Powerharrowing infront of Rapid

[Foxcover]

is it just me or does else anyone see the point in powerharrowing infront of a Rapid? Everyone seems to be doing it here this year, couple of tractors with 6m powerharrows working directly infront of Challengers with 6m Rapids, have we gone backwards?

 

[bravheart]

Seedbeds needing extra this year, power harrowed in front of CO recently.

 

[General-Lee]

Drilling finished here but found it a very easy working this year, probably classed as boys ground here.

 

[Vernon]

Don't really like following power harrow with the rapid. Drill likes it a bit firmer ideally
Vernon

 

[D14]

is it just me or does else anyone see the point in powerharrowing infront of a Rapid? Everyone seems to be doing it here this year, couple of tractors with 6m powerharrows working directly infront of Challengers with 6m Rapids, have we gone backwards?

Have seen a guy who used a topdown, then Simba cultipress, then a 6m power Harrow, then a 4m rapid and then a 6m set of rolls to put a 1st wheat into bean stubble. His justification was blackgrass so needed a fine seedbed for pre ems to work. This is on land that is suitable for potatoes.

 

[Foxcover]

Seedbeds needing extra this year, power harrowed in front of CO recently.

The harrows are working it to dust though, any drill would work fine behind them, or stick a coulter bar on a harrow and save yourself a man and £250k's worth of tackle

 

[Adeptandy]

Doing it for a better seedbed here so the residuals stand a better chance [emoji41]

 

[snipe]

is it just me or does else anyone see the point in powerharrowing infront of a Rapid? Everyone seems to be doing it here this year, couple of tractors with 6m powerharrows working directly infront of Challengers with 6m Rapids, have we gone backwards?

if the seedbed is rough then it needs a pass with a powerharrow to make a finer seed bed.

 

[Foxcover]

if the seedbed is rough then it needs a pass with a powerharrow to make a finer seed bed.

They've already been pressed and powerharrowed a few weeks back.

 

[Brisel]

Don't really like following power harrow with the rapid. Drill likes it a bit firmer ideally
Vernon

I agree. Better to run a cultipress or rolls in front of the drill to make the discs work harder.

is it just me or does else anyone see the point in powerharrowing infront of a Rapid? Everyone seems to be doing it here this year, couple of tractors with 6m powerharrows working directly infront of Challengers with 6m Rapids, have we gone backwards?

This seems like lunacy but without seeing the clods it's hard to judge. The whole argument about making the residuals work better is one thing but blackgrass is a marsh plant that thrives in a structureless poorly drained clay - exactly what grinding lumps with a power harrow produces!

 

[snipe]

i agree the fewer passes the better, but on some of our land a couple of passes with a powerharrow are needed, if it stays dry and cloddy no germination. wet and cloddy and get hammered by slugs.

 

[Drillman]

All this makes me think that my 2 pass plough then p harrow drill combi system isn't so bad after all.

 

[RLC]

End of the day it comes down to cost. If you start messing around with that many passes you may aswell plough and ph drill as said. Power harrow will just stir the clods and lose ant tith down through the clods. If the power harrows are breaking down the clods down then a cultipress type machine would be better.

This has been the best back end ive experienced in 20 years of doing it. ok we dont have serious weed issues yet but the Sumo-spray-cultipress-Rapid method has been amazing. 75% of the land would have drilled straight in with Vaddy (some heavy land too) but we find mixing straw and a bit of levelling is worth the pass with the cultipress for a more consistent seedbed. As with everything the weather is the key. There are a LOT of outfits who overwork their land imo.

 

[Chae1]

All this makes me think that my 2 pass plough then p harrow drill combi system isn't so bad after all.

Exactly. Before we had p Harrow drill we worked ground with Alex hay cultivator then drilled with accord grain and fert.

Seems to have gone backwards cultivating in front of a one pass drill.

 

[Drillman]

A neighbour was asking me today about doing a bit of drilling for them. It's all ploughed and he was on about powerharrowing in front of me. I never said owt because it would make it easy going for me but personally i would just knock the headlands down a bit to make turning easy and give a mark to lift out on (drill headlands last) then just go straight onto the ploughing with combi and front press.

 

[Robigus]

Work it from the TopDown and don't make clods in the first place.

 

[Drillman]

End of the day it comes down to cost. If you start messing around with that many passes you may aswell plough and ph drill as said. Power harrow will just stir the clods and lose ant tith down through the clods. If the power harrows are breaking down the clods down then a cultipress type machine would be better.

This has been the best back end ive experienced in 20 years of doing it. ok we dont have serious weed issues yet but the Sumo-spray-cultipress-Rapid method has been amazing. 75% of the land would have drilled straight in with Vaddy (some heavy land too) but we find mixing straw and a bit of levelling is worth the pass with the cultipress for a more consistent seedbed. As with everything the weather is the key. There are a LOT of outfits who overwork their land imo.

It's been a doddle this year. I spread 1500 ton of muck on 60 acres and ploughed and combi drilled 120 acres on my own in 10 days. Never did silly hours either. Started at 7 am and was mostly done by 8pm.

155hp 13 yo tractor a 5 furrow plough and 3 metre combi.

 

[snipe]

All this makes me think that my 2 pass plough then p harrow drill combi system isn't so bad after all.

been doing some of that today on our good land, makes a nice change

 

[Adeptandy]

In my defence, I haven't got a plough or a power harrow/drill combi, just a Vaderstad and a power harrow, could have used the simba discs and press, but this was only pulling lumps up and leaving it loose. Another pass with the patriot wasn't much better. If it was wet I could have gone with the Vaddy, but its dry, dusty and the clods are hard. Power harrow looks like the best option I have on this patch of dirt

 

[Renaultman]

All this makes me think that my 2 pass plough then p harrow drill combi system isn't so bad after all.

My Dad has always said Min Till, is 2 passes stubble to establishment not that?