Tips for ploughing in a long stubble

[homefarm]

We harvested winter oats but left a long 300/400mm stubble as straw was so unripe. We would like to plough it straight in.

Would wider furrows help? Manual adjustment on plough from 12 to 20. Which would work best?

 

[Beowulf]

Go over it with a topper first?

 

[oil barron]

Skimmers back on the beam close to the leg board so that the the furrow slice is sitting up and at 30deg when the skimmer is acting on it and it will throw the stubble right down to the bottom of the trench. Not too narrow so there is room in the bottom of the furrow and not too wide as your skimmer can only act in so much width.

 

[yellow belly]

Chains

 

[nick...]

Take your time and crack on with it.i laughed in 6 acres of spring wheat that would never get ripe several years ago and went slowly and never had a blockage.skimmer setting is key
Nick...

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

What's the soil and the next crop?

 

[homefarm]

Chains

I think I need a bit more info.

 

[Spencer]

Go over it with a topper first?

Or put flail on front linkage of plough tractor

 

[homefarm]

What's the soil and the next crop?

Winter wheat mostly but a small area ryegrass, sandy clay loam

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

sandy clay loam

Why not drill straight into the stubble?

 

[Simon Chiles]

Why not drill straight into the stubble?

Not with Oat straw, you can ask for trouble or you can get down on your knees and beg for trouble. Direct Drilling into Oat straw is definitely the later.

If you’re going to plough it ditch the skimmers and fit trash boards.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Not with Oat straw,

Top first then?

Or go fully outside the box and broadcast, chain harrow & roll.

 

[teslacoils]

300mm will be fine if it's dry.

 

[homefarm]

300mm will be fine if it's dry.

Well it is certainly not dry here at the moment, and why I asked the question.
The plough is set at 16" now, and would take a couple of hours to alter it. Plenty of time at the moment but not when it dries up, hopefully next week.
I was hoping someone with a hydraulic variwidth would say I always open it fully in long stubble or narrow works best.

Then I could spend a couple of hours feeling I was doing something useful changing the width.

Thanks everyone for the comments we will top it if we have to.

 

[teslacoils]

We had similar in 2012 with long stubbles in oats. In the end it ploughed just fine set at 14 inches once the too had dried although this is on stiff clay but once the skimmers were in dry soil it went fine. Tend to find here land ploughs nicely after oats anyway.

 

[MrNoo]

The wider the furrow the more trash the skims will have to deal with, I guess I would try it as you are at 16". You'll find the trash will flow better if it is dry, a wet soggy mat of trash maybe inclined to ball up or just let it dry up properly and get @thickfarmer around with his Swan Vesta's.

 

[Brisel]

Chains

Please tell us more. My hazy memory had chains helping burial but I can't remember the details.

 

[MrNoo]

Chains are used on High cut ploughs, they basically drag the stubble under as the furrow slice is turned, banned in the rest of the match ploughing classes as advantageous. Never used them myself, they are suspended off the plough, one for each furrow with the ends dragging along under the turned furrow. I will try and find a picture as it would describe it better than I can do in words!!

 

[limestone brash]

Trash boards

 

[Cab-over Pete]

It’s not the best picture and it’s very small on my phone, but I think this plough has stubble chains. As the furrow turns the chains drag it in to the bottom of the furrow.