chisel plow, what points should I use?

[Dave from MN]

I bought a nice IH 6500. It has 3" or 4" twisted shovels, I should measure. For fall tillage on light to heavy soils, some bean ground, some disked stalks ground. Should I switch 2" spikes? I dont want it black, I want something to hold the soil. I do have hard pan down in that 8-10" depth.
 

[Dalet]

If you have enough power to pull it deep, I would leave it with the twists it has on it right now.
 

[Bill(Wis)]

Personaly, I never liked twisted shovels because they leave a lot more of the surface exposed. Two inch spikes or no-til work a lot better for me in much the same soil conditions. Take less power, too.
 

[the tractor vet]

We use a 7 inch DMI Tiger point as the one we got was a Landoll that someone barn yard re engineered with DMI parabolic shanks on it as it was a 9 shank and now is a five shank . We had the hard pan at around the same depth and now we havve most of it broken up . we are running 13-14 inches deep . It fluffs the soil up and breaks the hard pan and really only leaves the slot from the shank . IF we want more upper surface action then we can add the upper pieces that look like a potato plow , but we do not have the tractor to do this with . This tillage tool is a lot for our 1066 . We need a small 4 wheel drive with about 225 - 250 Hp. and about 25000 lbs .
 

[Bob Bancroft]

I suppose it depends on your geography/soil/weather/etc.
Here in central NY where it's often too wet, on my medium/heavy soil I use 4" twisted shovels. I have used 2"and 3", and don't get the soil movement/trash burial I need.
Wind erosion is not a factor here. Water run off erosion is. And I have found that chiseling the ground is a better deterent to that than doing nothing. Plus the ground works nice in the spring. As I've read some on here from your area say "any fall tillage is better than any spring tillage!"
I finished harvest Oct. 22. I have since mowed all the stalks, and it was quite wet to be doing that. I would really like to be plowing with this nice stretch of weather, but it's just too wet.
 

[JMS./MN]

No chisel plow will turn under as much residue as a moldboard plow- no matter what type of points. Narrow straight points will turn under about a third of the residue, wide twists will turn more.
 

[Mike Aylward]

Dave, I have ran both on a straight chisel plow. While the twisted shovels bury more trash they also ridge the ground more and pull harder. I've also found the straight points go in tight ground better as well. Also, in some conditions you will see the chisel pull crooked with twisted shovels even if you have them balanced left and right. I used twists because I was told they were better. I'm now back to straights and like them better myself. Mike
 

[Paul A Young]

I run 2" spikes for the same reasons you were talking about. You can run them 12-16" deep and do a great job,try it.