Q:
How long do your tines last?
A:
This is a hard question to answer. It really depends on a few factors, such
as what you are pulling that harrow through, how fast you pull the harrow, if
weight has been added to the harrow, etc. We have had a 30' harrow cart go over
10,000 acres and it still had a little life left in it. However, that isn't
really a sufficient enough answer. Therefore, I will state ways in which you
can increase the life of your harrow.
1.
Keep the speed down - This is the most important thing you can do in order to
increase tine life. If the harrow is bouncing up and down not only do you lose
contact with the ground, but you also cause the harrow to wear significantly
faster due to the jerking of the tines. Unless you are in sand (which basically
works like a sand blaster over time - shortening the tine), you will notice
the wear at the top bend where it rocks back and forth against the tine A-frame.
If you can keep a smooth pull to the harrow and keep it from jumping, you can
double or triple you tine life. Generally our 5' depth harrows can be pulled
at 7-10 mph, and our 7.5' depth harrows can be pulled at 10-15 mph. However,
the slower you pull it, the longer it will last.
2.
Avoid adding weight to the harrow mat - Many people like to add extra weight
to the harrow in order to allow the tines to penetrate a little deeper, and
be pulled a little faster. This is accomplished by wiring a truck tire, railroad
tie, log, etc. to the section. However, you will notice extensive wear at the
points where the weight comes in contact with the tines. Therefore, it is a
tradeoff between added effectiveness, and tine life. top
Q:
Can you change the aggressiveness of the tine?
A:
Yes. Our tines are able to be in the aggressive setting (tines standing up),
less aggressive letting (tines laying flat), or lying on it's back (tines pointing
in the air). Our harrows also come with a front and rear section, which allows
you to use a combination - to work up and smooth out all in one pass. top
Q:
How well does the harrow level?
A:
The harrow does a nice job leveling loose material. However, the harrow will
not replace using a disk, plow, cultivator, etc. as far as leveling hard, unworked
ground. We have mounted many harrows behind such implements, in order to accomplish
the leveling. However, a stand-alone harrow cannot replace these implements.
It is worth noting, that using a deeper harrow section (ie. 7 1/2' depth in
lieu of 5' depth) increases the leveling that can be achieved.top
Q: How does the harrow handle trash?
A:
We have been in over the stalks of 300+ bushels corn, and had no problems as
far as leaving piles of trash. The key is to keep the pull pipe/bar above any
material feeding into the harrow mat. Ideally, you want the first row of tines
to barely be touching the surface. By doing this, if you come across any piles
of trash the first row of tines will explode out that pile, letting it evenly
fill into the harrow mat. The harrow mat itself may look like it is loaded with
trash, but you don't notice any piles coming out the end.
We
once had a farmer who wondered how long it took for the stalks to filter out
of the harrow mat. So, he took orange spray paint and sprayed the stalks in
front of his 30' harrow cart. It ended up taking 1/2 mile before all the orange
stalks had filtered out of the mat, and he never had a single pile of trash
in the field. If you feel there is too much trash in the mat for comfort, you
can always lift the harrow off the ground and shake it. The free flowing tines
allow the material to fall away from the tines.
However,
even we are not perfect, and in wet, green soybean stubble the tines can cause
rolling and piles. Soybeans like to grab onto each other, especially when wet
and still flexible. We suggest either waiting till the are dry, or at the very
least no longer green before tackling soybean stubble in the field, or you can
use the rear hooks (or rings) and pull the harrow in the less aggressive position.top
Q:
How deep will the harrow penetrate?
A:
When pulled over hard, unworked ground the harrow tines will penetrate only
1/4 - 1/2". This is ideal for dethatching, aerating, and planting grass
seeds. However, when the ground is loose or has been worked up (with a plow,
disk, cultivator, etc.) the tines penetrate up to 4" deep. The tines break
up clods of dirt, sift finer soil down, and level the surface. It is important
to note the harrow doesn't push soil forward, it merely sifts through the soil.
Harrowing leaves a "dry mulch" of course soil and residue at the surface,
which conserves moisture. The finer soil is filtered into the "seed zone",
where it enables for better seed germination.top
Q:
What is the difference between the 5' depth harrows (EconoDrag, Standard, and
Landscape), and the 7 1/2' depth harrows (Maxi, MaxiLift, Pasture, Harrow Cart)?
A:
The 5' depth sections are used on our smaller harrows. They do nearly as good
a job as the 7 1/2' depth harrows, but are MUCH easier to manage as far as moving
place to place, disassembly, and use in smaller areas.
The
7 1/2' depth harrows are the deepest sections we make. The deeper section allows
you to pull the harrow faster (the tail keeps the front down) and does the most
work per pass. This is the preferred depth for larger operations where you need
the job done quickly and in a single pass.
Both
the 5' and 7 1/2' depth harrows come with two sections, front and rear. This
lets you pull the harrow with all the tines in the aggressive mode, less aggressive
mode, or a combination between the front and rear sections (so you can work
up and smooth out all in one pass!).top
Q:
How do you compare to your competition?
A:
We have been making our own tine for 15 years. However, we have been selling
harrows for over 35 years. While we found the harrow did an excellent job, we
were concerned with premature wear, uneven effectiveness, and the lack of sizes
and frames available. Therefore, when designing our tine we opted for a high
carbon, drawn, spring steel in order to create the strongest tine that can be
bent cold (heat treating made the tine too brittle). Next, we then had every
tine computer bent so that there would be uniform effectiveness and wear across
an entire mat (no need to replace individual tines within a mat, once one is
worn out they all are). Finally, we created frames and mounts so that the harrow
could be used for every purpose imaginable.
Wingfields
have been the innovators in the harrow industry. Harrows is what we do. We have
the world's largest selection, and are the ONLY harrow made completely
in the USA.top
Frequently Asked
Questions
Q:
How does Google Checkout work?
A:
We are now offering Google Checkout
to provide an addititonal option for our customers to assist in purchasing a
harrow. Google Checkout is a quick payment system like Paypal. We have included
the shipping rates into the prices within Google
Checkout, in order to make it quicker to complete the payment process. If you
would prefer not to use Google Checkout, you can still make your purchases through
our online store as well. top
