Pan buster or mole ploughing

390kid · 17-04-2019 11:01pm #1

Have about 10 acres of clay ground that could do with some tlc and was thinking of doing mole ploughing it or getting a pan buster through it. What’s the pros and cons of both methods it was never done here before so just wondering what would be the best?

hopeso · 18-04-2019 12:39am

Pan buster is going to lift the ground a fair bit, and will likely leave ridges. Ideally you’d need to be ploughing the field after it. The mole ploughing won’t lift the ground as much, but ideally the mole drains need to be running into an open drain...

_Brian · 18-04-2019 5:22am

We’ve very heavy clay ground.

In many ways mole ploughing is of limited use, you can see results directly where the mole is pulled, but because the clay is so impermeable to water it doesn’t drain any distance from the mole.

For us the Big Bang for buck is draining rising water from springs etc. By removing these sources of standing water it leaves just rainwater to dry off and have to accept clay soils remain wetter longer.

Markcheese · 18-04-2019 7:01am

_Brian wrote: »

We’ve very heavy clay ground.

In many ways mole ploughing is of limited use, you can see results directly where the mole is pulled, but because the clay is so impermeable to water it doesn’t drain any distance from the mole.

For us the Big Bang for buck is draining rising water from springs etc. By removing these sources of standing water it leaves just rainwater to dry off and have to accept clay soils remain wetter longer.

Do you notice much difference in winter drainage, after last year's drought? Or is that effect long gone on heavy clay?

_Brian · 18-04-2019 7:19am

Markcheese wrote: »

Do you notice much difference in winter drainage, after last year's drought? Or is that effect long gone on heavy clay?

Definitely, ground is firm down deeper, recent rain softened the surface which will take a while to dry off. We did some drainage which has worked a treat.

Your only going to go so far with really Heavy clay soils as the water just doesn’t travel through it. I could pull a drain 6imches from a spring and if I don’t catch it it will boil up in a wet spot rather than soak into the drain and it so close.

DaDerv · 18-04-2019 10:46am

_Brian wrote: »

Definitely, ground is firm down deeper, recent rain softened the surface which will take a while to dry off. We did some drainage which has worked a treat.

Your only going to go so far with really Heavy clay soils as the water just doesn’t travel through it. I could pull a drain 6imches from a spring and if I don’t catch it it will boil up in a wet spot rather than soak into the drain and it so close.

I bought a mole plough from O'Keefe's in Cork last year. Murty dropped it up and had a look around the fields and at the soil. He said it would seem easier to mole plough heavy soils like we have when they are wet but the best time is in the summer, after you've cut silage for example. The ground will be much drier and the mole will crack the soil around it as well as leave the drain.

He also said not to close off the moles or drive over them straight away, leave them a couple of days to harden so the drain will remain intact. Driving over them the same day can collapse them in. I only started it last year but you can really see the benefit this year already. Very, very slow job though.

_Brian · 18-04-2019 12:38pm

DaDerv wrote: »

I bought a mole plough from O'Keefe's in Cork last year. Murty dropped it up and had a look around the fields and at the soil. He said it would seem easier to mole plough heavy soils like we have when they are wet but the best time is in the summer, after you've cut silage for example. The ground will be much drier and the mole will crack the soil around it as well as leave the drain.

He also said not to close off the moles or drive over them straight away, leave them a couple of days to harden so the drain will remain intact. Driving over them the same day can collapse them in. I only started it last year but you can really see the benefit this year already. Very, very slow job though.

Yea that’s how we would do it.

I’ve wondered how good a job a vibrating pan buster would be on clay soils, looking at videos it really seems to loosen the whole stricture and let air in.

PoorFarmer · 18-04-2019 12:49pm

DaDerv wrote:

He also said not to close off the moles or drive over them straight away, leave them a couple of days to harden so the drain will remain intact. Driving over them the same day can collapse them in. I only started it last year but you can really see the benefit this year already. Very, very slow job though.

How hard is it to pull? 100 hp be good enough for it or would more be required?

DaDerv · 18-04-2019 12:57pm

PoorFarmer wrote: »

How hard is it to pull? 100 hp be good enough for it or would more be required?

I was using a 7740 so thats around 100hp, 95hp i think and it was grand. Its a single leg plough I'd say youd need something bigger for any more. Murty just said to go very slow. I was crawling, walking pace. Basically give yourself enough time to react if you do come across a stone or something.

hopeso · 18-04-2019 2:26pm

PoorFarmer wrote: »

How hard is it to pull? 100 hp be good enough for it or would more be required?

I have a single leg here, and no bother with 80hp, in fairly clean soil. It's as much about traction as power really.....

PoorFarmer · 18-04-2019 2:33pm

Would have plenty of traction but ground would be heavy. Mud once I go down 12 to 15 inches.
Reckon if I had my own I could pull one from anywhere there was water holding/rising once the weather suited.
Are the O'Keeffe ones well built?

DaDerv · 18-04-2019 3:07pm

PoorFarmer wrote: »

Would have plenty of traction but ground would be heavy. Mud once I go down 12 to 15 inches.
Reckon if I had my own I could pull one from anywhere there was water holding/rising once the weather suited.
Are the O'Keeffe ones well built?

I was looking for one for a while. I had been chatting O'Keefes and they were on the more expensive end. I went to a few different lads looking for second hand or that but they are hard got in good nick. I was recommended by a reputable fella to get O'Keefe's that they were the best ones going so I bit the bullet and gave the extra few hundred. I bought the attachment for putting in waterpipe too but didn't get round to using it yet.

lab man · 18-04-2019 3:47pm

DaDerv wrote:

I was looking for one for a while. I had been chatting O'Keefes and they were on the more expensive end. I went to a few different lads looking for second hand or that but they are hard got in good nick. I was recommended by a reputable fella to get O'Keefe's that they were the best ones going so I bit the bullet and gave the extra few hundred. I bought the attachment for putting in waterpipe too but didn't get round to using it yet.

What price is an o Keefe, I've one here a sub soiler goes down 2 ft which in muddy ground is fine I think

DaDerv · 18-04-2019 7:34pm

lab man wrote:

What price is an o Keefe, I've one here a sub soiler goes down 2 ft which in muddy ground is fine I think

I've the cheque book with the accountant now but I think it was around â‚¬2100. I had mine set to 18 inches. You could dig a hole to see how far down the pan is if you wanted to be very exact. 2ft should be plenty. It's a good job if you're reseeding as well.

_Brian · 18-04-2019 7:38pm

PoorFarmer wrote: »

How hard is it to pull? 100 hp be good enough for it or would more be required?

We pull a single leg through our tough soil with an 885xl, what’s that about 60-65hp

hopeso · 18-04-2019 9:44pm

_Brian wrote: »

We pull a single leg through our tough soil with an 885xl, what’s that about 60-65hp

885 is 82hp

_Brian · 18-04-2019 9:56pm

hopeso wrote: »

885 is 82hp

Ya haven’t seen ours

razor8 · 18-04-2019 10:38pm

Any pictures of the single leg?

Pan buster or mole ploughing

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