Slitters / Aerators

[Kiwi Pete]

Currently looking at a browns or Ritchie slitter
Thinking it would be fairly helpful in a really wet West Yorkshire.
Is 10 degree twist on the shaft enough to give a decent crack in the ground?

Definitely, I found about half a ton of concrete was needed on our clay to get it to depth.
It takes a lot more pulling, however.
Depending on the cover they are quite useful cultivators when you get enough angle on them, on bare ground almost to the extent of short discs
As with anything ground engaging moisture levels need to be right for max. benefit, but they give it a good shatter even at lesser angle of attack in good going.

 

[ploughman1963]

Currently looking at a browns or Ritchie slitter
Thinking it would be fairly helpful in a really wet West Yorkshire.
Is 10 degree twist on the shaft enough to give a decent crack in the ground?

I have a second hand one for sale if you are interested

 

[Paddydigger]

Hi, I'm based in northern Ireland. I am considering doing some pan busting and wanted to hear from anyone with experience of this machine. My land is flat and low laying - the only drainage is large drains around the perimeter of the fields. Interested to know if a pan buster would improve drainage for me?

 

[hendrebc]

Hi, I'm based in northern Ireland. I am considering doing some pan busting and wanted to hear from anyone with experience of this machine. My land is flat and low laying - the only drainage is large drains around the perimeter of the fields. Interested to know if a pan buster would improve drainage for me?

Why not a moleplough?

 

[6910 Buzz]

Converted my roller a couple year ago. The box is a spinner to dispense grass seed. Needed something cheep and cheerful after a seriously wet year which caused a lot of poaching. Been meaning to add some spring tynes to help scratch in the seed. Worked pretty good.View attachment 636876

Interested in doing this to my own roller with grass tines on it as well where did u get the slitter of?

 

[davieogrutha]

Interested in doing this to my own roller with grass tines on it as well where did u get the slitter of?

The slitters and bearings are Fleming and sourced from our local Highland Industrial Supplys outlet. About £1100 for it. Then made the frame to suit. Used a JCB ram, positioned so it won't put slitter rotar deeper than the roller. has plenty of piff to keep it in the ground. Make sure to make drawbar strong enough. The chanel that was on my roller is starting to bend a bit now. Done over 200 acre with it like that though.

 

[Paddydigger]

Why not a moleplough?

There were guys advising that a moleplough could make things worse. The ground is very flat so might b difficult to achieve falls. Although im not ruling this out, just wanted thoughts. Have u experience of moleploughing

 

[hendrebc]

There were guys advising that a moleplough could make things worse. The ground is very flat so might b difficult to achieve falls. Although im not ruling this out, just wanted thoughts. Have u experience of moleploughing

Not personally but dad has. Were going to drag our old moleplough out of the nettles this year to do a bit. We dont have much of anywere flat though so should be fairly easy to get the falls i think in most places

 

[jamj]

Hi, I'm based in northern Ireland. I am considering doing some pan busting and wanted to hear from anyone with experience of this machine. My land is flat and low laying - the only drainage is large drains around the perimeter of the fields. Interested to know if a pan buster would improve drainage for me?

What part are you in?
I have the Erth panbuster and am pleased with it as are others who I have done work for. It does help drainage but sometimes more than others depending on what the problem is and conditions.

 

[GTB]

What part are you in?
I have the Erth panbuster and am pleased with it as are others who I have done work for. It does help drainage but sometimes more than others depending on what the problem is and conditions.

Do you have to reverse into an open ditch to start off or can you just put it down anywhere and start off?

 

[jamj]

You can put it down anywhere to start. Ours has hydraulic back roller which is used to adjust depth and lower into/ raise out of ground. Depth can be altered on move.
I would'nt have one without hydraulic roller.

 

[Yale]

Not personally but dad has. Were going to drag our old moleplough out of the nettles this year to do a bit. We dont have much of anywere flat though so should be fairly easy to get the falls i think in most places

We hired one about 4 years ago and did some clay ground with odd wet patches.

Did a really good job by taking the water along the mole to drier parts where it drained away.

The field was greatly improved.

Just looking in the odd place that it may need doing again in the next year or two.

 

[hendrebc]

We hired one about 4 years ago and did some clay ground with odd wet patches.

Did a really good job by taking the water along the mole to drier parts where it drained away.

The field was greatly improved.

Just looking in the odd place that it may need doing again in the next year or two.

Weve got an old browns single leg in the bottom of the yard it hasnt moved in 20+ years but dad did a lot with it back then. Seeing as i already have it and we have a lot of wet spots in fields im fed up of its coming out of retirement this year

 

[GTB]

You can put it down anywhere to start. Ours has hydraulic back roller which is used to adjust depth and lower into/ raise out of ground. Depth can be altered on move.
I would'nt have one without hydraulic roller.

Sorry what I was trying to ask was would the water drain better if it was going straight into a ditch?

 

[JD-Kid]

Weve got an old browns single leg in the bottom of the yard it hasnt moved in 20+ years but dad did a lot with it back then. Seeing as i already have it and we have a lot of wet spots in fields im fed up of its coming out of retirement this year

are the wet spots due to water running off in to the low points and if so getting the rain to go in may stop some of the ponding in lower areas
know there was some test done in the usa for a slitter over there and the amount of rain it could take in Vs run off was huge so water banking for crops or grasses in dry areas is a huge thing a 30 inch rain fall can become useless if most runs off

 

[hendrebc]

are the wet spots due to water running off in to the low points and if so getting the rain to go in may stop some of the ponding in lower areas
know there was some test done in the usa for a slitter over there and the amount of rain it could take in Vs run off was huge so water banking for crops or grasses in dry areas is a huge thing a 30 inch rain fall can become useless if most runs off

Its a bit of everythung i think. Some is water ponding in low areas i dont expect to be able to do much about that with the moleplough but the most annoying ones are were watwr just starts running down hills and i cant really see were its coming from. Not springs as such just a wet patch on a hill that runs down over the surface to a ditch. Think it should help there

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Its a bit of everythung i think. Some is water ponding in low areas i dont expect to be able to do much about that with the moleplough but the most annoying ones are were watwr just starts running down hills and i cant really see were its coming from. Not springs as such just a wet patch on a hill that runs down over the surface to a ditch. Think it should help there

https://permaculturenews.org/2013/02/22/before-permaculture-keyline-planning-and-cultivation/
You may find this of interest

 

[JD-Kid]

Its a bit of everythung i think. Some is water ponding in low areas i dont expect to be able to do much about that with the moleplough but the most annoying ones are were watwr just starts running down hills and i cant really see were its coming from. Not springs as such just a wet patch on a hill that runs down over the surface to a ditch. Think it should help there

can you hire a grassland sub soiler or slitter to try
did a paddock here and from over a km away could see tigher strips on hill face were it was ripped held on longer in early part of the dry in summer so made a big efect
yea i may doing trying to find a link to the test i seen a while back on amount of rain that went in to aeratored soil
yeomans book is worth a read too
http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/01aglibrary/010125yeomans/010125toc.html
intresting he's not in to deep ripping frist year but to do it in stages to let the soil get used to whats happening
also to try and use water better by lowering run off in to lower areas

 

[hendrebc]

https://permaculturenews.org/2013/02/22/before-permaculture-keyline-planning-and-cultivation/
You may find this of interest

Thanks pete. Had a quick read of the first bit looks interesting. Id quite long will finish it later

 

[hendrebc]

can you hire a grassland sub soiler or slitter to try
did a paddock here and from over a km away could see tigher strips on hill face were it was ripped held on longer in early part of the dry in summer so made a big efect
yea i may doing trying to find a link to the test i seen a while back on amount of rain that went in to aeratored soil
yeomans book is worth a read too
http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/01aglibrary/010125yeomans/010125toc.html
intresting he's not in to deep ripping frist year but to do it in stages to let the soil get used to whats happening
also to try and use water better by lowering run off in to lower areas

I could a friend has one of those big rollers with spader lugs on it he hires out. Everyone who has tried a subsoiler around here has broken it with buried stones
Wouldnt be too worried about my old moleplough though but stones are the reason dad stopped using it it bent something on the disc but ill just use it without it to try. Wont go too deep first time and see how i go