How big is TOO big when it comes to discs ??

I was just wondering how you determine how big of a set of discs you can run behind a given size tractor ??  A friend told me I was most likely nuts (and he's likely right, on all other counts) ...  to try to pull a 12 ft. transport disc behind my D-17 Series IV ...  although I'm pretty certain I saw one of those old A-C videos where they were pulling a 16 ft. behind a WD-45 ??  Any thoughts ??  As always, your help is appreciated.

The disk is too big when the tractor rears are acting like a rototiller but not moving the tractor forward.

I took the wings off to get the disk down to 12 or 14 feet to pull behind my 4020. I learned from an old timer that pulling it at 6 to 8 mph was important for week killing. The high speed flips weeds up in the air and they stay on top and dry and die. Pulling much slower does stir the dirt but grasses seemed be be encouraged by multiple slow disk passes, not killed.

I took an Oliver 12' disk and converted it to a 6' offset disk to pull with my MF-135 and being heavy it did a good job on the dirt.

Gerald J.

Mike I pull a 13'6" Kewanee behind my series 4 diesel with no problems, high side of 3rd, and shift back on the steep hills when turning on the ends.   As a mater of fact, I have a tendency to go too fast and throw ridges. I put all new blades on this a few years ago and I raise the wheels off the ground when I am pulling it.

  pulled a 10' wheel ac disk with a spike tooth harrow behind the disc  with my wd   we used duals on our tractors in the fifties  plenty of power left over   my 2 cents

My WD could only pull the 8' SC disc, the D17D was able to pull a 14' JD RW(not a real heavy disc). 190XT was a 20' IH 480 with ease. 7020,8030 & 8050 was a 25' IH 496 with no problem. As stated the weight of the disc makes all the difference.

Gerald J. wrote: The disk is too big when the tractor rears are acting like a rototiller but not moving the tractor forward. I took the wings off to get the disk down to 12 or 14 feet to pull behind my 4020. I learned from an old timer that pulling it at 6 to 8 mph was important for week killing. The high speed flips weeds up in the air and they stay on top and dry and die. Pulling much slower does stir the dirt but grasses seemed be be encouraged by multiple slow disk passes, not killed. I took an Oliver 12' disk and converted it to a 6' offset disk to pull with my MF-135 and being heavy it did a good job on the dirt. Gerald J.

Pulling a disc at 6-8 mph would be disaster !! Going that fast would move a lot of dirt and create ridges. Unless the weeds are huge you would not want to use a disc for weed control. Field cultivators and finishers are a different story you want to get them up and moving to do better. The size of disc greatly depends on how good of a disc you have a newer heavier better disc pulls a lot harder. My grandfather pulled a 12ft Oliver with his D17 my 8030 struggles with my 22ft Sunflower.

Well, I bought the discs and brought them home on Saturday !!  The seller apparently did give them a "thorough going through" ...  all bearings and blades appear healthy ...  He told me and showed me where he had done work and replaced parts.  He had some original tools and a full extra set of disc scrapers that came with it.  Got it all for $850.  I am very happy and I can't wait for the fields to dry up around here so I can take them for a proper test drive !!  Thanks to those who chimed in on this thread with their opinions and advice 

victoryallis wrote: Between plowing and the NASCAR like discing could you have done anymore of a disservice to the field? Unless you are burying sod do you realize how much damage to the soil you are doing with a plow? How did the weeds get so big the field cultivator had issues?

Everybody has their opinion, if you don't know the other guys terrain and soil conditions, you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.  Some guys near me haven't "plowed" in 30 years cause they have rolling hills. Other guys plow their "bottom" ground every other year or more. Gumbo bottoms is way different than sandy clay hills.

I'm on sandy gravel soils in central Indiana. Over the years we have tried it all. No tilling my ground does not work. We have went back to mold boarding and chiseling. Not only has my yields increased but my chemical bill has decreased since stopping no till.We had so many weeds that had become resistant to chemicals that tillage became the only way to address them. That's what works for us right now

   You did really good on the disc at that price , and , it looks
like you bought it from the type of person we would all like to
buy from ( somebody who took pride and care of their equipment ).
Best of luck .

D-17 series 4 with 16.9 x 28 duals and snap-coupler Traction booster hitch works really nice with a 13 ft 6 inch wide disc just like that.

CTuckerNWIL wrote: victoryallis wrote: Between plowing and the NASCAR like discing could you have done anymore of a disservice to the field? Unless you are burying sod do you realize how much damage to the soil you are doing with a plow? How did the weeds get so big the field cultivator had issues? Everybody has their opinion, if you don't know the other guys terrain and soil conditions, you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.  Some guys near me haven't "plowed" in 30 years cause they have rolling hills. Other guys plow their "bottom" ground every other year or more. Gumbo bottoms is way different than sandy clay hills.

It's hard to argue the science in relation to plowing, carbon loss, and organic matter and the effects of lower organic matter on crops. We have had feilds side by side one plowed one chiseled similar soil get a heavy rain the plowed portion is like pudding down to the bottom of the plowed area chiseled area much firmer. Also notice that plowed ground suffers more in droughty weather.

I am sorry, I have nothing constructive to add to the topic, but the topic sentence makes me thing of these discs:

here is a sign the disc is too big for your allis: 42 inch blades on 20 inch spacing... :O

http://www.biggmfg.com/index.php/equipment/deep-plowing-discs


They also make the world's widest disc, explore the website a little, it is amazing. :)

It was a SC so I pulled it home behind the WD45 and that was the last time it hooked up to my WD45. lol

A disk with dull blades will pull much easier than a sharp disk. Of course this is at the expense of penetration.