A Ripper rather than Chisel Plow

[WNYBill]

In my first post I ask about a chisel plow and was really thinking about a Ripper. What is the difference? How much HP per tooth? Will it work in sod or will it plug up?

I am doing food plots, I bottom plow in the spring and then run the roto-tiller over it in the fall before I plant. Would the Ripper loosen thing up so the tiller would work easier, like using the bottom plow? Would I have to go over the ground twice with the Ripper?

Bill

 

[SVcummins]

The ripper will loosen the ground like you can?t believe but it won?t burry trash 50 to 70 horsepower a shank or more depending on ground conditions. I pull a single shank with a 3020 and I can cruise along 6 mph I could pull two shanks

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I use what I call a ripper,its a 3pt JD rig made back in the 1950's 0r 60's,has 7 shanks on a tool bar the shanks are curled in a circle for some spring action they are
1 inch square sort of like a mini chisel plow but easier to pull.Usually run it about 1 ft deep tears the ground up good and makes it a whole lot easier to rototil or
disk up.It gives my Oliver 1365 4WD all it wants power and traction wise.

 

[Leroy]

A ripper now is the old single shank subsoiler that in some grounds set deep could stop a 75 horse tractor. The old ones were only pulled by crallers as there were no wheel tractors big enough to pull them. And how much they break up soil is depenent on how close the knife runs, the old single shank could be run every foot apart but the new rippers you cannot do that with on only one pass as shanks are wide spread. But not designed to disturb the surface of the soil, How deep do you think you want to go? The single shank subsoilers are gould for about 12-14" deep, the big rippers 2+ feet deep.

 

[flying belgian]

Generally a moldboard plow (what you call a bottom plow) is pulled from 7 to 9 inches deep. So after years of plowing there is a hard pan in your ground just below your depth of plowing. This hard pan will be 3 to 4" thick. A ripper is used to breakup this hard pan. You want to pull ripper 1" below hard pan. That opens up your ground so water drains better and plant roots can go deeper. So if you are plowing 7" deep and hard pan is 4" thick and you want to go an inch below that, you will pull your ripper 12" deep. Now that takes power. Lots of it. I can't imagine that you want to go through all that expense and commotion for a food plot. Does it really matter if the corn yield is 100 bpa. or 200 bpa.?

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

I have one of those JD Kilofhers I know I spelled that wrong,, mine looks to be a bigger model than your there,, your ground must be easy to rip if you can pull that 6 mph,, here if I pulled one that speed I would melt the shank off it,, and you would not pull mine buried in the ground with a 3020 either,, they are a heck of a ripper for sure,,

 

[SVcummins]

This one only works about 18 inches deep the ground wasn?t hard at all last fall I was pulling it in 6th gear on the powershift it never brought up any chunks but it sure made the ground soft I went over the field twice some places it would only go about 14 inches deep . I may run it again after I take triticale off then plow later in the fall before drilling

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

the one I have has a 28 to 34" shank I have been told there was one bigger than mine and at least one smaller

 

[SVcummins]

Mines the very smallest. I think the 34 is the biggest I?d love to have one of them . After I ripped last fall we got 6 inches of rain and it filled the ripper furrows so it should help the soil
Moisture

 

[WNYBill]

We have a couple of plots that we only roto-tilled and after 3 or 4 years I bottom plowed it. Found a layer of hardpan about 4-5 inches down. I then understood why my plot had failed.

I am locked in the house so have a lot of time to think! Just thought a ripper might be faster and better than bottom plowing. I figure I only need to go 10 inches to get 4 inches below my plow depth.

Economical.....heck NO!!!!! But what's another 2-3 hundred dollars per deer!

Bill

 

[Texasmark1]

To me a ripper is a "Hay King Pasture Renovator" having bought mine from my local JD dealer. I run a 4 shank on a 6' wide implement pulled by 57 PTO 4wd tractor in heavy clay at mid range gearing. It has coulters to slice through sod or hard clay, then rippers, capable of 10-12" cutting depth having only about ?-?" width, causing minimal surface disturbance. Then it's on with a one way, or tandem disc plow and spike toothed harrow, smooth ride for me and good soil prep-seed bed without a lot of effort.

I like it as I can subsoil in the fall when the clay is rock hard and get results ready for the freeze-thaw winter weather to pulverize the "rocks" whereas chisels, like the Graham-Hoeme Chisel Plow I have, built in Amarillo, Tx. and a popular implement designed to dig when others wouldn't, didn't do as good a job.......for me.

 

[Tx Jim]

Mark
IMHO your Hay King pasture renovator is not in the same class as a true subsoiler. I once owned a Hay King PR with weights installed & couldn't get it anywhere close to 10'' deep in my soil

 

[flying belgian]

Ahh, ok. I get it now. Tractor seat time. Nothing wrong with that. Go ahead, have at it.

 

[Leroy]

The rippers around here are designed to work 24" deep And no coulters.

 

[SVcummins]

What tractor do you

 

[SVcummins]

What tractor are you using

 

[WGM]

Your ? Hay King Pasture Renovator? is not a ripper.

 

[WGM]

I have a 5 shank ripper which I pull with a CIH MX255 at about 16? deep. Any deeper would damage drainage tiles.

 

[SVcummins]

-
Agrow plow

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Its a matter of terminology I guess, in my area that'd be called a subsoiler,mounted or pull type still called a subsoiler.A ripper is like I described multi shank implement with shanks being narrower and lighter than a chisel plow. Big heavy shanks mounted on a dozer to tear out roots would be called a ripper,gets confusing sometimes.

 

[showcrop]

As I posted on your last post three was all my cousin's 170 HP wanted in bottom ground. If you have rocks of any size you will be getting stopped frequently.

 

[Texasmark1]

Ripper to me. If you are talking about a subsoiler, try a 3 shank, curved steel shafts, 36" long hooked to a 105 White. Neighbor wanted to break up his plow pan. I didn't see him use it but saw it mounted before he used it. Have no idea as to how deep, nor how many passes, nor if he achieved his goal.