Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Harrow  (Read 7498 times)

Daisys Mum

  • Joined May 2009
  • Scottish Borders
Harrow
« on: March 10, 2010, 06:41:18 pm »

I am thinking of buying a harrow, I have looked on ebay and they seem to start at about £135 for a 4ft one. Does anyone have any idea of what I should be looking for? I would be pulling it with a 4 wheel drive quad.The prices seem to vary quite a bit.
Anne

Norfolk Newby

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • West Norfolk, UK
Re: Harrow
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2010, 03:20:43 pm »
A standard 4ft chain harrow offer a smooth side and a spiky side. The spiky side can be towed so that the spikes are angled back or forward. When pointing forward, the harrow digs in more and breaks up the soil. Otherwise the harrow is like a rake and mainly levels the soil.

Having said all of that, it depends on the type of soil and whether it is wet (muddy), damp (crumbly) or dry (rock hand or sandy dust) at the time you use the harrow.

I haven't been hugely impressed with my use of the same implement but I took a 4ft length of 3" angle bar, drilled some holes to line up with the hooks on the harrow and hung the bar on the trailing edge. The weight of the bar increases the impact of the harrow by about 50%.

I also have a small (3ft) disk harrow which is heavy and more expensive (£750-ish) and on hard dry ground it also does very little. On damp ground, it breaks up the top inch of the soil and takes out small weeds quite well.

You can also fit a second chain harrow behind the first one to increase its impact but the resulting drag might make your tractor/quad hard to steer. Obviously, you could try with one and get a second if you want to increase the levelling/weeding ability of the harrow.

Sorry if that's a bit of a ramble but I hope it helps

NN
Novice - growing fruit, trees and weeds

Daisys Mum

  • Joined May 2009
  • Scottish Borders
Re: Harrow
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2010, 07:30:27 pm »

Thanks NN I did wonder if perhaps the cheaper ones would be too light to do any good but if as you say adding a bit of weight would help I think that I will just go ahead and get one.
Anne

Wizard

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • North East Lincolnshire
Re: Harrow
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2010, 10:25:11 pm »
Hello N N Ive not seen a chain harrow used for that purpose Usually they are used in grassland not quite like a lawn aerator but for a similar purpose the forward looking tines dig in as you say and disturb the root system and kill a lot of the rubbish that lurks there guzzling your expensive fertilizer.You may well pull seed harrows with a quad or even a chisel tine but a duck foot takes a bit more hp.Its a bit like horses for courses job You won't pull one with a quad but there is a grand old tool called a Pitch pole harrow it bungs up with the rubbish and you pull on a rope the tines roll round allowing the rubbish to flow out the back.Try a farm sale they don't make much money at auction.I wouldn't bother with local tractor dealers without you want new. :D ;D P/s Dais am laughing cos I can see you off down the field front wheels off the ground and no steering*^*^^** ing ATV :D
Don't do today what can be put off until tomorrow because today will be yesterday tomorrow

garden cottage

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • forest of dean
Re: Harrow
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2010, 06:17:09 am »
think you need just standard chain harrows re for spreading muck but main job is removing old dead grass from paddocks. just rebuilt mine this year agree with previous post need a good bar at the front to keep them on the ground, but they should come with this already. also if you fit a timber on the very back it stops them flicking up and tangles, dont drive to fast as they wont get all the dead grass out

Daisys Mum

  • Joined May 2009
  • Scottish Borders
Re: Harrow
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2010, 03:33:23 pm »

Thanks all. Wizard you may well laugh my fields are like /. Could struggle to get back up them, they are permanent grass so there is quite a lot of dead stuff needing harrowed out this year.
Anne

Wizard

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • North East Lincolnshire
Re: Harrow
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2010, 03:48:43 pm »
Attack it with a good chain harrow points down looking forward and no weights Dais;If you can stretch to a new one do with a good strong 6" tine :farmer:
Don't do today what can be put off until tomorrow because today will be yesterday tomorrow

 

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