Berta Rotary Plow on Walk-Behind Tractor -- Full Demo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ส.ค. 2024
- Joel at Earth Tools talks through and shows a Berta Rotary Plow (single version) in action, breaking a patch of new sod and then forming it into raised beds at the end. (NOTE: The BCS "Groundblaster" is the exact same implement; built by Berta and branded for BCS.) -- Thanks to Stephanie in our office for coming up with the idea of putting goofy music to the "sped-up" portions of video...now I can feel like Charlie Chaplin!
www.earthtools.com
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro & Plot Setup
01:46 Single Vs Reversible Version
03:00 Demo
05:24 First Pass Results
06:54 Second Pass
08:23 Wheel Width
10:08 Additional Plowing
13:44 Making Corrections
18:00 Don't Fight the Machine
19:29 Soil Results
20:03 Planning the Rest of Your Bed
21:20 Forming Raised Beds - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I watched your video as a refresher before re-attaching my Berta Rotary plow to my 853. I followed your steps and it did a phenomenal job. Here in Eastern NC I didn't have the rocks to deal with and my land is perfectly flat. The area I turned over is just weed infested garden area that I haven't used in 3 years. Going to place a silage tarp over it when I finish in preparation for fall plantings.
Great job! Thanks for making such a thorough and explanative video, I just had a rotary plow dropped off up here in Upstate NY for our 853R BCS, and your video is so helpful seeing you use your plowing technique, I would have been clueless on how to do a decent job or even how to proceed without just "winging" it. AWESOME!! Bravo! much appreciation.
Joel love my 853 and my rotary plow I have been using it for 10 years.You can grow a ton of vegetables on the amount of ground the berta can open up!
Great demo to clarify some things I read but didn’t quite get before.
Thanks for the video. I can't wait to order an 853 from you later this year.
Merci pour votre vidéo monsieur, très explicite.
I initially bought a 30" rototiller and a single rotary plow for my old 850. As you know I now have a 948 with an 18 hp Vangard. I sold the rotary plow last year not because it didn't work, but because customers didn't like it. They wanted the smooth rototiller finish on their ground. It's sad, though, because we really liked the rotary plow. It definitely went down 12" in my 3,500 sq ft garden.
--Larry
JUDY HILDEBRANT Larry what kind of customers? Did you till garden plots for pay or something?
@@wpog8453 Yes. I do about 70 gardens a year.
Couldn't stand it. Just bought another rotary plow from Joel.
Excellent.
Thank you
Thanks 😊
Love the videos you make. Question, as the purpose of the rotory plow is to supposedly keep the soil layers undistrubed, then when I go back to make raised beds aren't I actually inverting the soil layers? The soil being placed on the bed top is coming from the bottom of the trench (path). You explain things very well and I enjoy your information.
Wow always though of my BCS tractors as Italian Gravely’s. Well over 5 decades ago my dad used to borrow a Gravely with a rotary plow to do my moms garden. The plow was in front instead. It had no guard and tended to fling rocks! Now my 735 is 3+ decades old.
Thanks. Got it.,..,
Joe;l ! I got an idea ! Since you say that ;leaving the wheel on acts like a rudder that helps keep you straight . I thought "Why not cut the wheel off the rod and weld a rudder shaped piece of 3/16" thick hardened plate steel which would actually cut into the bottom of the trench . This would be vastly superior to the wheel at holding the pass straight because :
1) unlike the wheel the steel plate would actually cut an inch or so deep into the ground so the plough could not jump sideways unless you hit a rock but even then it would help hold straight in the loose dirt
2) unlike the wheel ( which clogs with dirt and does not spin ) the steel; plant wold not make a drag on you forward progress
3) unlike the wheel the steel plate would NOT compact a 1.5" wide strip of the dirt
4) since teh plate cuts into the bottom of teh trench instead of riding on the surface of it you dont loose and inch of depth
Im calling my welder !!!!!
How much land can a 2 wheel tractor like this plow before it becomes more efficient to use a larger 4 wheel tractor?
Some food for thought. For new ground like that, use a single bottom plow to break the soil, then a disc harrow to bust up the clods, then the rotary plow or a roto tiller to grind up the soil finely.
Sounds like it just would take a lot more time.
@@peternelly3879 Not if you have a machine that has all those attachments, like a David Bradley walk behind tractor does.
wouldnt the extra furrow just help you with water guidance? New to gardening
What does one of these plows cost. I'm very much intrested.
What makes this worth buying over a tine tiller attachment?
It deals with larger rocks better than a tiller or harrow and if your making raised beds it will help mound them up.
A rotary tiller can't make raised beds. Also a rotary tiller can't break new ground as good as
See my reply to Charles Boston below.
👏👏
Hi Joel, thanks for a very informative video. Would wheel weights help with the traction and help keep it straight.
Thanks for your post. Yes, wheel weights would help a bit in rough ground like this...But I wanted to illustrate that the plow is capable of very deep primary tillage with a very light-weight tractor, so I left it as light as possible. I also tend to default to minimizing the weight as much as possible for the job at hand, to avoid soil compaction. Frankly, if I had the tractor outfitted with the standard tractor-tread tires instead of these knobby ATV tires, it would have done better (most of my use for the tractor is mowing, and those ATV tires work very well for that...and I was too lazy to change them out for the video! :-).
EarthtoolsKy the reason I ask is mainly because I’m just about to buy wheel weights for my 750 to use with my Reversible plough and as they cost a fair bit I want to be certain I need them. My use is just light garden work.
EarthtoolsKy hey Joel. My dilemma is, "do I get the single plow or the double?" If it was that much more efficient I'd be willing to pay the extra money. What are advantages and disadvantages as opposed to the single plow?
Wheel weights are typically needed for a old-fashioned "moldboard"-type plow, but in most conditions you don't need wheel weights for operating the rotary plows. What would make a person choose the single plow vs. the double (reversible) is the TYPE OF SLOPE you are operating on...if the land is flat or very gently sloped (10 degrees or less), then the single plow is fine. But if you are working land on a hillside greater than 10 degrees, the reversible version will work much better for you.
Joel please do it using the side discharge deflector after you do your 3 out throwing passes (on your first 4 inward throwing passes )
thats areal tough do field to make straight passes ( great tip about backing it up as soon as you go astray ) FINE PLOUGHING !
IMPORTANT !!! I DON T USE REVERSIBLE DEEP PLOUGH feilds i will for crop rolling where you
don’t get the luxury of a fluffy raised bed but must plant into the field floor
. USE THER SINGLE DIRECTION PLOUGH
Now that I have the EARTHTOOLS CROP ROLLER I plant directly
into the field floor I need the ground as non compacted as possible the reversible
deep plough does not do this If you use the reversible you will be planting crops
into compacted ground for tehs following reasons :
1)AS YOU SAY : THE WHEELS ARE TOO WIDE the wide tire compacts the ground that has just been
ploughed and puts a massive weight on it ( the 200lbs deep plough and the 100
lbs counter weight all concentrated on the low tire !!!!The balloon tires also
are flat and do not have a ploughing action of the blade like tractor tires
2) The wheel extensions needed to keep it from tipping cause
strips of earth that are not ploughed to full depth ; The span between the wheels is 3 ft and the
plough shares only cut 10-12” ” wide so
you really don’t plough you whole field ( maybe if you di not use 10 wide balloon tires this compaction would not be so
bad the balloon tires add to the width and compress a wider swath of ground .
with the single direction plough you plough the swathes touch each other
continuously across the field
If you do use the reversible dont use it in 1st
gear as it compacts the earth more when its going slower use 2nd
gear and if you do this with non balloon tires ( 20 x 4 ” or 22 x 5 ”)
3) The reversible plough
requires an extra wide wheel base so the in ditch wheel rolls to the far side of the plough
share so you just pack down the soil you’ve already fluffed up destroying soil structure
while the single direction deep plough
has a narrow wheel base this puts the ditch wheel in line with the plough share
so they plough us any compaction the wheel
causes making the single plough virtually
compaction free .
4) the single directional plough is lighter more agile and
less tiring to work . alternating 1st gear plough passes with 4th
gear jogging passes gives you an interval
workout for a healthy heart and the jogging removes lactic acid from your cramped
muscles so you can work all day
5) you can use only one handle with the single plough . and can
walk further out of the ditch sight
along the out of ditch to maintain max swath width and you get done quicker -its
so agile you can work around over head irrigation risers . again You get done
quicker .
6) the red safety engine kill lever is always out of the ditch sop you i
don’t a have to keep your hand in the ditch
half the passes which requires leaning into the ditch
6) You need to jog any way !!!! so get your jogging this way
( healthier)
Brilliant instruction, rest of the guys aren’t practical, I live in Portugal I’m buying a BCS 740 is this big enough, like you I have loads of clay
Nice video but the tires aren't correct for this work. I succest tractor-type tires or iron tires
Does a nice job, but your arms would feel like you been hanging onto a .50 caliber machine gun!
A horse or mule with a turning plow is faster and more efficient.
you should be breaking the ground up and tilling down to around 12 inches with a tiller , then using the plow to hill the rows ............ what i'm seeing are 3 things that will cause the operator issues .... 1 ... the sideways torquing as the plow goes from soft to hard ground .. might not be bad for a few minutes , but after a day one side of your back muscles will be very sore and you will end up as a pretzel that night . ...... 2 the bars are at too low of a height , when the plow is at operating depth , causing the operator to hunch over , and again sore muscles .... and finally 3 , which is a biggie , the close proximity of the plow to the operators feet , especially when turning , one slip and you have a damaged foot .....
There isn't one way only to do this...so if you want to fill them raise the beds, that fine...but if it's new ground you breaking, then the tiller can't plough as good as the rotary plow. Additionally here, you can use one implement to make raised beds out of newly broken ground. To your observations, the handle bars can be raised to prevent hunching over. The sideways torquing...sounds like you're making assumptions...gardening is still hard work.
@@small-timegarden dude , watch the video ..... and by your response it is obvious you have never used a rotary plow , the sideways torque is a real problem on new ground . .... also raising the bars on this model will bring you also closer to the cutter head. .
The advantage to using a rotary plow for breaking new ground rather then a tiller is that the rotary plow is easier on soil structure (the plow does not hold soil beneath the hood and repeatedly pulverize it, like tillers do; plus, rotary plows do not cause a hardpan due to their vertical-axis nature) and the plow actually allows a relatively small machine like a walk-behind tractor to effectively penetrate new sod up to 12" deep in ONE PASS, as the video shows. A tiller on a walk-behind tractor can NEVER achieve this depth (about 8" is maximum), plus even to get to 8" with a tiller in new sod requires multiple passes, which ruins soil structure even more. And I will tell you, sir, that I felt fine after this session of plowing; no sore muscles (watch the video in it's entirety before you jump to conclusions)... and BTW, the tractor handlebars are fully adjustable in height if the operator wants to change the position. If the close proximity of the plow to the operator's feet is a concern, the operator can always disengage to PTO of the tractor when turning the tractor around at the end of the rows, so the plow is not rotating. (For what it's worth, though: the handlebars on the newer-model walking tractors are about 6" longer, so this close proximity is less of a concern.)
@@EarthTools I plough all day with no sore muscles 😉It does not hurt your back because your weight is on your arms