Introduction
In agriculture, choosing the right tools can make your work more efficient. Disc ploughs and disc harrows, as common farming tools, can improve your efficiency when preparing seedbeds. Although both assist in tilling the soil, they differ in many ways. Next, I will introduce them from the aspects of definition, use, components, impact on the land, and some tips for choosing the right one.
Understanding Disc Ploughs and Disc Harrows
Disc Ploughs
A disc plough is the first tool needed for your land tilling, used for deep ploughing and turning the soil. It usually consists of several large, concave steel plough discs mounted on a frame, arranged at an angle so the discs can cut and flip the soil.
Disc Harrows
A disc harrow is used after ploughing to break up the surface of the land, loosen, and turn the soil. Disc harrow typically consists of a set of concave discs arranged in groups, mounted on a frame. By adjusting the angle of the discs, it can handle different depths of tilling and soil treatment.
Differences Between Disc Ploughs and Disc Harrows
Usage
Disc Ploughs
A disc plough is effective for handling uncultivated land. It can turn and break up hard, untilled soil or ground covered with weeds, helping to break up compacted soil and improve its aeration and drainage.
The main working parts of the disc plough roll forward, creating less friction with the soil. It can cut through weeds, and it is less likely to get tangled with weeds, clog, or stick to clay. Additionally, the long, durable edges of the disc blades make it easier to penetrate the soil.
Disc Harrows
A disc harrow is used for soil surface treatment after the initial ploughing. It helps to ensure there are no large soil clumps and that the soil depth is even. It can also mix in fertilizers and pesticides, destroy pest habitats, and cut through weeds, creating good soil conditions for planting. These conditions are especially important for crop emergence and root growth.
The surface of the soil becomes more even and crumbly after using the disc harrow, and it works well even in heavy clay soil, rough land, or areas with many weeds.
Main Components
Disc Ploughs
Discs: The discs on a disc plough have a large concave surface, with the edge thickness usually ranging from 0.5 to 1 mm. They are quite sharp and serve to deep plough, cut, turn, and loosen the soil. The number, size, and angle of the discs affect the quality of the ploughing.
Frame: The frame of a disc plough supports the structure and handles the heavy pressure during operation.
Disc Axle: The plough discs are fixed on a disc axle, which drives their rotation. By adjusting the angle of the disc axle, you can control the cutting depth and angle of the discs.
Hitching Mechanism: The three-point hitch system not only allows the disc plough to raise, lower, and tilt but also ensures its stability during ploughing.
Scraper: The scrappers can quickly scrape off the clay from the discs and turn the soil.
Depth Control Wheel: It maintains the ploughing depth and stability of the disc plough while also preventing the ploughing from going too deep and the machine from tipping over.
Disc Harrows
Disc Gangs: The features of a disc harrow are the discs with notched edges and a smaller concave surface compared to those on a disc plough. It is used for soil surface treatment. By adjusting the arrangement and angle of the discs, you can achieve different soil-cutting and mixing effects.
Frame: The harrow frame supports the disc sets and maintains the overall stability of the disc harrow.
Hitching Mechanism: It allows the disc harrow to raise, lower, tilt, and stay balanced, ensuring the disc harrow is pulled steadily by the tractor during tilling.
Traction Frame: When the disc harrow is attached to a trailing connection, it is equipped with a traction frame. Its purpose is to ensure that the harrow can move freely in the field and carry out tilling.
Angle Adjustment Mechanism: It helps the disc harrow adjust the offset angle of the discs to achieve different harrowing depths.
Working Depth
Disc Ploughs
The ploughing depth of a disc plough is related to the diameter of the discs. Typically, the ploughing depth is about one-fourth to one-fifth of the disc diameter, allowing for efficient soil penetration and digging.
Disc Harrows
The harrowing depth of a disc harrow is usually related to its weight and the angle of the discs. Adding weight to the harrow and increasing the disc angle can both help increase the depth of soil penetration.
Soil Impact
Disc Ploughs
A disc plough is typically for deep plowing. It effectively breaks up the bottom soil layers, improving soil permeability and aeration, which benefits root growth and water absorption. However, excessive plowing can damage soil structure and increase the risk of soil erosion.
Disc Harrows
A disc harrow is typically for loosen shallow soil and smooth the surface, preparing it for planting. When used correctly, it can effectively change the topsoil structure, mix in fertilizers, cut weeds and residue, and increase soil organic matter. However, you need to control the working depth to avoid losing the topsoil.
Classification method
In addition to common classifications like whether they are mounted, have a drive shaft, or use hydraulics, each disc plough and disc harrow features its specific types.
Disc Plough
You can sort disc ploughs based on the diameter and number of discs, as well as the type of land being worked. Specifically, for the land type, you can divide them into dry land ploughs, paddy field ploughs, and combined ploughs for both dry and wet conditions.
Disc Harrow
Disc harrows can be categorized based on their weight and structure. By weight, they are divided into light, medium, and heavy-duty disc harrows. By structure, they include opposed, offset, folding, and double-row types.
Some Tips When Choosing the Equipment
Soil Type
Before choosing a disc plough or disc harrow, you need to consider the type of soil because soil hardness will affect the effectiveness of tilling.
For light or regular soil, you can use a disc plough with smaller discs. For harder or heavier soil, you need a disc plough with larger discs. Light soil is easy to work with, so a light disc harrow is sufficient. For medium-hard soil, a medium disc harrow is suitable. You need a heavy disc harrow for sticky or hard soil.
Tractor
If you want to use disc plough or disc harrows， you also need a tractor. So you must consider the condition of your tractor, such as its horsepower and hitch system.
If the tractor’s horsepower is too low, it won’t provide enough power for the disc plough or disc harrow, which will affect their working efficiency. Additionally, make sure to choose a disc plough or disc harrow that is compatible with your tractor’s hitch system.
Hydraulic System
Disc ploughs and disc harrows come in hydraulic and non-hydraulic types. If you need to frequently adjust the direction of the disc plough or disc harrow, a hydraulic model will be more convenient for you.
Wrap Up
After comparing various factors, you should now understand the differences between them and know how to narrow down your choices to make a better decision. If you still have questions, feel free to contact us at ANON. As an experienced supplier, we can provide you with expert advice.
FAQs
How do maintain a disc harrow?
I recommend to regularly check the condition of the parts. After using the disc harrow, clean it promptly to remove any dirt. Also, apply lubricating oil to parts that experience frequent friction to reduce wear. If any parts are excessively worn or damaged, replace them with original parts to ensure quality.
