Field drag

[Dingo3]

What were these called and what was their primary use? Sorry for only one pic. Its a bit rusty but the handle is used to rotate the spikes to the ground.

 

[Rick Remmert]

We always called them a drag harrow. I still have one that I use to level ground.

 

[Dingo3]

Thanks, Ive just never seen one before with the rotating spikes. Thought they may have a different name besides spike harrow or spike drag.

 

[showcrop]

I had one on my carpet farm. We called it a spike tooth harrow. I've never seen one in person.

 

[shaun wallace]

They all rotated, that way could work ground at different depth. Had curved teeth so could move from field to field We had 3 sections with evener that was used up into early 70s.

 

[Leroy]

I had several of different makes on my farm and some would
work a lot better for some jobs than others. I had both rigid
and flexiable with or with out levers and also 3 point hitch
version.

 

[Dingo3]

Makes sense, Thanks

 

[RobCons]

Always heard them called a section har. Not harrow just har. Got one leaning on a tree that I need to put a hitch on someday.

 

[Kelly in tx]

I still use one each time just prior to planting my small grain (oats) with a grain drill. They smooth the ground/bust up clods, which makes it easier to seed and also harvest after the crop is ready. I plow, disc (disc harrow), harrow (with an implement similar to this) and then seed with a grain drill. kelly

 

[300guy]

They were (are) used to smooth out a disked or plowed field smooth. It knocks out any clumps of dirt and makes a smooth seed bed. Also we used one to help work oats into the ground after it was drilled if like our drill did not have any packing wheels. I presently have a 4 section and use it a lot to smooth the ground any time I work up the ground in the spring. Some times they were pulled behind the disk at the same time so only one pass was make with the tractor.

 

[Timmycornpicker]

when engaged very lightly, they can also be used to blind cultivate corn to get ahead of the weeds.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Spike drag. We used a couple sections behind the drill to help cover seed planting wheat or oats the old Oliver superior didn't cover very well.

 

[paul]

Harrow.

Some called them drag here.

Spike tooth harrow drag probably gets it all in.

Leveling out dirt before planting, after field cultivating or disking.

Weeding before or after planting, catches the fine weeds just spiking out of the ground without disturbing the real crop seed. Or bringing up much new weed seed. Could go through beans as the ground was just cracking. Could go through corn when you saw a few leaf spikes. this was about the only time to angle the spikes back much.

Incorporate small grain seed and or clover and alfalfa seed that was spread on the surface.

Was hard on them but used to level down spring plowing. Go over the lumps to break them up when it was too rough to disk. Catch the lumps as they were half drying out, so they would still shatter some.

Probably the most used implement dad had, would go over the farm acres 3-4 times in spring. Disk, harrow, harrow, plant, harrow. Let a few days pass between operations and weeds would sprout, kill them off.

Paul

 

[Leroy]

A drag was 3 to 5 2x8 or 10 inch planks fastened with a 2 inch overlap and just pulled that way to smooth out a field and it would build up dirt on top to where you could not pull it any more and had to clean the dirt off the top of it. Came before the spike tooth harrow. Had one when I was growing up but cannot remember it hanging around very long as it did not work very well. This was 65 to 70 years ago. Some were made with pipe fastened about 8 inches between pieces of pipe

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 22:13:24 03/11/23) A drag was 3 to 5 2x8 or 10 inch planks fastened with a 2 inch overlap and just pulled that way to smooth out a field and it would build up dirt on top to where you could not pull it any more and had to clean the dirt off the top of it. Came before the spike tooth harrow. Had one when I was growing up but cannot remember it hanging around very long as it did not work very well. This was 65 to 70 years ago. Some were made with pipe fastened about 8 inches between pieces of pipe

That description may have been specific to your town.

 

[560Dennis]

David Bradley (Sears Roebuck) Spike Tooth Harrow on the owner manuals and parts listing about 1950 .
Just the best to for tool for final pass seed bed in future hay fields ,
That what I see in the photo

 

[Alvin 41]

Always used to level and cover after drilling oats and alfalfa. Usually had 4 sections and folding evener to go thru gates. Loaded on flat wagon for road travel. Always had tooth adjustment lever. Always liked to use it because you could go fast with a small tractor. Somtimes used like a rotary hoe for weeding and corn emergence.

 

[steve in ok]

We called it a section harrow, some called it a drag, we had three sections for leveling fields with the teeth down and would drag cow piles with the teeth laid flat.

 

[Leroy]

Not so, the early ones were fixed angle. Wish I could do pictures as I could come up with close to 20 different styles of spike tooth harrows.

 

[rdandersom]

The rotating idea never caught on here. I always thought it was a good idea but never saw one in S Ontario.I bought a flexible harrow that pulled angled back in one direction or straight down if pulled backward about 20 years ago. New ones with the teeth fixed straight down were still being made then around here but I didn't want to mouldboard anymore.