Subsoiler Advice

GAbuckhunter88

Senior Member
It is a very slow process to subsoil.Things can break quickly. Make sure you have extra shear pins on your subsoiler.

I dont mind slow as I have plenty of time and love my tractor time. That is also why I am planning to start in January to have everything ready to lime by the end of February. I just want to make sure I am going to get the best tool for my need.
 

Forest Grump

Senior Member
When they say slow, it means low range, first gear. Not 4th. If you have draft on your 3 pt hitch, set it so it will lift the subsoiler when it senses the load spiking.

Get one with the shear pin (the dirt dog one linked above is the same design as Fred Cain's were). Use # 2 bolts to replace your shear pin if you break it, never use hardened bolts. It is designed to shear to protect your lift as well as the implement. The TSC ones do not have a shear pin, & they are made of very low quality steel (having broken one in half, I can't even say for sure it IS steel).

Be really patient, & if the ground is hard, make 2 passes, the first shallow & the second down the same groove running deeper. If you can establish the depth of your hard pan, you only need to go about 2" deeper than the bottom of it. There is no benefit to running deeper.

If you have a lot of residue, it may begin to build up in front of the shaft & it will trench a bit instead of sliding through the soil. If this occurs, raise it a little & let the plant material slide to the side then drop it back down.

The key to successful subsoiling is doing it when the conditions are right: if it is too moist, the subsoiler will just cut a slot in the soil. Too dry, & it either will not penetrate at all or it will shake & shatter & create huge clods that are the devil to harrow into a decent seedbed.
When it is perfect, the soil will lift slightly & you will see cracks radiating out in all directions for about 18" from your center. In very sandy soil, you will not see this, obviously.
 

Flash

Actually I Am QAnon
The one I have has a shear pin and it has a spacer or what ever you call it around the bolt.
Where can you get the spacer? Local hardware didn't have the correct size. I've only broke the pin once and didn't loose the spacer cause it stays in the middle piece of the SS, just wanted a backup in case I dropped it in the field and couldn't find it.
 

K80Shooter

Senior Member
The one I have has a shear pin and it has a spacer or what ever you call it around the bolt.
Where can you get the spacer? Local hardware didn't have the correct size. I've only broke the pin once and didn't loose the spacer cause it stays in the middle piece of the SS, just wanted a backup in case I dropped it in the field and couldn't find it.

Take shear pin to hardware store with you. Go to the pipe section and find one that fits reasonably well, buy a section of it and cut to length. Spacers can be made of lots of things, even a solid piece of steel with a hole of the correct size drilled into it. Also several washers stacked together will work in a pinch.
 

Flash

Actually I Am QAnon
Thanks, I always knew you'd be good for something ::ke:
 

gatiger

Member
Since the subsoiler makes only only thin cut, how far apart should the runs be made to ensure optimum results?
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Probably 3 feet apart would be ideal. If you subsoil again in 3 or 4 years, try to do it 90 degree's from where you went the first time.
 

K80Shooter

Senior Member
Thanks, I always knew you'd be good for something ::ke:

Thanks........... I think.

I was at your place tonight, food was awesome as usual. Had family down from Maryland and they wanted some catfish, they loved it.
 

GeorgiaGlockMan

Senior Member
Be careful with a subsoiler.

I hooked a 12" diameter x 10ft long buried log.

My front tires were pointed straight up before I was able to hit the clutch.

Good thing I was buckled in or it would have dumped me off the back as a best case.
 

GAbuckhunter88

Senior Member
Well I found a deal on a Fred Cain cultivator so I jumped on it. Plan on starting to break some plots next month. Then getting soil test done and limed applied.
 

1gr8bldr

Senior Member
There are some videos I have seen showing the results of subsoiling. Roots go way deeper. One year of Trophy Radish will almost do the same. I did my back yard
 
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