JD235 Bifold disc

Looking at a JD bifold disc and am wondering what all of you think of them. Are they a "good" disc to own, as in doing a nice job and not being a bad apple. I am asking as I am wanting to upgrade to a larger disc and larger tractor, used equipment of course. What is the minimum hp needed to pull a 20 foot disc in heavy loam.

I have owned several John Deere disks. The first large one was a JD 230 wing fold 23 foot with 9 inch spaced, cone blades. It cut very well and leveled the ground pretty good too. It did take a horse to pull it thought. I had a JD 5020 at the time that I had turboed and turned up to be similar to a JD 6030. When I started to work more at the JD dealership and farm less I sold the JD 5020 and the tillage tools that I needed it to pull. I then bought a Brand new JD 235, 7 inch spaced, 18 foot center fold disk. I pulled it with Grand Dad's IH 1466. It cut well but it would not level worth a darn. Also when you feathered it when turning or crossing grass water ways it would ridge terrible. You could not adjust it out of it. The frame design just did not work well in uneven terrain. In more level fields it did a fine job. I only kept it one year and bought a IH 496 18 1/2 foot disk new and I still have that disk. It is a much better finishing disk but it will not cut as well as the JD 235.

As far as how hard they pull. It depends on the disk spacing and whether it has cone or spherical blades. The wide spaced cone blades will cut almost like a plow but will pull real hard. A 20 foot one with that combination will whip a 150-170 horsepower tractor if you pick the wheels up and really cut. If it has 7 inch spacing spherical blades then it would pull OK with a 120-140 horse power tractor. Now remember you terrain will affect this greatly. There will be guys on here that tell you they pull a 25 foot disk with a 150 HP tractor. They are in real level ground. We farm slopes up to 7-8%. Then have hills/valleys even steeper than them.

No one believed me that jd made a 235 center fold, a friend of mine had one. I don't remember how good it worked but the 220 centerfolds ran shallow on the ends and weren't very well liked.

Last disc I ever bought was a wing-fold 21ft 4inch 235 w/9 inch spacing. Probably the best tandem disc I ever owned. Pulled it with a 4840 (180 pto hp), which was a good match in our soils.

Here is a picture of a JD 235 disk. They made quite a few of the center fold models in the 15 to 20 foot size. I will not ever own another one to use. It took me years to get my fields back to level.

(quoted from post at 11:39:15 12/09/12) Here is a picture of a JD 235 disk. They made quite a few of the center fold models in the 15 to 20 foot size. I will not ever own another one to use. It took me years to get my fields back to level.

Click to expand...

JD Seller
JD also had wing fold 235 disk harrows that wouldn't level the ground.

JD bifold Disks aren't worth a darn. Buy a wing fold. You'll be much happier. Krause or IH are all that are used around here of that vintage. Landoll's and sunflowers are added to that list of "newer" disks "here".

Thanks for the replies and warning me about the leveling problems with them. Will look for something better.