TILLAGE MACHINERY

Arsenio N. Resurreccion
CEAT, UPLB

• Tillage – any physical soil manipulation which changes the structure of

the soil, kills weeds, and rearranges dead plant materials.

• Objectives of tillage:

1. To develop a desirable soil structure for a seedbed:

a. higher water infiltration rate

b. decreased water surface runoff
c. greater water holding capacity
d. promote root penetration

2. To control weeds, cut roots and bury green materials

3. To incorporate manure and chemical fertilizer

For wetland conditions:

4. To turn the soil into a soft “puddle”

5. To form a hard layer which reduces water leaching

• Classification of tillage:

1. Primary tillage – initial cutting, breaking and usually inversion of

the soil. Examples of implements used are moldboard, disc and
chisel plows and subsoilers cutting the soil to a depth of 15 cm to
90 cm (6” to 36”). Often referred to as plowing.

2. Secondary tillage – subsequent breaking, pulverization and leveling

of the soil making it ready for planting. Examples of implements
used are disc, spike-tooth and spring-tooth harrows preparing the
soil to a depth of 7 cm to 15 cm (3” to 6”). Often referred to as
harrowing.

3. General-purpose tillage – Combined primary and secondary tillage

in one operation. Examples of implements used are the rotary
tillers and floating tillers cutting the soil to a depth of up to 15 cm
(6”). Often referred to as rotatilling.
• Terms used in plowing (Fig. 1):

1. Land – unplowed soil.

2. Furrowslice – soil cut, lifted, inverted and thrown to one side of the
plow bottom.
3. Furrow – trench or canal left by the furrowslice.
4. Backfurrow – raised ridge when two furrowslices overlap each
other.
5. Deadfurrow – trench left equal to two furrows when furrowslices
are thrown on opposite sides.
6. Furrow wall – unbroken side of the furrow.

Figure 1. Furrows made by different types of plows

• PRIMARY TILLAGE MACHINERY:

1. Moldboard plow – one of the oldest and most important

agricultural machinery for land preparation. It cuts the soil to a
depth of 15 cm to 46 cm (6” to 18”).

 Basic parts of moldboard plow bottom (Fig. 2):

a. Share – provides the cutting edge of the plow bottom.

b. Moldboard – receives the furrowslice from the share;
lifts, inverts and throws it to one side of the plow
bottom.
c. Landside – counteracts the side pressure exerted by
the furrowslice on the plow bottom.
 Figure 2. Moldboard plow bottom

 Clearances of the moldboard plow bottom:

a. Horizontal clearance – bend outward or sideward of

the point of the share towards the unplowed land to
make the plow cut the proper width (Fig. 3a).

b. Vertical clearance – bend downward of the point of

the share to make the plow penetrate the soil to the
proper depth (Fig. 3b).

 Size of the moldboard plow bottom – perpendicular distance

between the wing and the point of the share. This also
expresses the width of cut of the plow bottom.
 WING OF SHARE

SHARE MOLDBOARD

SIZE OF THE PLOW LANDSIDE

HORIZONTAL
SUCTION

a. Top View
MOLDBOARD

LANDSIDE

SHARE

VERTICAL
SUCTION

b. Side View

Figure 3. Horizontal and Vertical Suction

2. Disc plow – it was developed in an effort to reduce friction in the

sliding moldboard plow bottom by using a rotating disc plow
bottom.

 Basic parts of disc plow bottom (Fig. 4):

a. Disc – round and concave disc of heat-hardened steel

with sharpened edges to cut the soil. It is rotated by
the soil during soil cutting.
b. Scraper – curved plate placed on the concave side of
the disc to scrape off the soil and throw it on one side
of the plow bottom.

c. Rear furrow wheel – rear wheel that presses against

the furrow wall to resist the side pressure exerted by
the soil against the plow.
 Figure 4. Four-bottom Disc Plow

 Angles of the disc plow (Fig. 5):

a. Tilt angle – angle the disc makes with the vertical to

make the disc penetrate the soil to the proper depth
(15° – 25°).

b. Side angle (disc angle) – angle the disc makes with the
direction of travel to make the disc cut the proper
width and allow the disc to rotate (42° – 45°).

Figure 5. Tilt and side angle

  Size of the disc plow bottom – expressed in terms of
diameter of the disc. The width of cut, however, is
influenced by disc diameter, depth of cut and side angle.

3. Draft of Plows – determined by the resistance of the soil to tillage

operation, the speed of plowing, sharpness of the cutting edge and
over-all adjustment of the plow.

 Resistance of the soil is expressed as specific draft. This is

the force required to cut a unit cross-sectional area of soil as
shown in Table 1. The specific draft is multiplied by the
width and depth of cut to get the draft.

 The increase in draft due to speed as shown in Table 2 is

applied to that part of the total required for turning and
pulverizing the furrow slice.

Table 1. Specific draft of different soils

SOIL TYPE SPECIFIC DRAFT, SD
Kg/cm2 (Lbs/in2)
Sandy soil 0.21 (3)
Sandy loam 0.21 - 0.42 (3-6)
Silty loam 0.35 - 0.49 (5-7)
Clay loam 0.42 - 0.56 (6-8)
Heavy clay 0.70 - 0.77 (10-11)
Virgin soil, clay 0.85 - 1.06 (12-15)
Gumbo, moist 1.13 - 1.27 (16-18)
Dry adobe 1.27 - 1.41 (18-20)

Table 2. Increase in draft due to speed

SPEED, Kph DRAFT, % SPEED, Kph DRAFT, %
1.6 100 6.0 138
2.0 104 6.5 143
2.5 108 7.0 147
3.0 112 7.5 152
3.5 117 8.0 156
4.0 121 8.5 160
4.5 125 9.0 165
5.0 130 9.5 169
5.5 134
Sample Problem 1:

Determine the hectares plowed per hour when a tractor is operating at 6.4
kph and is pulling four 36-cm moldboard bottoms at a depth of 20 cm.
How many hectares can be plowed in 10 hours if field efficiency is 78
percent? If the soil is clay loam, what is the draft required working the
soil? Draft hp requirement? Tractor hp requirement?

Solution:

a. Hectares plowed in 10 hours:

SWEff
C= where: C = Field Capacity, Ha/hr
10
S = Speed, Kph
W = Width of cut, m
Eff = Field Efficiency, decimal

(6.4 kph )(4 X 0.36 m)(0.78) (10 h)

C= = 7.2 ha
10

b. Draft requirement based on soil type:

Ds = SpecificDraftxWxd ) where:

D s = Draft, kg
Specific Draft = Kg/cm2 from Table 1
W = width of cut, cm
D = depth of cut, cm

D s = (0.49 Kg/cm2)(4x36 cm)(20 cm) = 1,411 Kg

c. Adjusted draft requirement due to speed of plowing (from Table 2):

D a = 1,411 kgx1.42 = 2,004 Kg

d. Draft horsepower requirement:

Da xS
Hp(draft ) = where: D a = Adjusted Draft, Kg
274
S = Speed, Kph
 (2,004 Kg)(6.4 Kph)
Hp(draft ) = = 46.8 hp
274

e. Tractor Horsepower:

46.8 hp
Hp(tractor ) = = 58.5 hp
0.8

Sample Problem 2:

A four-wheel tractor with 3 X 36 cm moldboard plow is to operate on

silty loam soil at a depth of 25 cm. The maximum drafts of the tractor at
different working speeds are given below. Determine the tractor
horsepower.

GEAR SETTING SPEED (Kph) MAX. DRAFT (Kg)

1L 2.5 4,000
2L 4.0 3,100
3L 5.5 2,200
4L 7.0 1,300
1H 9.5 1,000

Solution:

a. Draft = Sp.D xW x d = 0.42 kg/cm2 x (3 x 36 cm) x 25 cm

= 1,134 Kg

b. From the table above: at 1,300 Kg Max Draft  7.0 Kph

From Table 2: at 7.0 Kph  147 % Increase in Draft
Therefore: D a = 1,134 Kg x 1.47 = 1,667 kg  Not okay

From the table above: at 2,200 Kg Max Draft  5.5 Kph

From Table 2: at 5.5 Kph  134 % Increase in Draft
Therefore: D a = 1,134 Kg x 1.34 = 1,520 Kg  Okay

Da xS 1,520 Kg x 5.5 Kph

c. Hp(draft) = = = 30.5 hp
274 274

30.5 hp
d. Hp(tractor) = = 38 hp
0.8
• SECONDARY TILLAGE MACHINERY:

1. Disc harrow – consists of two or more sets of disc gangs cutting

the soil to a depth of 7 cm to 15 cm (3” to 6”). A disc gang is
made up of a number of discs mounted on a common axle.

 Basic parts of disc harrow (Fig.6):

a. Disc – round and concave disc of heat-hardened steel

with sharpened edges to break the soil
b. Disc gang – an assembly of discs all rotating together
on a common shaft (3 - 13 discs/gang at 7 cm to 30
cm (6” to 12”) spacing per disc).
c. Scraper – straight or curved plate placed on the
concave side of the disc to scrape off the soil
d. Spool – flanged tube inserted on the common shaft
between two discs to maintain disc spacing.
e. Bumper – a washer on one of the common shaft to
absorb the end thrust of the gang.
f. Bearings – two to three bearings per gang.

Figure 6. Disc harrow

 Types of disc harrows according to arrangement (Fig. 7):

a. Single-action disc harrow – consists of two gangs of

discs placed end-to-end which throws the soil in
opposite directions.
 b. Double-action disc harrow – consists of four gangs of
discs. Two gangs in front as in single –action and two
gangs at the rear.

c. Offset disc harrow – consists of two gangs of disc.

One gang located behind the other and operated in an
offset position in relation to the tractor.

Figure 7. Types of disc harrows

 Size of the disc harrow - determined by the number and

diameter of the discs and the width of cut. The width of cut
is be calculated by the following formula:
0.95 NS + 0.3 D
a) Single-action : W =
1000

0.95 NS + 1.2 D
b) Tandem type : W =
1000

0.95 NS + 0.6 D
c) Offset type: W =
1000

Where: W is the width of cut, m N is the number of discs

S is the disc spacing, mm D is the diameter of the disc, mm

Note: For measuring the width of cut, gang angle shall be set at 18°.
Gang angle is the angle between the axis of the gang and the line
perpendicular to the direction of motion.
2. Spike-tooth harrow – consists of long rigid spikes clamped or
welded to cross bars on a staggered arrangement to attain
maximum stirring and raking of the soil. The cross bars can be
rotated to change the angle of the teeth (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. Spike-tooth harrow with folding sections

3. Spring-tooth harrow – consists of long, flat and curved teeth

made from spring steel. The curved teeth are welded to cross bars
on a staggered arrangement. The spring characteristic allows the
teeth to flex and slide over obstructions (Fig. 9).
 Figure 9. Tractor-mounted spring-tooth harrow
• GENERAL-PURPOSE TILLAGE MACHINERY:

1. Rotary tillers – constructed with a set of cutting knives or tines

mounted on a horizontal power-driven shaft rotating at high speed.
The knives slice thin sections of the soil and pulverize them by
centrifugal force.

 Rotary tillers are mounted on 2-wheel or 4-wheel tractors

and driven by the tractor PTO (Figs. 10 and 11).

 Rotary tillers are suited for both dry and wet land operations.

2. Floating power tillers – specially designed power tillers for wet

land operation fitted with front-mounted cutting blades on a
cagewheel (Fig. 12).
Speed change levers

Engine Main clutch / Brake lever

Drive pulley
Throttle lever
Driven pulley
Handle

Steering clutch lever

Front stand Tillage depth

Chassis control handle

Depth wheel

Wheel

Transmission
gear box
Rotary blades

Figure 10. Two-wheel tractor rotary tiller

 Figure 11. Four-wheel tractor rotary tiller

Figure 12. Floating tiller

• Reading assignment:

1. PAES 106:2000 Agricultural Machinery – Soil Tillage and

Equipment – Terminology
2. PAES 110:2001 Agricultural Machinery – Walking–type
Agricultural Tractor – Specifications. Part 2:
Rotary-tilling Type
3. PAES 120:2001 Agricultural Machinery – Disc Harrow –
Specifications
4. PAES 121:2001 Agricultural Machinery – Disc Plow –
Specifications
5. PAES 124:2002 Agricultural Machinery – Walking-type
Agricultural Tractor – Specifications. Part 3:
Special Type (Float-assist Tiller)
6. PAES 131:2004 Agricultural Machinery – Moldboard Plow –
Specifications
7. PAES 132:2004 Agricultural Machinery – Disc/Moldboard Plow
– Methods of Test
 Tillage Equipment Questions

1. The development of a desirable soil structure for a seedbed does not

include:

a. higher water infiltration rate b. increased water

surface runoff
c. greater water holding capacity d. promotion of root
penetration

2. Soil cut, lifted, inverted and thrown to one side of the blow bottom is
termed:

a. furrow b. furrowslice
c. backfurrow d. Deadfurrow
3. Bend sideward of the point of the share to make the plow cut the proper
width is:

a. vertical clearance b. horizontal suction

c. disc angle d. tilt angle
4. The angle the disc of a disc plow makes with the direction of travel to
make it cut the proper width and allow it to rotate when moving forward
is:

a. 15 – 25 degrees b. 42 – 45 degrees
c. 55 – 60 degrees d. 30 – 36 degrees
SWEff
5. In the equation C = , C is capacity expresses in:
10

a. m2/h b. m2/day
c. ha/h d. ha/day
6. Floating power tillers are used in:

a. 2-wheel tractor for wetland op. b. 2-wheel tractor for dryland

op.
c. 4-wheel tractor for wetland op. d. 4-wheel tractor for wetland
op
7. A 4-ha field was plowed using a three-bottom 12-inch tractor-mounted
moldboard plow. It took 11 hours to complete the operation at a tractor
speed of 5 kph.

Find the field efficiency.

a. 75% b. 80%
c. 85% d. 90%
8. A 3-ha field was plowed using a 15-cm wide animal-drawn plow at 4 kph
and field efficiency of 75%. The draft required to pull the plow is 60 kg.

Find the distance traveled to plow the field:

a. 66.67 km b. 133.33
c. 200 km d. 266.67 km
9. A 4-wheel tractor with 3X14 inches moldboard plow is to operate on clay
loam soil (specific draft = 0.56 kg/cm2) at a depth of 25.4 cm. The
maximum draft and percent increase in draft due to speed are:

Max. Draft Increase in draft due to

Gear Setting Speed (kph)
(kg) speed (%)
1L 3.2 4,000 14
2L 4.8 3,100 28
3L 6.4 2,200 42
4L 8.0 1,300 56

Determine the tractor horsepower required to perform the operation:

a. 55 hp b. 60 hp
c. 65 hp d. 70 hp
10. A field measuring 45 m X 90 m is to be prepared using a 1-m upland
power tiller at a speed of 3 kph. Assume a 10% overlap between passings
and 9 seconds turn around time at the end of each pass.

Determine the theoretical field capacity:

a. 0.25 ha/hr b. 0.3 ha/hr
c. 0.35 ha/hr d. 0.4 ha/hr
11. Primary tillage involves cutting the soil to a depth of :

a. up to 3 inches b. 3 to 6 inches
c. 6 to 18 inches d. 6 to 36 inches
12. Primary tillage equipment that cuts the soil to a depth of 6 to 18 inches is
called:

a. moldboard plow b. subsoiler

c. chisel plow d. spiral plow
13. The perpendicular distance between the wing and point of the share
determines the:

a. longitudinal dimension of plow b. transverse dimension of

plow
c. diagonal dimension of plow d. maximum dimension of
plow

14. Draft of plows is primarily determined by:

a. type of soil b. speed of plowing

c. sharpness of cutting edge d. overall adjustment of plow
15. Determine the theoretical field capacity when a tractor operating at 6.4
kph is pulling four-36 cm moldboard plow bottoms at a depth of 20 cm.

a. 7.2 ha/day b. 0.72 ha/hr

c. 0.18 ha/hr d. 1.8 ha/day
16. A 3-ha field was plowed using a 15-cm wide animal-drawn plow at 4 kph
and field efficiency of 75%. The draft required to pull the plow is 60 kg.

Find the horsepower output of the animal:

a. 0.66 hp b. 0.88 hp
c. 0.77 hp d. 1.0 hp
17. A 4-wheel tractor with 3X14 inches moldboard plow is to operate on clay
loam soil (specific draft = 0.56 kg/cm2) at a depth of 25.4 cm. The
maximum draft and percent increase in draft due to speed are:

Max. Draft Increase in draft due to

Gear Setting Speed (kph)
(kg) speed (%)
1L 3.2 4,000 14
2L 4.8 3,100 28
3L 6.4 2,200 42
4L 8.0 1,300 56
 Determine the highest gear setting that can sustain the draft requirement
for the operation:

a. 1L b. 2L
c. 3L d. 4L
18. A field measuring 45 m X 90 m is to be prepared using a 1-m upland
power tiller at a speed of 3 kph. Assume a 10% overlap between passings
and 9 seconds turn around time at the end of each pass.

Determine actual field capacity when tilling is done along the longer field
direction:
a. 0.23 ha/hr b. 0.25 ha/hr
c. 0.27 ha/hr d. 0.29 ha/hr
19. Secondary tillage involves pulverizing the soil to a depth of:

a. up to 3 inches b. 3 to 6 inches
c. 6 to 18 inches d. 6 to 36 inches
20. Part of the moldboard plow bottom that receives the furrowlice , lifts,
inverts and throws it to one side is called:

a. share b. moldboard
c. landside d. frog
21. Type of plow developed in an effort to reduce friction in a sliding bottom
by using a rolling bottom is:

a. moldboard plow b. disc plow

c. subsoilers d. rototiller

SWEff
22. In the equation C = , S is speed of plowing in:
10

a. mps b. kph
c. fpm d. mph
23. Disc harrow consisting of four gangs of discs with two gangs in front and
two gangs at the rear is called:

a. single-action disc harrow b. double-action disc harrow

c. off-set disc harrow c. all of the above
24. A 4-ha field was plowed using a three-bottom 12-inch tractor-mounted
moldboard plow. It took 11 hrs. to complete the operation at a tractor
speed of 5 kph.

Find the theoretical field capacity:

a. 0.46 ha/hr b. 1.45 ha/hr
c. 1.13 ha/hr d. 1.8 ha/hr
25. A 4-wheel tractor with 3X14 inches moldboard plow is to operate on clay
loam soil (specific draft = 0.56 kg/cm2) at a depth of 25.4 cm. The
maximum draft and percent increase in draft due to speed are:

Max. Draft Increase in draft due to

Gear Setting Speed (kph)
(kg) speed (%)
1L 3.2 4,000 14
2L 4.8 3,100 28
3L 6.4 2,200 42
4L 8.0 1,300 56

Determine the drawbar horsepower to perform the operation:

a. 45 hp b. 50 hp
c. 55 hp d. 60 hp
26. A field measuring 45 m X 90 m is to be prepared using a 1-m upland
power tiller at a speed of 3 kph. Assume a 10% overlap between passings
and 9 seconds turn around time at the end of each pass.

Determine the field efficiency in going the longer field direction:

a. 77% b. 80%
c. 83% d. 86%
27. General-purpose tillage involves cutting and pulverizing the soil to a
depth of:

a. up to 3 inches b. up to 6 inches
c. up to 12 inches d. up to 18 inches
28. Bend downward of the point of the share to make the plow penetrate the
soil to the proper depth is:

a. tilt angle b. disc angle

c. horizontal suction d. vertical clearance
29. Width of cut of the disc plow is influenced by:

a. disc diameter b. depth of cut

c. disc angle d. all of the above
SWEff
30. In the equation C = , W is width of cut expressed in:
10

a. ft. b. m
c. km d. mile
31. General-purpose tillage equipment are used in:

a. 2-wheel tractor for wetland op. b. 4-wheel tractor for dryland

op.
c. 4-wheel tractor for wetland op. d. all of the above
32. A 4-ha field was plowed using a three-bottom 12-inch tractor-mounted
moldboard plow. It took 11 hrs. to complete the operation at a tractor
speed of 5 kph.

Find the actual field capacity:

a. 0.09 ha/hr b. 0.5 ha/hr
c. 0.36 ha/hr d. 1.5 ha/hr
33. A 3-ha field was plowed using a 15-cm wide animal-drawn plow at 4 kph
and field efficiency of 75%. The draft required to pull the plow is 60 kg.

Find the time required to plow the field:

a. 11.11 hrs b. 22.22 hrs
c. 44.44 hrs d. 66.66 hrs
34. A field measuring 45 m X 90 m is to be prepared using a 1-m upland
power tiller at a speed of 3 kph. Assume a 10% overlap between passings
and 9 seconds turn around time at the end of each pass.

Determine actual field capacity when tilling is done along the shorter
field direction:
a. 0.23 ha/hr b. 0.25 ha/hr
c. 0.27 ha/hr d. 0.29 ha/hr
35. A field measuring 45 m X 90 m is to be prepared using a 1-m upland
power tiller at a speed of 3 kph. Assume a 10% overlap between passings
and 9 seconds turn around time at the end of each pass.

Determine the field efficiency in going the shorter field direction:

a. 77% b. 80%
c. 83% d. 86%
36. Tractor A can cover a 1-Ha field in 2 hrs, tractor B in 3 hrs, and tractor C
in 6 hrs. How long will it take to cover a 1-Ha field if the three tractors
worked together?

a. 0.5 hr b. 1.0 hr
c. 1.5 hr d. 2.0 hr