Subsoiler with coulter

[DD in WA]

I"ve a 10 acre field that I"ve hayed for the past 20 years. In all that time I"ve done virtually nothing to it but spread some manure. The problem is the field is really wet and seems to be getting wetter pushing out when I can actually cut it and bale it. There is a drainage ditch running through part. My thought is to get a subsoiler and make runs from the ditch out through the field. I"m thinking this will help with draining the wet areas quicker as well as the likely compaction that"s taken place over the years. I"d like to find a single shank subsoiler that has a coulter so I don"t tear up the field as much but it seems all the single shank subsoilers don"t have them. Has anyone rigged something up to attach a coulter to one of these units? Any other ideas would be welcome. Thanks.
 

[Richard G.]

Add a mole behind your subsoiler to leave a 'pipe' in the soil to help it drain. It looks like a large pea weight on an old cotton scale
Richard in NW SC
 

[paul]

I'd think you could rig up a plow coulter pretty easy, but then you might not get as deep, the coulter frame will limit how deep it will go?

--->Paul
 

[Tim(nj)]

The only one shank I've ever seen that had a coulter was a Ferguson that was made in the '50s. I have one, but you can't buy the wear parts for it anymore. Some subsoilers have a thinner shank profile than others, so look for one that makes more of a slice than a slot.
 

[hd6gtom]

You don't need a coulter, I did mine for the first time this year. does leave a hump, but nothing you cant live with.
 

[charlie n]

A friend borrowed my subsoiler to remedy the same problem.Good bottom ground.When he cracked he hard pan it let the water come to the top and then he had a mess.In your part of the country you might not have that problem.

10 acres of good ground you might consider tiling.That would zap it out.Good Luck.
 

[rankrank1]

My 2 cents:

My field has had some of the topsoils sold off of it decades ago by previous owner leaving behind mostly clay and I am in a wet area plus my field had decades worth or horse traffic compaction. Needless to say it did not drain the best.

A subsoiler will help your drainage problem - my field improves every year. I try to subsoil every fall but sometimes run out of time. I have been doing this for a few years now and can see and have personally experienced the benefits. By spring my field is smooth again.

Forget the coulter though as I do not think it is needed and would probably limit how deep you could go and simply be more trouble than benefit. Some of those older Dearborns subsoilers (Dearborn is Ford) had a really thin main shank (the thinnest I have personally seen or used). I used a borrowed Dearborn my first couple a years but hate to borrow things so eventually bought a cheap King Kutter subsoiler for myself when Quality went out of business at a nice price. The King Kutter main shank is slightly wider but I ground the leading edge to a v-point to help somewhat.

The Dearborn was slightly nicer than my King Kutter as it left a slightly thinner slit in ground but in reality I am getting nit-picky here. Long story short, I think you will be happy with the results from even the cheapest crudest subsoiler that you use. However if you want to get nit picky then look for an older Dearborn in good shape.
 

[maxwell99]

i sub soiled one of my garden patches one year.

it turned out to be a wet spring.

my old neighbor farmer told me sub soiling can be good and bad, if its a dry year it will help you retain more of the water that does fall on your field.

but if it turns out to be a wet year your field will stay wet, as it appears the water just pumps up to the top of the ground and keeps the field wet for a longer period of time.

all i know is that the next spring was very wet, as i stood in my garden spot up to my shoe tops in mud, my neighbor was across the field just discing along fine, with some dust flying. it was forever before i could plant my corn.
 

[DiyDave]

A colter helps. We have an old AC snap coupler single shank subsoiler, that either my grandfather or my uncle had a colter welded on, about 18" ahead of the shank. Works great, have never operated it without it. It wouldn't be too hard to rig one up on a 3 point model. And I second the mole on a chain idea, for drainage.
 

[BushogPapa]

That "Mole" will make it pull hard as any 3-14" plow and maybe harder..

Sometimes, just a single shank (in DEEP) will lift the front of my WD-45 in 2nd gear and slip the Loaded rears with new tread..
I guess I did add a 3" wide tip to the bottom end..
Found it at TSC and bolted it on to the original reversible bottom tooth.. drainage quite a bit..at least, it cuts roots along the sides of the fields..

Ron..
 

[maxwell99]

DD,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVEimgiVhJ4

if you can open this it shows a Ferguson subsoiler operating with coulter disk wheel in front of the digger. The coulter does make a difference in the trench opening.

hope you can find one, I have a few pieces of old fergy equip, but never found a fergy subsoiler.
 

[dboll]

my IH pull type single shank has a coulter, sounds like you need someone to come in and lay drain tile in the ground
 

[DD in WA]

Getting county approval for draining anything is a near impossiblility - even if it's land that's been farmed for decades.
 

[Tim(nj)]

So I'm not the only who is prohibited. Here it's a state thing . . . even if it's been farmed since colonial times, DEP says no tiling for drainage.