Disk Harrows.

Disk Harrows Strategically Enhance the Quality of Planting Grounds

Disk Harrows are yet another type of agricultural equipment used to thoroughly cultivate land and facilitate the process of preparing earth for plantation.

The iron or steel-based disks are called upon to agitate the ground; and, in some cases, break-up large remains (e.g. stalks, husks, branches) of previous crops.

This makes it much easier for a plow to pass-over the land without

getting stuck or slowed-down by unwanted debris throughout the field.

In spite of the obvious benefits(s), disk harrows are not always employed during the cultivation, tillage phase.

Some farmers are content with the results they achieve without implementing a disk harrow for additional earth preparation.

Depending on the variety being planted, and the overall cleanliness of the ‘seed-bed’, this tool is not always critical to the success of a crop.

Nevertheless, one can expect a much more prime surface and better organization of dimensions once it’s entered into the process.

Generally, a harrow of this kind would be used before the aerating/smoothing-of-land stage relative to cultipackers and-the-like.

Furthermore, cultivators like these are particularly useful for initiating new crops on the same property shortly after a full harvest of ‘resource-intensive’ grades—especially thick stalk plants such as corn, bamboo.

Moreover, after a few passes with the harrow, damaged/in-grown stalks (and foreign objects) will be significantly reduced to a point where plowing and further cultivating is no longer difficult.

Similar to how Stihl Chainsaws break-down limbs & sticks, harrows do the same to small rocks, debris, and plant ruins.

Additionally, the design of this implement is such that it maximizes efficiency and general ease-of-use.

The disks are built slightly curved so-as-to aggressively disturb the land by turning it over instead of simply slicing through it.

This is of major benefit because in the absence of soil turn-over, the ground would not amply loosen, and would render spread seed ineffective…

Functionality of a Cultivator Disk Harrow

Contemporary harrows differ from other types of more restrictive cultivators because they can be applied either before or after plowing.

If handled before, it’s most likely that a previous crop resulted in considerable waste and negligible material which needed to be further broken-down.

This is where the modern harrow serves a dedicated purpose with respect to ground preparation for impending seed plantation.

Following this initial ‘exploitation’, a plow can then quickly work-the-land and fulfill its chief purpose of top-level soil agitation; this is imperative as it further exposes the nutrients necessary for successful seed germination.

Also, basic plowing exceedingly helps in the biodegradation of weeds and undesirable constituents of the land.

Furthermore, this harrow can be called-upon after plowing if, of course, the land is suitable/well-ready for plantation.

In this case, the tool would assume the role of related cultivators and basically proceed to smooth-out + deeply aerate the area after a plow has completed its duties.

It’s important to harrow the land after plowing because, customarily, plowing abandons a rough, inconsistent finish that would be difficult (and sub-optimal) to fertilize or plant seed.

Given this ‘before-or-after’ versatility, a disk harrow is one of the most valuable implements accessible in the broad spectrum of agricultural machinery.

History of the Disk Harrow

Finally, as most farm equipment was, traditional cultivators were manually occupied by domesticated animals (e.g. mules, oxen, horses, donkeys); or, in some cases, human labor.

From the earliest adaptation of this instrument, to its present-day engagement, harrows have minimally evolved in terms of standard purpose and functionality…

The most relevant variation from its inception, is the rapidity with which the overall process can be completed.

Thanks-to the genius of internal combustion engines, tremendous strides have been made in agricultural machinery—similar to parallel advancements in construction equipment.

Thus, tractor-mounted implements have consistently improved and become more convenient to attach/replace as desired.

Modernly, one can automate a disk harrow by connecting it to a tractor via draw-bar or three-point-hitch; drastically reducing the physical effort, time required to complete the cultivation processes of farming.