Twin leg mole plough - minimal heave

[Try to succeed]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which make of twin leg mole plough produces the least heave? I currently have a moore’s mole’s machine. It produces too much heave for a direct drilling scenario. Even after cultivation’s you can feel where it has been. Therefore I’m looking for something with boards to resist the heave maybe? Would be running on a challenger and often wonder if mounted has any advantage over trailed. I normally keep away from mounted machines as I don’t want all the weight pulling through the rear of the challenger. Any opinions/suggestions greatly received.

 

[Stephen E]

We used to use a Tim Howard 3 metre subsoiler that Tim made two mole legs for. It rode well and the packer roller left it nice and flat.

 

[yellow belly]

the moore easy rider will heave more
dry conditions also make more heave

i use a simba twin leg which has long skids ion the ground
but this increases the draft if you have too much weight on the front
set the drawbar height

the proforge moler would be a similar design

i am now mostly moleing in the spring and often parallel with the drill and tramlines

on those field i cannot do parallel i often do at 45degres to the tramlines
the worst for sprayer ride is perpendicular which i avoid completly

with moling going a 45degrees to the drains can give a better conection to the porous over the drains

 

[Hindsight]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which make of twin leg mole plough produces the least heave? I currently have a moore’s mole’s machine. It produces too much heave for a direct drilling scenario. Even after cultivation’s you can feel where it has been. Therefore I’m looking for something with boards to resist the heave maybe? Would be running on a challenger and often wonder if mounted has any advantage over trailed. I normally keep away from mounted machines as I don’t want all the weight pulling through the rear of the challenger. Any opinions/suggestions greatly received.

Technically a mole should be on a free swinging bean to ensure the level run of the mole. You might find parts of this old report useful about mole design

 

[tr250]

Give Ronald a ring he will know what your trying to achieve and I know has made molers with reduced heave and will make you what you want

Mole Plough | Hankins Engineering, Maidwell Moler | Northampton

Maidwell Moler are a Mole plough, Mole drainer manufacturer in the UK built by Hankins Engineering.

maidwellmoler.co.uk

 

[Try to succeed]

Give Ronald a ring he will know what your trying to achieve and I know has made molers with reduced heave and will make you what you want

Mole Plough | Hankins Engineering, Maidwell Moler | Northampton

Maidwell Moler are a Mole plough, Mole drainer manufacturer in the UK built by Hankins Engineering.

maidwellmoler.co.uk

I have seen these recommended before. Seem to have a good reputation

 

[Try to succeed]

Technically a mole should be on a free swinging bean to ensure the level run of the mole. You might find parts of this old report useful about mole design

Thank you, I have this saved on my pc. My Michael Moore machine utilises free swinging beams (amazing how they move), but I think they really require a skid or maybe a disc to reduce heave? The perfect conditions on my heavy clay seems to be July, but would like to go into a spring crop without the same level of heave if the opportunity arose.

 

[Try to succeed]

the moore easy rider will heave more
dry conditions also make more heave

i use a simba twin leg which has long skids ion the ground
but this increases the draft if you have too much weight on the front
set the drawbar height

the proforge moler would be a similar design

i am now mostly moleing in the spring and often parallel with the drill and tramlines

on those field i cannot do parallel i often do at 45degres to the tramlines
the worst for sprayer ride is perpendicular which i avoid completly

with moling going a 45degrees to the drains can give a better conection to the porous over the drains

Do you think skids are the most important thing to reduce heave? It’s the headland tramlines that give me issues with heave. I have to go through them to catch the drains though. I’m willing to bet your sim a is v well built if anything like my cultipress?

 

[TWF]

The twin leg Maidwell moler also has a press wheel running behind the legs which helps to push the heave down. We got them to add one to our single leg which did improve it. We also put a 15m Dablo roll over the fields this year while the moles where still fresh, that also helped . We do the same as yellow belly and go at 45 deg. if we can't run parallel . When turning at the end try and run a wheel over where you lifted out as well.

 

[dirty harry]

Another vote for maidwell here!! Cheers dh

 

[yellow belly]

Do you think skids are the most important thing to reduce heave? It’s the headland tramlines that give me issues with heave. I have to go through them to catch the drains though. I’m willing to bet your sim a is v well built if anything like my cultipress?

Setting the mole angle parallel to the ground helps
in July most years it is too dry to mole and that increases heave except on bare ground set aside
i drill in the spring then mole before the seed emerges
aweek after drilling is ideal as the ground has dried a bit but provided the tractor has plenty of weight wheel slip is low due to the lower draft needed when the soil/clay below the surface is moist

30 years ago we pulled a single leg with a 110 hp tractor weighing 7 tonnes fully weighted
now use a 300 with full weight 13 tonnes and a vario /auto type transmission
very good at pulling gently after backing into the ditch but also set to reduce wheel slip
too much horse power can give more wheel slip if the tractor is not well balasted
t have 3 tonne weight block on the back and 1 tonne on the front 800 38 tyres
to reduce draft a narrower blade from hardox could be used

 

[snarling bee]

A further vote for Maidwell. That's all he does - moledrainers.

 

[Try to succeed]

Setting the mole angle parallel to the ground helps
in July most years it is too dry to mole and that increases heave except on bare ground set aside
i drill in the spring then mole before the seed emerges
aweek after drilling is ideal as the ground has dried a bit but provided the tractor has plenty of weight wheel slip is low due to the lower draft needed when the soil/clay below the surface is moist

30 years ago we pulled a single leg with a 110 hp tractor weighing 7 tonnes fully weighted
now use a 300 with full weight 13 tonnes and a vario /auto type transmission
very good at pulling gently after backing into the ditch but also set to reduce wheel slip
too much horse power can give more wheel slip if the tractor is not well balasted
t have 3 tonne weight block on the back and 1 tonne on the front 800 38 tyres
to reduce draft a narrower blade from hardox could be used

It’s normally too wet in spring here on the clay, but I do want the option of doing so if conditions allow as it’ll reduce my workload at peak times. Traction not an issue as I tootle along at 5-6k with the challenger. This Moore mole doesn’t allow being hung over a ditch but all my moling is into pourous fill. Such a satisfying job!

 

[Deutzdx3]

I have seen these recommended before. Seem to have a good reputation

Tab or quivogne do a beam moles plough or twin beam.

 

[ajd132]

Maidwell

 

[yellow belly]

It’s normally too wet in spring here on the clay, but I do want the option of doing so if conditions allow as it’ll reduce my workload at peak times. Traction not an issue as I tootle along at 5-6k with the challenger. This Moore mole doesn’t allow being hung over a ditch but all my moling is into pourous fill. Such a satisfying job!

It took me a while to get onto spring moleing
after 5 years of notill the ground a week after drilling is dry enough on the surface to pull the mole drainer
the more years of Notill the more carful I am at making sure it will be dry enough in the week after drilling

the worst crops are when it is drilled into ground that is just dry enough but it rains heavy in the week after drilling
better to wait till it dries out after the heavy rain
a week earlier will not gain much if it turns out dryer but puts you back a lot further if it’s turns wet
a poorer early crop is 10 time worse than a good later crop
quicker drying ground is a lot easier to farm but drilling when it is not quite dry enough can still hit you

 

[Big-Al]

Maidwell moler from Hankins Engineering here, great bit of kit can be fitted as said earlier with rollers behind the moles.

 

[AlistairR]

Maidwell moler from Hankins Engineering here, great bit of kit can be fitted as said earlier with rollers behind the moles.

Do you think a MT765 Challenger would handle a twin leg Maidwell OK? He has a second hand one it at the moment?

 

[TWF]

Do you think a MT765 Challenger would handle a twin leg Maidwell OK? He has a second hand one it at the moment?

Yes . I work on 7t per leg for traction and 160 hp. Also depends on time of year and depth. We like to go at between 21" and 24". We tried a wheeled 315 hp tractor and didn't have enough weight so we weren't boss of it in slightly less than ideal conditions, so stuck to single leg. I know of people moling at 18" and to me this is more like old fashioned subsoiling.

 

[steveR]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which make of twin leg mole plough produces the least heave? I currently have a moore’s mole’s machine. It produces too much heave for a direct drilling scenario. Even after cultivation’s you can feel where it has been. Therefore I’m looking for something with boards to resist the heave maybe? Would be running on a challenger and often wonder if mounted has any advantage over trailed. I normally keep away from mounted machines as I don’t want all the weight pulling through the rear of the challenger. Any opinions/suggestions greatly received.

Look at grass subsoiler?