After several years of research and field testing, agricultural engineers have introduced a new model tractor-drawn pasture furrower specifically designed to overcome these objections. It can be made in a well-equipped farm shop from commercially available parts. Detailed plans and design information for construction of the pasture furrower are included in the back (pages 11 -15) of this publication. Method of operation and results of testing are included in the discussion which follows

Moe, D. L.

Waelti, H.

English

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South Dakota State UniversityOpen PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information ExchangeBulletins South Dakota State University AgriculturalExperiment Station2-1-1966The South Dakota Pasture FurrowerH. WaeltiD. L. MoeFollow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/agexperimentsta_bulletinsThis Bulletin is brought to you for free and open access by the South Dakota State University Agricultural Experiment Station at Open PRAIRIE: OpenPublic Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Bulletins by an authorizedadministrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, pleasecontact michael.biondo@sdstate.edu.Recommended CitationWaelti, H. and Moe, D. L., "The South Dakota Pasture Furrower" (1966). Bulletins. Paper 533.http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/agexperimentsta_bulletins/533THE SOUTH DAKOTA Bulletin 532 February 1966 Pasture F urrower " ... can be constructed in a well equipped farm shop from com­mercially available parts." Agricultural Engineering Department Agricultural Experiment Station SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY Brookings CONTENTS Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Design Criteria ----------·--------------------------------------------------- 4 Development and Testing ---·--------------------------------------- 5 Extreme Soil Conditions ----------------- ---------------------------- 7 Three-Point Hitch Model---------------------------------------------- 8 Furrows for Water Spreading ------------------------------------- 8 Water .Storage Potential ----- ----------------------------------------- 9 Conclusions ------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Appendix (Plans)---- ----------------------------- 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Use of a trade name does not imply endorse­ment of one brand over another. THI: SOUTH DAKOTA Pasture Furrower By HENRY WAELTI, Assistant Professor, and D. L. MoE, Professor and Head, Agricultural Engineering Department in many pastures, particularly those located on hilly topography near South Dakota has a vast acreage surface streams and waterways. in permanent pasture and range-INTRODUCTION Two major problems confronting land for livestock grazing. Often- South Dakota livestock farmers and times during low moisture periods, ranchers are to conserve moisture heavy demands are placed upon summer pastures in July, August to keep pastures at a high producti-and September resulting in an over- vity during the summer months, grazed situation and consequently and to reduce water runoff and leaving the open areas subject to erosion of the soil. One accepted reduced production. In addition, method to help control runoff and the danger of erosion exists from erosion is construction of pasture high intensity rainfalls. furrows on the contour at a proper Much of the State's pastureland slope and spacing as determined is on gently rolling land to steeply by sound engineering design. These sloped hillsides. Usually, perma- furrows are normally single, rather nent pasture areas are not the most shallow, with a Bat base. desirable for agricultural cash crop However, landowners and farm production for reasons of topo- operators have been reluctant to graphy, fertility and geology. It is use standard moldboard plows, lis­not uncommon to find scatterings ters and other tillage machines for of surface and imbedded rocks pasture furrow construction. The ranging from pebbles to boulders common objections are that these 3 4 South Dakota Experiment Station Bulletin 532 implements destroy the removed sod, expose soil for erosion and weed growth and the implements themselves may be damaged in rocky ground. After several years of research and field testing, agricultural engi­neers have introduced a new model tractor-drawn pasture furrower specifically designed to overcome these objections. It can be made in a well-equipped farm shop from commercially available parts. Detailed plans and design infor­mation for construction of the pas­ture furrower are included in the back (pages 11 -15) of this public­cation. Method of operation and results of testing are included in the discussion which follows. DESIGN CRITERIA Knudson and Hamann at the outset of the investigations inter­viewed engineers, agronomists, soil conservationists and farmers con­cerning design criteria for a pasture furrower. ( See South Dakota Farm & Home Research, Vol. XII, No. 2, Spring 1961). The original purpose of the study was to design, con­struct, develop, and field test an agricultural implement that would have the following features: 1. The machine should construct a relatively permanent small furrow on the contour. 2. The furrows should he con­structed without exposing the underlying soil or destroying the protective sod. Figure 1. General View of the Pasture Furrower Developed at South Dakota State University. The South Dakota Pasture Furrower 5 3. The furrows should be easily crossed by and resistant to the destructive forces of livestock and vehicles. 4. The implement should be ver­satile and lend itself to two­way operation. 5. It should be simple enough to be built in a well equipped farm shop with commercially available parts. 6. It should work in many soil conditions and be rugged enough to use in hard and rocky pasture soils. 7. Its power requirement should be within the range of an avail­able farm-size tractor. DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING The first furrower built by Kimd­son is shown in figure 1. It consist­ed of a furrowing tool mounted on a 414 x 4)i-inch tool bar which was purchased. The furrowing tool consisted of (a) 43-inch V-shaped horizontal blade, (b) sod rack attached to the rear of the blade, and (c) small disc furrow opener below the sod rack. The furrowing implement functions by the forward motion of a V-blade parallel to the ground surface at a depth of approximately 4 inches. In operation, a sod slice about 43 inches wide is made. A vertically mounted disc or coulter divides the sod slice in the center resulting in two slices of equal width and remaining attached to the soil at the extremities. As the forward motion continues, the rear mounted sod racks elevate the two narrow sliced halves of sod in a Figure 2. Contour Furrow Constructed in a Blue Grass Pasture manner that permits them to slide over the disc assembly which is mounted below the sod rack. The disc assembly is set at an angle to remove soil from the furrow center, scattering the soil to the side with­out leaving a noticeable ridge. Aft­er the soil is removed the sod rack is so designed to replace the sod slices in the newly formed depres­sion. The disc angle is adjustable by means of a lever and may be reversed for two-way operation. A constructed and resodded furrow is shown in figure 2. The implement was tested under various soil and moisture condi­tions at several locations. Its opera­tion was satisfactory in a light loam soil but it was evident that a more rugged construction was needed for satisfactory performance in hard and rocky soils. In 1962 a second model was con­structed. A Graham-Hoeme tool frame was used with a mounted Sunflower Manufacturing Company 36-inch stubble mulch blade. The same sod lifting bars and rack were used as on the first model. A heavy 6 South Dakota Experiment Station Bulletin 532 Figure 3. The 1962 model. A Graham-Boerne tool frame with stubble mulch blade. Figure 4. A second model furrowing tool with heavy disc plow bearing. The South Dakota Pasture Furrower 7 disc plow bearing replaced the ori­ginal on the disc assembly. Figure 3 shows an overall view of the ma­chine and a close-up of the second model of the furrowing tool is shown in figure 4. The 1962 model was initially tested in sandy-loam soil on a 10% to 15% slope, with a rather heavy concentration of rocks. A three-bot­tom plow tractor provided ade­quate power. A 12-inch diameter, one-inch cavity disc was used in the disc assembly. The implement performed well in constructing three to four inch deep sodded fur­rows in one operation. A smaU lis­ter-type furrow opener as shown in figure 5 was also used as a replace­ment for the disc opener. This as­sembly increased the draft and power requirements and also re­sulted in a rather uneven furrow. With either furrow opener as­sembly it was advisable to pack the sod uniformly into the newly con­structed furrow. This was accom­plished by driving the rear tractor wheel over the sod the length of the furrow. EXTREME SOIL CONDITIONS When using the furrower in a dry, hard gumbo type soil, one of the difficulties encountered was proper penetration into the soil and holding the desired depth. Under these same conditions the side draft effect caused by the earth moving disc was excessive and had a tend­ency to push the implement out of the soil. To counteract and reduce Figure 5. The 1962 model with lister type furrow opener replacing a disc opener. 8 South Dakota Experiment Station Bulletin 532 the side draft an extension was welded to the V-blade point. This consisted of a 6-inch long, l! x H­inch steel bar protruding at a 30 ° downward angle from the horizon­tal. This correction feature proved itself satisfactory as the subsoiler effect did loosen the hard soil to the extent of permitting the disc to penetrate easily without causing a no�iceable sidedraft. THREE-POINT HITCH MODEL For improved maneuverability and obtaining more weight transfer for better traction and more uni­form implement depth control, a three-point hitch model was built in early 1964. A channel and angle iron frame with three hitch points was shop constructed and the fur­rowing tool attached to it. At the rear a gauge wheel was attached for depth control, sod packing and better furrow forming. This gauge wheel packed the sod into the new­ly constructed furrow by running directly behind the furrowing disc in a once-over operation. Furrows Figure 6. Three-point hitch model. were constructed in several areas of South Dakota under various soil conditions with this model. Even under extremely hard soil condi­tions near Newell, excellent fur­rows were constructed without dif­ficulties. The furrower was pulled with a three-plow tractor. FURROWS FOR WATER SPREADING In addition to the original in­tended use of a newly designed pasture furrower, a potential use of the implement would be in areas where "water spreading" is practic­ed. Often it is almost impossible to adequately control the water suffi­ciently to obtain uniform distribu­tion by spreading without exten­sive land preparation. By the con­struction of small, shallow furrows with a pasture furrower it would be possible to control the flow of water. This in turn would result in water more uniformly distributed and spread over a larger area from one outlet point. Reduced water runoff with more efficient water utilization would be evident. The South Dakota Pasture Furrower 9 Figure 7. Constructing furrow in native pasture, western South Dakota. WATER STORAGE POTENTIAL The average effective height of the lower slope side of a settled furrow is approximately 3 inches above the original soil grade. The bottom of the furrow is about 2 inches below the original soil line. Figure 8 shows a typical cross sec­tion of a constructed furrow. Knud­son calculated storage potentials for pasture furrows on different slopes and furrow spacings neces­sary for storing varying quantities of runoff. The calculated values based on no infiltration are tabulat­ed in table 1. CONCLUSIONS l. The pasture furrower has been successfully used in native pas­tures in both Eastern and West­ern South Dakota under various soil types and conditions. Figure 8. Cross section of finish furrow (white line denotes the lower surface of the sod slices). JO South Dakota Experiment Station Bulletin 532 2. Furrows possessing a desirable configuration can be constructed without destroying the sod. Soil moisture content desirable for a good job of plowing is also best for constructing furrows. 3. By strong and rugged construc­tion it can be used in rocky, dry, hard soil without major damage or breakage. 4. Power requirements were within the range of three-plow farm tractor for a moderate forward motion without excessive wheel slippage. 5. Both a pull-type and a three­point mounted model operated successfully. The addition of a gauge wheel on the three-point hitch model gave the advantage of having a packer wheel in the furrow. 6 .The furrower can be constructed in a well equipped farm shop from commercially available parts. Table 1. The Calculated Storage Potential* of Contour Furrows and Furrow Spacings Required for Storing Various Amounts of Surface Runoff Storage potential Slope cu. ft. per ft. Furrow spacing (in feet) required to store runoff percent of furrow 0.25 in. 0.5 in. 0.75 in. 1.0 in. 1.25 in. 1.5 in. ------------------ 1.90 57.3 28.7 19.l 14.4 11.5 9.6 2 ------------------ 1.02 49.0 24.5 16.3 12.3 9.8 8.2 3 ------------------ 0.92 44.0 22.0 14.7 11.0 8.8 7.3 4 ------------------ 0.68 32.7 16.3 10.9 8.2 6.5 5.5 5 ------------------ 0.61 29.2 14.6 9.7 7.3 5.8 4.9 6 ------------------ 0.46 22.0 11.0 7.4 5.5 4.4 7 ------------------ 0.43 20.5 10.3 6.8 5.1 4.1 8 ------------------ 0.40 18.7 9.3 6.2 4.7 9 ------------------ 0.35 16.7 8.3 5.6 4.2 10 ------------------ 0.31 14.8 7.4 5.0 11 ------------------ 0.28 13.5 6.8 4.5 12 ------------------ 0.26 12.3 6.1 4.1 13 ------------------ 0.22 10.4 5.2 14 ------------------ 0.21 9.9 5.0 15 ------------------ 0.20 9.5 4.7 16 ------------------ 0.19 9.0 4.5 17 ------------------ 0.18 8.5 4.3 18 ------------------ 0.17 8.0 4.0 19 ----------------- 0.16 7.6 20 ------------------ 0.15 7.1 •Table was calculated from the measured furrow cross section and is based on nonfiltration. The South Dakota Pasture Furrower 11 APPENDIX Here are presented the plans and design information for the con­struction of a pasture furrow er. All of the parts and individual units are available commercially; how­ever, a number of components may be interchanged with or salvaged from existing farm implements. To THE SOUTH DAKOTA PASTURE FURROWER D B assure ruggedness and rigidity, care should be taken in the selection of proper materials and workmanship. If additional information is desired, contact the Agricultural Engineer­ing Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, 57006. A Plow Coulter .B.. Noble blade by Sunflower Mfg. Co. See details Bl, 82, 83. � Disk bearing unit (disk plow). See detail Cl . .Q 700-800 tire and wheel assembly. See detail Dl. f. Adjustment lever. F Frame. -See details Fl, F2. F Bl Sod Rack Bars �,==- ! ::::;_ KR-uO-uD-�1 ___ . _j -� NO. L w x y z OUTER EDGE I 20 9 19 0 I 2 25 12 23 I 2 1/2" RODS L 3 31 14 28 I 1/2 4 4 36 17 33 2 5 5 40 19 38 2 1/2 6 TWO OF EACH IS REQUIRED CENTER 82 Sod Rack Mounting --------- 2211 -----------318" STRAP AS ABOVE 3/8" STRAP 2 1/2" X 5" 83 Sub-soiler ' , �NOBLE BLADE Cl Height Adjustment Sleeve Dl Axle Mount Plate Pack Wheel Height Adj. 3/4" t- � HOLES " " CV) 1/2" CV) l_ � PLATE 13 ...... -Is_ SEE DETAIL F 2 1 •I 1 6" CHANNEL BOX ---� 1-- 20" I _. 6" CHANNEL FRAME 0 � 11/4" •-------t11 Fl Main Frame Dimensions 2" ANGLE -tg 118"1 � 20 11 5'_ 5• -----------� u GI (Fl Continued) .. • LJ a HITCH DIMENSIONS ITEM CATEGORY I CATEGORY 2 a 27" b I 3/4" MIN c I 7/16" d 0.86" e 0. 77 11 32 1/2" 2 1/ 16" I 15/16" I. 11 II 1.02" MIN. 3" ANGLE _, 15 =f d F2 Rear Mounting Plate 1/2" PLATE� -$- -$-h � -$-I l/2"t3"ti' 1/2" 6" 

The South Dakota Pasture Furrower

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The South Dakota Pasture Furrower

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