It is impossible to imagine presowing tillage without a harrow - an agricultural tool that can simultaneously perform several operations: leveling the soil cover, loosening the surface, which prevents drying, crust destruction and destruction of weeds.
There are three main types of mechanisms - disc, net and tooth harrows. Now the first type is the most common in modern agricultural practice, as it has a number of beneficial advantages that reduce the cost of soil treatment and increase the profitability of the enterprise.
Disc Harrow Device
The design of a disk harrow in the general case includes three frames - one central, which is equipped with a tow hitch for docking with traction equipment, and two side, equipped with working elements - disks.
The disks are convex in shape and are collected in separate sections - batteries. The number of cutting parts in one battery varies and can reach 10 or more elements. Some specimens are equipped with gear cutters or with notches - it all depends on where the disc harrow will be used.
The cutting elements are fixed in sections so that they can rotate in a horizontal plane. The batteries are connected to each other and to the frame using hinges so that it is possible to change the angle of attack - the angle between the direction of movement and the disks. In total, 4 or more sections are installed on one harrow.
Principle of operation
Disc harrows are used in almost all regions of the country, since they are able to process high humidity soils - about 25-40%, as well as soils with a hardness of not more than 3.5 MPa and the number of crop residues about 60%.
High performance and a combination of several technological operations, according to experts, is explained by the principle of its work, which consists in the following:
- A disk harrow driven by a traction tractor crashes into the soil cover to a depth of 4-14 centimeters.
- During the movement, the discs begin to rotate, the soil layers fall on a concave surface, where they crumble, and after a fall they partially turn over.
- Simultaneously with the beginning of the process, the sharp edges of the incisors cut the roots of weeds.
During operation, it is important to ensure that all disks touch the earth’s solid. Check this condition before processing, installing the equipment on a flat surface. If any cutting component does not reach the surface, then check its diameter and change it with great wear.
Advantageous features of disk harrows
Unlike gear and mesh devices, disk aggregates not only loosen the soil, but also partially overturn it. In this they are similar to disk cultivators. Other benefits that a disc harrow has are called by users:
- Fuel economy in the processing of territories by reducing resistance to the soil.
- Reducing the risk of damage to elements by obstacles - discs simply move them.
- The same penetration depth into the soil cover.
- Self-cleaning discs, which allows the use of mechanisms at any humidity of the earth.
This equipment has gained wide popularity due to its reliability and high performance. The medium-sized unit, coupled with a powerful tractor, is capable of cultivating up to 7 hectares of land.
The main varieties of disc harrows
Disc harrows are classified according to a number of indicators. The first of these is the type of docking with the traction device (tractor). Depending on this, they are divided into trailed and mounted. The first type of agricultural implements incorporates support wheels on which the entire structure is supported. The advantages of this solution are that it is convenient to transport.
The mounted disc harrow rests only on the cutting elements - discs - and fits directly with the tractor. The disadvantage of such tools is some difficulty in transportation, as well as in small dimensions: during movement, the system rises above the ground and is held only by a rigid connection to the tractor.
There are also semi-mounted units that combine the properties of the two previous types - they include support wheels and have average dimensions.
Classification of disc harrows by design
Three main types of disk tools are distinguished depending on the frame structure. The first of them is represented by an all-metal frame - all the rods, links of the system are interconnected by rigid bonds.
The second view is presented by sectional devices. Here, individual parts of the structure are connected to the central beam by hinges, which makes it possible to fold the implement during transportation. And it is the trailed disc harrow that is most often created using this technology - this allows to reduce the area of the unit during transportation to the object.
The third type is represented by modular structures - upon arrival at the site to be processed, the structure is assembled from individual elements, like a designer. This allows you to create an even larger tool on the site, but at the same time does not interfere with transportation.
Sharing
Often disc harrows are used as part of a whole complex of processing tools - seeders, cultivators, plows. And the most popular additional equipment, which is used most often by a heavy disk harrow, is the rollers.
These devices are designed to perform a wide range of work:
- smooth trample the earth after filling the seeds;
- ringed compacted deep layers and at the same time loosen the upper layers;
- rollers with spikes break the largest earthen clods;
- lumps or trellises break lumps of only the established size.
The presented equipment is usually mounted and directly, with the help of hinges, docked with the frame construction of the harrow. They can be hung on any type of device, including the BDT (heavy disc harrow). The joint use of several types of funds can reduce the cost of processing the fertile layer, reduce the time frame and achieve a better result.