Types of Tillage Equipment and Their Uses

Whether you own a small farm or work at a massive agricultural operation, some of the most important tools you’ll use are to help prepare fields for planting. Tillers come in many shapes and sizes, though, so it can be useful to get a grip on what’s available and how each tool works.

We here at Nova International want to give you a head start, so we’ve put together a bit of information on some common tillers and their uses, below. To learn more, or to see the tillers we have for sale, contact our stores in Windsor and Aylesford, Nova Scotia, and in Salisbury, New Brunswick, today!

Disc Harrows

Also simply called “discs,” these tools consist of rows of carbon steel or boron discs on a fixed frame. As they’re dragged, they break, lift, and loosen soil, all in a single pass. Herbicides and other surface-applied products can be used with these, but try to avoid using them when the soil is damp, as it can compact the soil rather than loosen it. 

Plows

One of the oldest agricultural tools around, plows are blades drawn through the soil to create furrows. They’re great for medium-depth and deeper tillage. 

Chisel plows can reach a depth of 6” to 8” using a row of staggered shanks which you can adjust. Moldboard plows use wing-like blades that lean clean-cut furrows. For greater depths, subsoil plows use straight or bent tines, resulting in furrows that need little to no further treatment before planting.

Rippers

To limit compaction and control moisture, rippers are tillage implements often used to enhance soil conditions, which in turn leads to higher yields. They’re great at managing post-harvest residue and help increase seed placement accuracy. 

Disc rippers and in-line rippers are both great variations on the tool and generally help increase the amount of organic matter in the soil, helping moisture penetrate faster and drain better. 

Cultivators

For a less-aggressive tillage tool, cultivators are great for medium-textured and well-drained soil. They’re relatively shallow, which lowers the amount of fuel, time, and labor needed to use it. Cultivators are typically used as secondary tillage tools before spring planting and come in a variety of sizes, from hand-held garden tools to massive tractor attachments and implements. 

They’re particularly good at destroying weeds which cropped up after your primary planting, and the staggered tines have enough clearance to let clods and plant residues pass through freely. 

Ready to get your next tillage tool? Contact us at Nova International for more information, or to see the tillage equipment we have available. We proudly serve the people of Atlantic Canada—let us serve you today!