Disc size for 4020

sixtyninegmc · Oct 20, 2011

Just looking for some opinions on how big of a disc most think a 4020 is well suited to pull. I realize soil type and condition affect it quite a bit, but I have heard lots of different answers. I`m already forming some opinions on my own, just wondering if others agree or disagree. I was looking at two discs an older fellow had today, and was floored when I asked about which tractor he used for each. He is pulling a 16` JD 215 with a dualled up 4440, and thinks I would be nuts for trying to pull it with a 4020, even dualled up, and he pulls his 10` IH 37 with his 4020 and thinks it is "about right".

Seems like overkill to me, and his soil is very similar to ours. Our 4020 doesn`t even know our old flexible JD KB 11` disc is behind it, even with weight on the disc.

Steve in IL · Oct 20, 2011

69GMC - I"m thinking I agree with you. I pull a 18" IH 480 disc (relatively heavy disc) with my 105 hp White 2-105. I"d think that many 4020s have nearly as much power as I have (and I have no duals). But as you state, your results may vary...

DeltaRed · Oct 20, 2011

It all depends upon the the disk and the soil conditions.Are you pulling a heavy'tillage' disk,or a light'finish'disk?Are you disking corn stalks,or disking freshly plowed ground? I think 12' or 14' would be about right.

the tractor vet · Oct 20, 2011

I use to pull a 370 I H disc that was 13 and a half wide with a 706 gasser and duals just fine on plowed ground and at my uncles we pulled a 16 footer with a turboed 806 Now we pull a 18 footer 470 with a 1066 with duals tired a 24 footer and the 1066 did not like that vary well. so depending on soil and area a 13-14 footer would be just about wright.

Badger08 · Oct 20, 2011

Pull a 14 foot disk with our 4020 with duals on. In cornstalks and chisel plowed ground. You can tell it's back there but handles it fine.

sixtyninegmc · Oct 20, 2011

Well, as for conditions, not many cornstalks in Alaska, mostly will be used behind the plow, though several others I know just disc to break up the sod on hay ground every 4-5 years, and never plow, that would probably be harder on the rig than broken ground. Mostly windblown glacial silt around here, some clay, but when the silt gets abit too damp it gets ugly.

I would not consider the JD 215 to be a very heavy disc, but certainly a lot more than the IH 37, but I am certainly still learning. Biggest reason I am tossing these questions around is because a lot of the equipment in interior Alaska where I am trying to get a start is either old, small equipment from the homesteader days of the 40`s and 50`s, and hence way to small for our 4010 or 4020, or equipment that was brought in when our state tried its ill-fated "barley project" of tens of thousands of state cleared, state subsidized grain fields in the 80`s, and most of that stuff is way to big for our tractors.

So I am stuck trying to find tillage equipment and other implements (we trucked all the major haying equipment from the states) sized for tracors that are kind of oddballs around here, but I also don`t want to buy a disc that will work my poor tractor to death.

Josh

Sid · Oct 21, 2011

If I may change the subject what type of hay, and what other farming is done in Alaska?

sixtyninegmc · Oct 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 22:04:16 10/20/11) If I may change the subject what type of hay, and what other farming is done in Alaska?

Pretty much all grass hay, timothy and brome are the most common by far, though we have quite a bit of meadow foxtail in some of our fields. Nobody that I know of does any legumes other than maybe some peas for silage (my grandpa used to on the dairy), mostly due to patchy weather making second cutting drydown harder. In Fairbanks where I am at used to be lots of potatoes and several big dairys, but our state killed off the dairys by subsidizing milk from washington and all the tater farmers passed on. There is quite a few market gardens, and one guy raising beef cattle with around 400 head. Lots of hay for horses.
Down in Delta where the state tried the barley project years ago there is a lot of hay, barley, oats, some potatoes and other veggies and some dairys and some elk and buffalo ranches.
In Palmer further south, farming has been going on since the new deal brought the ag colony up from the midwest in `35, and it is really the breadbasket of Alaska still. Some grain production, lots of hay, dairy and beef, smaller stock farms, and pretty much any vegetable that you can get to grow in the sub-arctic.

Not to ramble, but I`m kind of a Alaska ag history geek, most people who live here don`t realize our colorful farming history and how much potential this state has.

Josh

Erik Ks farmer · Oct 21, 2011

I would say you will be fine with the 215, I pull an 18ft Kewanee with an 1135 MF with no duals and have no problem. A neighbor pulls a 15ft 215 JD with a 4230 with no duals and no weights without any trouble.

Tx Jim · Oct 21, 2011

One contributing factor on a 4020 handling a 16' JD 215 would be the type of disk that was on it cone or spherical. A 215 is a medium duty tandem that I think will do a poor job for just disking and planting grass seed. All things considered I think a 4020 will pull a 16' 215

Sid · Oct 21, 2011

Thanks for the reply.

thurlow · Oct 21, 2011

TOO MANY VARIABLES to say!!!! Between us, my dad and I owned either 8 or 9 4020s.......the first one bought in '65. The disc bought with it was a dealer-recommended 12 ft AW; later bought a second 12 ft AW and a 12 ft 2300 A-C. A few years later we bought a JD BWF (either 13 or 14 ft) and the 4020s wouldn't pull it; in our soils, 12 ft is enough if you're wanting to disc, rather than scratch.

oldtanker · Oct 21, 2011

In our soil I was told by an equipment dealer 2 foot of dish for every 10HP at the draw bar. I kinda think thats off. A 12 footer, kinda medium duty disk was just about right when I was running an 80HP (190XT) draw bar tractor (in our soil any bigger would have created slippage problems). I'm sure that I could have had a 14 foot and done fine with it. The 95HP tractor (1206) I have now just plays with it. Having a smaller disk than max allows me to run at 3/4 throttle and a higher gear to get the same ground speed. Saves a bit of fuel.

Rick

Billy NY · Oct 21, 2011

This JD 637 disc (17'-0") I pulled this with a 4440, glacial till, clay/loam etc. and you know its back there, I'd lean towards a 4020 having a hard time with it in these soils, motor on this tractor was rebuilt after this season, probably a little easier for it now.

sixtyninegmc · Oct 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 03:59:49 10/21/11)
One contributing factor on a 4020 handling a 16' JD 215 would be the type of disk that was on it cone or spherical. A 215 is a medium duty tandem that I think will do a poor job for just disking and planting grass seed. All things considered I think a 4020 will pull a 16' 215

Which is generally more aggressive, cone or spherical discs? I`m going to say this one had spherical discs, not positive. When you say the 215 will do poorly just discing and planting seed, I assume you mean to break up the sod with the disc? I have a 4 bottom plow that I plan to roll things over with first, so I am just looking for a decent finish disc. Most people up here don`t ever till hay fields, so they only use discs for breaking new ground, but we are looking at how much better fields do with responsible tillage, and unlike most up here, I want to get into rotating crops and not staying strictly hay, as I don`t want all my eggs in one basket, so to speak, and to get the benefits of a good crop rotation. So I guess I will be doing more tilling than most up here, that is why I didn`t trust the guys advice on pulling the 215 with a 4440, he only pulled it right behind his D-7 cat opening new fields, hard duty for a disc.

Thanks for all the replys everybody, anything that I can learn at this point, I appreciate. I am kind of trying to take a different road than most farmers have up here so some of there well meaning advice does not help to much. Maybe I can rent the 215 from this individual this spring and see how it does before making a leap I will regret

Josh

sixtyninegmc · Oct 21, 2011

Another question I just thought of, does the stated width of a disc generally include the furrow fillers, or do you measure the width of the cutting blades and not include the fillers?

ralph wilton · Oct 21, 2011

it really is the design of the disc i pulled a 21 foot ih 475 with my 930 case it was a load but it would do it then i hooked my 22 ft 496 on my 1070 stopped me dead in my tracks the 930 is 85 horse the 1070 is turning 150

GordoSD · Oct 21, 2011

You will have a much better tillage if you chisel plow, then disc.

Anonymous-0 · Oct 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 01:00:25 10/22/11) You will have a much better tillage if you chisel plow, then disc.

agree with gordosd

sixtyninegmc · Oct 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 17:00:25 10/21/11) You will have a much better tillage if you chisel plow, then disc.

In place of moldboard plowing, or just chisel plow when I was only going to disc? What would the advantage be of the chisel plow over a moldboard plow? Also we are trying to stay organic, so that definately has an effect on the tillage strategy.

Josh

Tx Jim · Oct 22, 2011

All other things equal the cone disk pull harder than spherical disks.

Disc size for 4020

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