
Perhaps not the strongest machine but then if you put big hp on the front it's not going to help.
Know one locally with a (I think 720 fendt) on a 4mtr :rolleyes:
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Some of that land above looks ready for drilling even before it's had a cultivator on it compared to some of our stuff.

You could strike matches on some of the "horses heads" that the plough brings up here, if it stays dry after ploughing.

For the time being I am sticking with the power Harrow as its the devil I know and with careful set up and operation without going too deep it can do it in one pass, so I don't need the multiple passes of fixed tined cultivators with all the extra compaction that creates underneath.

I can attach my rolls behind the power Harrow if it's dry enough or let it dry a bit more and leave the rolls off. I can fly over the light land with just the Parmiter zig zags towing the rolls behind them and also over the previously power harrowed clay.

It's been a very useful and interesting discussion though and I thank people for their insights and benefit of their experience.

Some good tools out there for certain soil types.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,291
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top