Secondary Tillage

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
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.
Types of disc harrows according to
arrangement
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.
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:
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
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

tooth or tine tooth or tine

transverse toolbar transverse toolbar

cutting tip cutting tip

Tooth with replaceable cutting tip

• Classification of Spring Tooth Harrow
• Trailing spring-tooth harrow Type of spring-tooth harrow wherein main frame is
towed behind the tractor
Three-point hitch-mounted spring-tooth harrow
Type of spring-tooth harrow wherein main frame is mounted to the
rear of the tractor using the three-point hitch linkages
Principle of Operation
The spring-tooth harrow shall be mounted on the tractor. After
being transported to the field, the implement shall be lowered on the
soil. The desired operating depth shall be set by adjusting the lever or
the gauge wheels. Adjusting the lever to vertical position shall provide
maximum harrowing depth. For light harrowing, lever shall be set at a
slanting position. Trailing spring-tooth harrow shall be towed by the
tractor to cut through the soil. For three-point hitch mounted type, the
spring-tooth shall be lowered to engage with the soil. As the spring-
tooth harrow passes through the strip of soil, the soil shall be
pulverized.