[Hayjosh]

Roto hoes (aka crust busters) can be had for dirt cheap now because nobody uses them anymore. I can pick up a 15' John Deere locally for $300.

I've read people use these to aerate hay fields, but also go over the field with a roto hoe prior to seeding or fertilizing and it helps to get the seed or fertilizer incorporated into the soil better/faster.

So I'm going to be doing some frost seeding and then later this spring some over seeding.

Do you think the above idea has merit, as in would it be worth the small investment to pick one up and run it over the field prior to seeding or fertilizing?

What I"m more concerned about is having another piece of junk sitting around that is difficult to sell if it doesn't work so well.

 

[Tx Jim]

My having in my youth experience operating a tractor pulling a rotary hoe IMHO thinking a rotary hoe will penetrate soil especially my local soil deep enough to help fertilizer incorporation, is kidding themselves. Maybe you have much looser soil than local soil.

 

[IH 1586]

Roto hoes (aka crust busters) can be had for dirt cheap now because nobody uses them anymore. I can pick up a 15' John Deere locally for $300.

I've read people use these to aerate hay fields, but also go over the field with a roto hoe prior to seeding or fertilizing and it helps to get the seed or fertilizer incorporated into the soil better/faster.

So I'm going to be doing some frost seeding and then later this spring some over seeding.

Do you think the above idea has merit, as in would it be worth the small investment to pick one up and run it over the field prior to seeding or fertilizing?

What I"m more concerned about is having another piece of junk sitting around that is difficult to sell if it doesn't work so well.

I asked the same or a very similar question on here many many years ago. At least it seems like it. Tomorrow when I’m back on the computer I’ll see if I can find the thread if you don’t first. I never pursued or looked at another rotary hoe after that if that says anything.

I’m still trying to figure out if a Aerway or a RanchWorks aerator is worth the investment. There just isn’t a lot of talk on the subject of aerating hayfields.

 

[Trillium Farm]

A rotor Hoe seems to be used a lot in Europe, but just ahead of the seed placing tubes to smooth the soil.
Don't know if it serves the purpose or if it is habit.

 

[IH 1586]

8 years ago. Back when we all enjoyed this forum. I didn’t ask a question it came up as part of a discussion and seems they could still have a usefulness to them. A lot of old names that we don’t hear from or have passed on that provided us with a wealth of information.

Orchard Grass - The Best All Round Hay????

Isn't OG a bunch-type grass though? It sure is, but these newer varieties have been developed to not "die out" and bunch like the older varieties....they still will but not as much. The good thing about bunching and thinning is a fella can run a rotary hoe over the field in the fall and add...

www.haytalk.com

 

[Hayjosh]

8 years ago. Back when we all enjoyed this forum. I didn’t ask a question it came up as part of a discussion and seems they could still have a usefulness to them. A lot of old names that we don’t hear from or have passed on that provided us with a wealth of information.

Orchard Grass - The Best All Round Hay????

Isn't OG a bunch-type grass though? It sure is, but these newer varieties have been developed to not "die out" and bunch like the older varieties....they still will but not as much. The good thing about bunching and thinning is a fella can run a rotary hoe over the field in the fall and add...

www.haytalk.com

This thread is basically discussing the same idea I had. The main objective for me is to enhance seed to soil exposure. If it incorporates fertilizer better or aerates that’s a plus, but I don’t have a drill or tillage equipment (just a Brillion) and have been thinking about ways to maximize the germination of seed.

I was going to frost seed a ryegrass mixture into my horse pastures, which are pretty much buzzed down like golf greens right now. Even those I was thinking about going over with a rotary hoe first, if that is of merit, and then seeding in the morning, when the ground is frozen. However I also have another field that I am going to burn later this spring to remove all the residue, and I was wondering if going over that with a hoe while soft after a light rain, and then running my Brillion seeder packer over it to drop some orchard grass in there, would be more effective than just the Brillion over seeding.

 

[IH 1586]

This thread is basically discussing the same idea I had. The main objective for me is to enhance seed to soil exposure. If it incorporates fertilizer better or aerates that’s a plus, but I don’t have a drill or tillage equipment (just a Brillion) and have been thinking about ways to maximize the germination of seed.

I was going to frost seed a ryegrass mixture into my horse pastures, which are pretty much buzzed down like golf greens right now. Even those I was thinking about going over with a rotary hoe first, if that is of merit, and then seeding in the morning, when the ground is frozen. However I also have another field that I am going to burn later this spring to remove all the residue, and I was wondering if going over that with a hoe while soft after a light rain, and then running my Brillion seeder packer over it to drop some orchard grass in there, would be more effective than just the Brillion over seeding.

After reading it I realized why I haven’t gotten one. It’s not convenient. They are not used in this area. So I would have trucking. After the refresher from that thread, for $300 I would be bringing it home.

 

[Hayman1]

I thought the basic theory behind roto hoes was use in fully tilled ground, usually finer grained like silty and clayey to break the crust for beans primarily. Those soils in full tillage have a tendency to slake over and break shoots as they try to emerge. So to break up the "plates" and not hurt the shoots, the engineered penetration should be pretty low. My thinking is that they are not going to do much in sod. I am like you, spent the last 4-5 years liquidating anything just rusting that was not being actively used and do not want to reverse the trend. Otherwise, I would have a 3 pt roller etc just in case. Chain harrows with the aggressive side down do a pretty good job and have multiple uses including touching up the driveway if it is gravel.

on a side note, I bought a GP NT Drill in partnership with a buddy for overseeding. Had it set perfectly and sowed 20# KY 31 in a paddock in oct 2022. Not a sprig can I find. I have no idea what happened. There is plenty of population there already, I was just going after holes here and there. As has been said before, no guarantees in farming other than expenses.

 

[Hayjosh]

There are two locally to me, one is the John Deere I first mentioned and there's a second 15' that's actually a fold up unit. That one's 45-60 min away and he's asking $450 and the JD is in town and they're asking $350. Fold up does sound appealing as I could store it indoors easily. If I get one I'll report back eventually with how it turned out.

Ideally I'd hoe just half the field and see which side turns out best but seed is too expensive for that.

 

[Hayjosh]

I thought the basic theory behind roto hoes was use in fully tilled ground, usually finer grained like silty and clayey to break the crust for beans primarily. Those soils in full tillage have a tendency to slake over and break shoots as they try to emerge. So to break up the "plates" and not hurt the shoots, the engineered penetration should be pretty low. My thinking is that they are not going to do much in sod. I am like you, spent the last 4-5 years liquidating anything just rusting that was not being actively used and do not want to reverse the trend. Otherwise, I would have a 3 pt roller etc just in case. Chain harrows with the aggressive side down do a pretty good job and have multiple uses including touching up the driveway if it is gravel.

on a side note, I bought a GP NT Drill in partnership with a buddy for overseeding. Had it set perfectly and sowed 20# KY 31 in a paddock in oct 2022. Not a sprig can I find. I have no idea what happened. There is plenty of population there already, I was just going after holes here and there. As has been said before, no guarantees in farming other than expenses.

I was watching a video of a guy using one for over seeding a hay field, and it would put a bunch of little holes in the dirt that exposed soil contact for the seed. In this case I think it would be ideal to not go too deep if it's for seeding.

 

[RockyHill]

on a side note, I bought a GP NT Drill in partnership with a buddy for overseeding. Had it set perfectly and sowed 20# KY 31 in a paddock in oct 2022. Not a sprig can I find. I have no idea what happened. There is plenty of population there already, I was just going after holes here and there. As has been said before, no guarantees in farming other than expenses.
[/QUOTE]

Last fall NT orchard grass to thicken stand; one field can't find anything new, not much in other fields.

Shelia

 

[Ranger518]

I would buy it for that price. As they will help with overseeing of the ground is moist.

 

[JOR Farm]

When I was a kid everyone had one. When you planted cotton if the first rain was a gully washer you could hook to the roto hoe and if you ran it at the perfect time it would peck up the ground which would keep it from hard crusting. I haven't seen one running in probably 20 years but I do remember some you could adjust and put a little "English" on them that kind might stand a chance scratching in grass we had a John Deere it hardly left a mark in cultivated dirt.

 

[Hayjosh]

Will my Ford 4610 (63 horse) be enough tractor to lift it? Rear lift is 3080 pounds…that’s almost as much as my Mustang. Are those hoes that heavy ?

 

[JOR Farm]

Ours was about 13' granddad ran it with his 601 Ford

 

[Gearclash]

Will my Ford 4610 (63 horse) be enough tractor to lift it? Rear lift is 3080 pounds…that’s almost as much as my Mustang. Are those hoes that heavy ?

I would think so. They are heavy, but I know from experience that an IH 686 will handle a 13’ no problem.

I never did think a rotary hoe did much. In these part they were initially used for weed control (pre herbicide era - and organic growers still use them for that). And on rare occasions to try to break up crusted in corn. Most often, if the hoe went on crusted in corn, the planter would be back out there a week or so later. I can’t imagine a hoe will do more than tickle the surface on hay ground.

 

[Hayjosh]

In this video at 3:27 it shows all the little holes it makes in established sod. I'd like to think in a spring field with no residue, that all those little holes would be nice for seeds to fall into and get some soil contact.

 

[mstuck21]

We run our 15-ft on our 3020.. i can't find a weight for a jd 400 online.. but I think you have enough tractor.. we use ours to break crust on sweet corn when needed... its a cheap gamble so don't let me talk you out of it but i also don't think it would be that great in a pasture/ground... when you have bare ground with just a crust, it breaks the entire surface into a whole bunch of pieces.. but when you have a bunch of rooted living grass I think youll see a divot here and there but it wont be the same effect ... i watched that video earlier today but I'm not buying all the good things he says its doing

I could be wrong so do whatever you want.. maybe ill try mine later this spring for grins but I'm not going to hold my breath .. Id buy a cheap drill instead.. doesn't have to be notill if wait for a little moisture.. one year the NRCS office notill drill wasn't available so i just took our old grain drill which isn't no till out and it did just fine after we turned the rate way down.. grass came up good

 

[Hayjosh]

I picked it up today for $350. I figure for that price you can’t really go wrong. It’s a 15’ Kewanee. It actually came with the owner’s manual which is more helpful than I would have thought. From that I learned it weighs around 1500 pounds, and that it can also be used for aerating and incorporating herbicide or fertilizer into the soil faster, as well as loosening up the sod layer. We’ll see; this is kind of an experiment for me to get the most effective seeding I can and I’m not out a lot of money, and it’s always fun to drag in a new toy and learn to use it.

I did learn the wheels can be reversed and then it works more like a cultipacker to prepare seedbeds, level and break up clots.

 

[JOR Farm]

That looks like the kind I remember that was adjustable, much better than the one we had. I think you will like it. Make sure to take pictures and update us. Congrats