So I have a field I've been trying to till up because that's all I have, a tractor and a 6ft tiller.

The field is full of roots that keep wrapping and clogging the tiller. Today I broke the u joint on the tillers pto shaft.
Now I have piles of dirt and roots to scrape up with the bucket and haul off.

Anyone have a good method for getting through these roots to plant? Crop doesn't matter this year. Whatever I can get in. Was hoping corn, but will put whatever I can in.

Should I plow and disc? I would have to hire someone or rent gear. Would a good heavy disc just cut the roots? They are no deeper than 3 or 4" down and 1/2" diameter at best.

Any insight or tips appreciated.

Thanks

I’d try the disc

Disc would be your best bet, put some weight on it.

Glyphosate.

Kill it all and it’ll break up easier.


I learned years ago that you are time ahead by spraying food plots first.

What are the roots from ? If they can be killed with a herbicide application they will not wrap around the tines as easily.

Can you use an offset disk?
I'd disk it up until you like the seedbed.

I wouldnt till new ground for a food plot

Just disc it with extra weight, angle your discs to chop better. Just keep going over it and over it.


And what BigDave said, burn it down with gly4 and wait 10 ten, then disc it

That’s all I’d do

How big is your tractor, plow and harrow?

Are you talking about a Deere 4440 or some 20-25 horse compact tractor?

Plow what size and how many? 4x16, 6x16 or a 1x12"

Harrow: how big is it: 5-6' or 18-25' or ??

Offset disc would be lots better on trying to work up new ground than a plain old disc. But, I have made multiple passes with a disc that had good blades, and did a halfway decent job.

Roundup is your friend.

Kill whatever is causing the root problem first or you will be fighting this every year.

7 shank plow.

Spray and no till drill your seed until the roots die and decay.

I'm betting dude don't own a no till drill.

Thanks for the input fellas. I'll try to get my hands on an offset disc set to try and chop up the roots. Wife would rather I not burn them with Gly. I'm leaning towards trying it. I don't mind working the field just don't want to break schitt

CBB someth8ng doesn’t sound right
How would you break a u joint of the shear pin or clutch didn’t break first on your tiller? I’ve tilled several food plots over the years, gardens in barn lots have hit big roots, stones and every time I hit something too big I break a shear bolt

I recently did what you’re attempting. I was successful by multiple passes with my disc and then walking the area throwing out the large root pieces. Should have some really nice food plots if it’ll ever stop raining.

I did sharpen all of my disc cutters with a side grinder before chopping.

Probably did what I do, put a grade 8 bolt in place of shear pin. I hate stopping to replace shear pins. 🤣🤣

I don’t either, but was able to rent one cheap.

No shear bolt. Clutch had been slipping as it should. I checked the tines. They are spinning freely. Not sure if the continual binding from the roots caused the u joint to break or if the clutch needs adjusted a little more.

I'll get a couple pics in the daylight tomorrow and show what I'm working on

If he can get his hands on an offset disc he can get his hands on a notill drill. No one should be plowing or working up ground in this day and age when we know so much more about what works and what doesn't. Please feel free to pm me if you want more specific info. Tillage is horrible for your soil,a notill drill will skip over or cut through roots.

Lol . . . . .I have a 7' on one farm, and a 10' on the other. Go back a couple of weeks and read my Easter morning post. You midwest boys think you'te the only ones that know anything about farming.😁😁

LOL, because you have 2 then everyone must have them? Thats some interesting reasoning there!
Notill drills are easily rented and can be roaded with a pickup to where they are needed, done it many times.

It's not that we think we are the only ones who know about farming, we've just stayed up on the newest developments and information that tells us how to do it better. if we ignored the last 30+ years of agriculture advancement then we too could still be farming like that, heck some people still do. it is hard to convert from conventional tillage to a notill system, and it takes a few years to see the benefit because so much damage is done to the soil by tillage. it's like with irrigation, people can still irrigate like they did a thousand years ago, but a center pivot is much more efficient and precise. the old way will work, just not nearly as well. there's too much info out there about notill, crop rotation and cover crops etc to keep ones head in the sand. I live in a county where 90%+ of the producers are notill and the yields have increased by huge margins and erosion has plummeted. fewer passes in the field and less herbicide required. the added benefits of keeping valuable nutrients also cuts down on fertilizer costs and other perticide inputs that are often required for soil that is in poor health.

here's a video demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEecN7nA-js

There are a ton more on youtube showing similar.

question : Ever notice what implements and methods road crews use to make the soil compactable?

spoiler, the same as conventional tillage

CBB, are you planning to drill in corn? Never seen that done before.

'twere it me, I would smooth out the piles you made best as I could. Burn down the field, spread a light amount of fertilizer, and no till plant my corn.


How many acres are you talking about here?

It's just under an acre.

Called all the local offices.. no equipment for rent within a 4 hour drive one way and no telling if they would rent me the equipment anyway being as I'm not from their county.

Finally found a guy with some gear. He came up with a ripper.. thats what he called it. If there's another name for it idk..

He ripped the plot and brought his own tiller and tilled it. I had 3 very large piles of topsoil and roots to move. Got most of that out of the way. The dirt is ready to plant except for where I ran over it with the tractor moving the scraps with the bucket. Which I will till back up.

I will spread the dirt and roots back over the when the roots decay in a year or 3.

Nope it ain't great I lost that much topsoil with the roots. But I have a workable field to plant. It is what it is. Just feeding deer for fun.

Keep us posted on the results of your planting growth.