Evaluating Ripper Performance

How well is your ripper doing? Grab a spade and do some digging. You'll likely find that 40% of your subsoil is still undisturbed after your ripper pass. Gregg Sauder demonstrates how to evaluate your ripper performance and how to improve.

[@samrichards670]

I had the same experience in the 1980s when I attempted to farm. What I did was build a ripper with 2 tines in a row. The front tine was shorter(½ the length) with the broadest tip on it that was available and the rear tine was long with a narrower tip round about ½ of the front tine. It did seem to achieve the desired result.

[@robertpayne2717]

The problem with fracturing soil with a subsoiler is the same as with a conventional moldboard plow. It is moisture you cannot shatter or fracture soil that is too moist or too dry ! If moisture is too high except for the sandiest soil types a mold board plow will just plow out slabs or if too dry will just break out large chunks of deep crust especially in winter wheat fields after harvest believe me I know.

[@joeyoliver579]

Why wouldn't just do a perpendicular... or every other year cultivate in a perpendicular direction. That would eliminate the humps you showed by both methods, which have been cultivated the same way year after year.

[@JamesTyreeII]

Thank you! This is very revealing and important to know for those of us who use the Case IH ecolotiger

[@hstwodrainage.1410]

Nice soil.

[@5stardave]

You need living roots in the soil. Plant some radishes to break up that pan and allow water infiltration.

[@erikih706]

I don’t have a long enough growing season for radishes or other cover crops. By the time the corn and the soybeans come off the field, most of the time the growing season is over. A lot of times the temps are below freezing. Sometimes snow has already fallen. Tillage is the answer here unfortunately. Would love to do cover crops, but they just don’t work (or have time to work).

[@mbailey12341]

Looks like you should try to work with soil biology instead of trying to disrupt and destroy it with heavy tillage

[@jlkkauffman7942]

Yep I can do more with cover crops than he ever could with any kind of steel!

[@joshuaproud7272]

Most guys don't realize those disk rippers are a waste of money, diesel & wear.