I rip about a 1/3 of my ground each year. It really should be done in the fall. If it is not dry then you will not be breaking the hard pan you will just be cutting slots into the ground. Here are some things to do/consider when ripping.
1) Find out if you have a hard pan. To do this all you need to do is push a small diameter rod into the ground. It will push easy until you hit the hard pan. Than it will push hard until you are through the hard pan. They make fancy rods with a tee handle on it just for this. I have a long small diameter screw driver I use. When you find out how deep you hard pan is you want to set your ripper to go a few inches under the hard pan.
2) You did not say what type of ripper you have. I do not recognize the brand name of Paulk. There are two different types of rippers. A) in line ripper with fairly straight shanks B) Parabolic Vee rippers with big curved shanks.
They work in two different ways:
The inline rippers depend on a shock way effect to shatter the ground. All the shanks lift the ground in a line. These inline rippers require speed to generate a good shock wave. If you can't pull them fast enough then you will not do much good. The inline rippers usually do not disturb the surface as much as a parabolic ripper.
Parabolic rippers ( I think this is what you have) they can be used at a slower speed than the in line rippers. They usually have the shanks staggered or in a "V" shape. They will penetrate harder soils than an inline ripper. The parabolic rippers do disturb the surface more. The ground will many times almost look like you worked it with a chisel plow.
Either of these type of rippers may have coulters or not. It depends on how much residue you have if you need coulters or not.
3) You need to consider how your soil and fields drain. If you have good internal drainage then you can rip the field just like you would plant it. If surface drainage is a big part of how your fields drain then you need to rip the fields to enable surface drainage to work.
To do that you will have to look at how your land lays as far as drainage is concerned. Then think about each pass of the ripped making drainage ditches the way you are running and dams opposite the way you run. So if you have natural slope/ditch you need to rip toward that ditch and then up or down it. So you are allowing the water to drain out the ripper channels.
I have seen where guys did not do this in more level ground. The fields where wetter after they ripped the field because the water would not run off them along the natural drainage lines.
So if you have wet spots then rip them to drain away from that spot.
The timing of ripping can make or break a crop. If you spring rip, and it is dry, you will get good shatter but you will dry the ground out and create air pockets that will affect seed germination and seedling survivability. You can get these pockets that are under the seed zone. So when the seedling gets taller it hit this open/dry spot and root development may stop or be held back. IF the subsoil is wet then you will cause sidewall compaction in your field. The roots will go out laterally and hit one of the shank slots and stop or be hindered.
So have good conditions for spring subsoiling can be a challenge. The subsoil needs to be dry but you need enough moisture for the field to not dry out. That is hard to get many years.
Also you may not be able to get under the hard pan the first year or pass. Some time you will have to hit the field several years in a row gaining a few inches at a time until you get the hard pan out. This is really true on haul paths or end rows.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Field Modifications (Sins of the Farmer) - by Staff. Picture a new Chevrolet driving down the street without it's grill, right fender and trunk lid. Imagine a crude hole made in the hood to accommodate a new taller air cleaner, the fender wells cut away to make way for larger tires, and half of a sliding glass door used to replace the windshield. Top that off with an old set of '36 Ford headlight shells bolted to the hood. Pretty unlikely for a car... but for a tractor, this is pretty normal. It seems that more often than not they a
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
