Definitions
rotary tillage
Basic tillage goals
a. tillage action - action of a tillage tool in
executing a specific form of soil
manipulation
EXAMPLE: soil cutting, shattering and/or
inversion
b. tillage objective - desired soil condition
produced by one or more tillage operations
c. tillage requirement - soil physical
conditions which can be produced by tillage
and is necessary based on utilitarian and/or
economic considerations
General tillage terms and kind of tillage
1. broadcast tillage or overall tillage - tillage
of an entire area as contrasted to a partial
tillage as in bands or strips
2. deep tillage
primary tillage operation which manipulates
soil to a greater depth than 300 mm
NOTE: It may be accomplished with a very
heavy-duty moldboard or disc plow which
inverts the soil, or with a chisel plow or
subsoiler which shatters the soil.
3. earthmoving
tillage action and transport operations
utilized to loosen, load, carry, and unload
soil
4. land forming
tillage operation which move soil to create
desired soil configurations
NOTE:Forming may be done on a large scale
such as contouring or terracing, or on a
small
scale such as ridging or pitting.
a. land grading
tillage operation which move soil to
establish a desired soil elevation
and slope
EXAMPLE: leveling, contouring,
cutting, and filling.
b. land planing
tillage operation that cuts and
moves small layers of soil to provide
smooth, refined surface condition.
5. oriented tillage
tillage operation which are oriented in
specific paths or directions with respect to
the sun,
prevailing winds, previous tillage actions, or
field base lines
6.
tillage operation employing power-driven
rotary action to cut, break up, and mix soil
7. soil cultivation
shallow tillage operation performed to
promote growth of crop plants by creating a
soil condition conducive to aeration,
infiltration, and moisture conservation or to
pest control
a. tillage
mechanical manipulation of soil for
any desired purpose
NOTE: In agriculture the term is
usually restricted to the changing of
soil conditions for the enhancement
of crop production.
b. primary tillage
tillage, which constitutes the initial
major soil-working operation,
normally designed to reduce soil
strength, cover plant materials, and
rearrange aggregates
8. secondary tillage
tillage, following primary tillage, which are
designed to control weed growth and to
create specific soil surface configurations
before seeding
9. tillage depth or tool depth
vertical distance from the initial soil surface
to a specified point of penetration of the
tool
Tillage systems
1. conservation tillage
system that maintains a minimum of 30%
residue cover on the soil surface after
planting or maintains at least 1,100 kg/ha of
flat small grain residue equivalent on the
soil surface during the critical erosion
period (see also item 2.3.4)
2. conventional tillage
system traditionally performed in preparing
a seedbed for a given crop and grown in a
given geographical area
3. minimum tillage
system wherein least soil manipulation is
performed
4. mulch tillage
system in which tillage of the total soil
surface is performed in such a way that
plant residue
is specifically left on or near the soil surface
(see also item 2.3.1)
5. optimum tillage
idealized system which permits a
maximized net return for a given crop under
given
conditions
6. precision tillage
subsoiling under the plant row prior to
planting usually intended for subsurface
drainage
7. reduced tillage
system in which the primary tillage
operation is performed in conjunction with
special planting procedures in order to
reduce or eliminate secondary tillage
operations
8. reservoir tillage
system in which a large number of
depressions or small reservoirs are formed
to hold rain or
sprinkler applied water
9. ridge tillage
system in which the ridges are formed
during cultivation or after harvest and
maintained from year to year in the same
location
NOTE Seeding is done on the ridge top.
10. strip tillage
system in which only isolated bands of soil
is tilled
Specific tillage operation
1. anchoring
tillage to partially bury and thereby
prevent movement of materials
such as plant residues or artificial
mulches
2. Bedding/ridging/listing
tillage which forms a ridge and
furrow soil configuration
3. bulldozing
pushing or rolling of soil by a
steeply inclined blade
4. chisel plowing
tillage in which a narrow curved
shank is used
NOTE Chisel plowing at depths
greater than 350 mm is termed
subsoiling (see item 2.4.12).
5. combined tillage operations
operations simultaneously utilizing
two or more different types of
tillage tools or implements (subsoil-
lister, lister-planter, or plow-planter
combinations) to simplify, control,
or reduce the number of trips over
a field
6. harrowing
operation which pulverizes,
smoothens, and makes the soil
ready for planting
NOTE It is commonly used before
seeding.
7. incorporating/mixing
operation which mix or disperse
foreign materials, such as
pesticides, fertilizers or plant
residues into the soil
8. middlebreaking/hilling-up
operation wherein a lister is used in
a manner that forms a furrow
midway between two previous
rows of plants
9. off barring
operation that cuts and throws the
soil away from the base of plants
NOTE This is the reverse of
middlebreaking or hilling-up.
10. moldboard plowing
operation which is performed to cut
the soil with partial or complete soil
inversion
11. residue processing
operation that cut, crush, anchor or
otherwise handle residues in c on
junction with soil manipulation
12. subsoiling
deep tillage, below 350 mm for the
purpose of loosening soil for root
growth and/or water movement
(see item 2.4.4)
13. vertical mulching
operation in which a vertical band
of mulching material is injected into
the slit immediately behind a tillage
tool shank
Tillage equipment
general-purpose tillage implement
implement performing functions simultaneously
that of initial cutting, breaking and pulverizing the
soil
a. plow-harrow
implement which works under the
combined principles of the regular disc plow
and harrow
NOTE: It has a frame, wheel arrangement
and depth adjustment of the disc plow but
the disc are assembled on a single shaft and
turn as a unit similar to a gang of disc
harrow.
 b. rotary tiller  right-hand plow
implement used for broadcast or strip turns the furrow slice to the right of the
tillage and is also used as chemical plow
incorporator and as row crop cultivator  left-hand plow
NOTE: It consists of power-driven shaft, turns the furrow slice to the left of the plow
transverse to the direction of travel,
equipped with curved knives that slice two-way plow
through the soil, chop surface residue and eliminates back and dead furrows and is used for
mix all materials in the disturbed layer surface irrigation
c. spiral plow/rotary plow NOTE It consists of both the right-hand and left-
implement which consists of two horizontal hand plows, with one type being used at a
power driven spiral flanged shafts which time
rotate vertically
NOTE: The two shafts are placed end-to-end
and oriented to throw the soil outward.

primary tillage implement

implement used for cutting, displacing and/or
shattering the soil to reduce soil strength and to
bury or mix plant materials, pesticides, and
fertilizers in the tillage layer

1. subsoiler
implement for intermittent tillage at depths
sufficient to shatter compacted subsurface
layers
NOTE It is equipped with widely spaced
shanks either in-line or staggered on a V-
shaped
frame.
2. chisel plow
implement which shatters the soil without
complete burial or mixing of surface
materials
NOTE Multiple rows of staggered curved
shanks are mounted either rigidly, with
springcushions, spike, or shovel tools are
attached to each shank.
3. disc plow
implement with individually mounted
concave disc blades which cut, partially or
completely invert a layer of soil to bury
surface material, and pulverize the soil
NOTE Blades are attached to the frame in a
tilted position relative to the frame and to
the direction of travel for proper
penetration and soil displacement.
4. moldboard plow
implement which cuts, partially or
completely inverts a layer of soil to bury
surface materials,
and pulverizes the soil
NOTE It consists of cutting edge, stabilizer
and curved surface.
TILLAGE
It is a mechanical manipulation of soil to provide
favourable condition for crop production. Soil tillage
consists of breaking the compact surface of earth to a
certain depth and to loosen the soil mass, so as to enable
the roots of the crops to penetrate and spread into the soil.
Objectives of Tillage
 To obtain deep seed bed, suitable for different
type of crops.
 To add more humus and fertility to soil by
covering the vegetation.
 To destroy and prevent weeds.
 To aerate the soil for proper growth of crops.
 To increase water-absorbing capacity of the soil.
 To destroy the insects, pests and their breeding
places and
 To reduce the soil erosion.
PRIMARY TILLAGE IMPLEMENT
Implement used for cutting, displacing and/or shattering
the soil to reduce soil strength and to bury or mix plant
materials, pesticides, and fertilizers in the tillage layer
CHISEL PLOW
Chisel ploughs are heavy implements
designed for deep primary tillage and are
generally equipped with rigid tines. Cultivators
range from heavy to light implements and are
used for shallow primary tillage or crop
maintenance, and may be equipped with rigid or
spring tines.
Chisel tines cut vertically through the soil
forcing the soil to move up along the curve of the
tine, which flexes and breaks the soil. The
shattering effect, which becomes more
pronounced near the surface, results in complete
loosening of the soil. The chisel plough does not
invert the soil, but does mix in surface residues. It
has an approximately 25% reduction in surface
residues with each operation.
The cross-section of the soil tilled by each
chisel tine is roughly in the shape of a triangle,
with the base of the triangle on the soil surface
and its apex at the tip of the tine. This leaves the
bottom of the tilled layer shaped like a
washboard. The angle between the side of the
triangle, perpendicular to the direction of travel,
and the horizontal, varies with the moisture
content of the soil.
For relatively dry soils the angle is
roughly 50 degrees, and as the soil moisture
content increases this angle becomes wider and
the tilled area smaller.
The angle can increase to nearly 90 degrees in
very moist soils, in which case only a narrow
grove is cut and no loosening or shattering of the
soil is accomplished. Furthermore, "sausages" of
smeared soil are brought up to the surface that
harden quickly and are difficult to crumble by
later tillage operations. Narrow furrows may also
be cut in soils that are not very moist when the
operating speed is too low, i.e. less than 6 km/h,
which is nearly twice the operating speed of
draught animals.
When a chisel plow is used for primary
tillage the operation frequently has to be
repeated in order to achieve the required soil
condition, especially when rear mounted tools
are not used. When a repeat operation is
required this should generally be done crosswise
at greater depth than the first operation.
However, on sloping land no operations should
be done up or down the slope as this will
increase the risk of erosion. The efficiency of
chisel ploughs is considerably improved by the
addition of rear-mounted tools for loosening,
crumbling, levelling, mixing, packing, etc.
The chisel plough destroys weeds by
cutting their roots and bringing the plants up to
the surface where they can be desiccated.
Overlapping duckfeet tines are often used for
shallow tillage to cut the roots. The pointed tines
used for deeper tillage do not overlap, but all the
soil near the surface is loosened and the angle
that the tines operate at brings the weeds up to
the surface.
The chisel plough is used for the following
purposes:
 Stubble tillage.
 Working in crop residues and manure.
 Mechanical weed control, and especially
of root propagating weeds.
 Primary tillage.
 Loosening hard dry soil before ploughing.
 Breaking up compacted layers below the
normal ploughing depth.
Chisel ploughs are suitable for primary
tillage in arid and semi-arid areas because of
their non-inverting action and because they
loosen and mix the soil sufficiently without
pulverising it. They also leave approximately 75%
of the plant residue on the surface. As compared
with mouldboard or disc ploughs this results in
the following:
 Less water loss as moist soil is not
transported upwards.
 A lower rate of decomposition of soil
organic matter due to less aeration of the
soil.
 Crop residues retained on the soil surface
that reduce water evaporation and the
potential for wind and water erosion.
The following advantages and disadvantages of
the chisel ( Krause et al -1984):
Advantages:
 Wide range of possible uses, see above.
 Suitable for use in the arid and semi-arid
tropics, see above.
 They can often be used on extremely
heavy soils where the quality and
capacity of other types of ploughing are
unsatisfactory.
 High rate of work compared to
mouldboard and disc ploughs.
 The power requirement per tilled cross-
section is less than that for mouldboard
and disc ploughs.
 The 3-point lifting power required is
comparatively low, and hence they can
be combined with rear attachments to
enable two or occasionally three
operations to be accomplished in one
pass.
 They are effective against root-
propagating weeds.
 They are highly reliable and their
servicing and adjustment requirements
are minimal.
Disadvantages:
 They require high speeds of 8 to 10 km/h
when crop residues are to be worked in
and so greater demands are made of the
tractor and driver, especially when
working across crop rows.
 Primary tillage often needs to be
repeated, and usually at increased depth
and crosswise.
 The working width and speed should
exceed minimum values if a high work
rate is to be achieved and so large
tractors of at least 45 kW are required.
This limits their use on small farms unless
some form of multiple farm use is
available.
 The chisel plough can replace the
mouldboard or disc plough to only a
limited extent and so both implements are
usually needed.
 Their mixing action is often inadequate for
working in straw on light soils.
A chisel plow consists of the headstock and
frame, which is made up of a series of crossbars,
to which are attached the tines and to the chisels.
A range of rigid or spring tines can be fitted onto
a frame in staggered rows.
Chisels
The chisel is the main soil engaging
component of the chisel plough and is subject to
high continuous and impact loads and to high
frictional wear. Good quality chisels are made of
the same material as mouldboard plough shares,
i.e. three-ply steel with outer layers of frictional
wear resistant high carbon steel and a centre
layer of impact absorbing low carbon steel. The
two main variables involved in the selection of
chisels are their lift angle and their shape.
The lift angle, or angle of attack, of the
chisel is primarily determined by the angle of the
tine, but it is also dependent on the shape of the
chisel.
 Vertical tine (A)
This has the highest draught force
requirement and it is difficult to keep it in
the soil.
 Steep tine (B)
This has a higher draught force
requirement than C, but it shatters and
crumbles the soil more effectively.
 Low lift angle tine (C)
 This has the lowest draught force construction, and where they are often
requirement, but it only lifts the soil fitted with sweeps instead of chisels.
without adequately loosening it. They are mounted on hinges on the
crossbar and cushioned by spiral
springs.
 Heavy-duty spring tines
Used more in Europe and they tend to
have two or three leaf springs bolted
together to form heavy-duty tines. The
vibrating action of the springs
accentuates soil shattering.
 Flexible or spring tines
Used primarily on cultivators. They are
flattened and slightly curved to allow
diversion around obstacles, and are
The minimum draught force requirement occurs manufactured from a heat-treated steel-
at a lift angle of roughly 20 degrees. The nickel alloy. Their strongly vibrating
appropriate lift angles for heavy chisel ploughs action accentuates soil shattering. They
are around 30 degrees. are not suitable for deep tillage.

Tines

The tine supports the chisel and attaches

it to one of the crossbars of the frame. The tine is
subjected to large impact and continuous forces.
The material that they are made of is dependent
on their type.

There are four main types of tines used for chisel

ploughs and cultivators and these are described
below:
 Rigid tines
Used for deep tillage, particularly when
made with a relatively low lift angle.
They are straight or slightly curved and
made of high-carbon steel. They are
usually fitted with shearbolts to prevent
damage caused by hitting obstructions.
Rigid tines are sometimes called
shanks, or standards, especially on
subsoilers.
 Spring or cushion spring tines
Generally used in North America where
the chisel ploughs tend to be of lighter
 DISC PLOW - implement with individually mounted 7. Standard / Beam - upright support which
concave disc blades which cut, partially or completely connects the shank to tillage implement frame
invert soil slices to bury surface material, and pulverize the (see Figure 1)
soil
8. Width Of Cut - transverse distance between
either the top or bottom cutting edges of the end
NOTE: Blades are attached to the frame in a tilted position discs
relative to the frame and to the direction of travel for
NOTE: measuring the width of cut, the tilt angle
proper penetration and soil displacement.
shall be set at 15 to 25°. For nonadjustable plow disc
blades, the tilt angle shall be set at 18 to 20° and the disc
angle is 42° to 45°.
DISC PLOW and its COMPONENTS
CLASSIFICATION

1. One-Way Disc Plow

Tractor-mounted or integral one-way disc plows
are attached to the tractor by three-point
hitch linkages and are fully carried by the tractor
during transport

1. Concave Disc - circular concave steel plate

used for cutting and inverting the soil
2. Concavity - vertical distance measured from the
lowest point to the center of the disc when its
concave side is placed on a flat surface

3. Frame - structure on which the standards are 2. Reversible Disc Plow

fitted (see Figure 1)
4. Hitch - portion of an implement designed to
connect the implement to a power source (see
Figure 1)
5. Scraper - component which scrapes the soil
adhering to the concave side of the disc (see
Figure 1)
a. Tractor-mounted Reversible Disc
Plow - This plow is attached to the
three-point hitch and is fully carried by
the tractor in transport. This type is
usually limited in size (2-4 discs) due to
tractor front-end stability and hydraulic
lift capacity. (see Figure 4)

6. Side Angle / Disc Angle - angle, in the soil

surface plane, between a tool axis and a line,
which is perpendicular to the direction of travel
(see Figure 2)
b. Semi-Mounted Reversible Disc Plow -
Semi-mounted or semi-integral
reversible disc plow is attached to the
tractor’s lower hitch points and is
raised/lowered by the tractor hitch as
 well as a remote hydraulic cylinder on Working width, 500 to 2000
the rear transport wheel. On some of mm
these plows, the rear wheel operates on
the land and serves as a gauge wheel
when plowing and as transport wheel Working depth, 200 to 400
mm
(free to caster) when the plow is raised.
The rear wheel is an attachment for
converting a fully integral, reversible Frame height, 650 to 800
disc plow to semi-integral operation. mm
(see Figure 5)
Disc spacing, 500 to 750
mm

Drawbar power 15 to 20
requirement per
disc, kW

Weight per disc*, 150 to 250

kg

* It is the total weight of the plow divided by the number of

discs.

The thickness of the disc varies with the disc diameter, as

SIZE
shown in Table 2.
The size of the plow shall be determined by the number
and diameter of the discs and the width of cut. For size Table 2 – Disc Diameter and its Thickness
determination, width of cut shall be calculated by the
following formula:
Disc diameter, mm Thickness, mm

560 4 to 6
Where: W = Width of cut, m

N = number of discs 610 4 to 6

S = disc spacing, mm

D = diameter of the disc, mm 660 5 to 6.5

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
710 6.5 to 7.5
The disc plow shall conform to the following requirements:

760 8 to 10
Table 1 – Construction Requirement

Items Requirements 810 8 to 12

Type of disc plain or

notched

Number of disc 2 to 8

Diameter of 560 to 810

discs, mm
The concavity of the disc varies with the disc diameter, as DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISC BLADE
shown in Table 3.

Table 3 – Disc Diameter and its Concavity

Disc diameter, mm Concavity, mm

560 4 to 6

610 4 to 6

660 5 to 6.5

710 6.5 to 7.5

760 8 to 10

810 8 to 12

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION

 Mild steel shall be used in the manufacture of the

frame, scraper, thrust wheel and hitch.

 Cast iron shall be used in the manufacture of

spool.

 Carbon steel shall be used in the manufacture of

hitch pin.

 Carbon steel with at least 80% carbon content

(e.g. AISI 1080) or alloy steel with at least
0.0005% boron content shall be used in the
manufacture of the disc blades.

 High carbon steel shall be used in the

manufacture of standard.
 – part of the plow that presses and slides
Definition of Terms: against the furrow wall, providing lateral
stability during operation
 plow bottom/plow body
– working part of the plow which includes  landside heel
the share, moldboard, and landside, all – part, attached to the rear of a landside,
attached to the frog which applies the vertical load of the plow
bottom to the furrow bottom
 colter
 share
– flat knife or revolving disc, mounted in
– part of the plow that penetrates the soil
front of the plow bottom, which cuts the
and cuts the furrow slice horizontally
soil vertically

 frame
– structure to which the standards are
fitted

 hitch
– part of an implement designed to connect
it to a power source

 horizontal suction/horizontal clearance Types of Share

– distance by which the point of the share is
bent out of line with the landside to cut the  shin
proper furrow width (for tractor-drawn – leading edge of the moldboard located
moldboard plow) above the landside

 standard
– beam
– leg
– upright support which connects the plow
bottom to tillage implement frame
MOLDBOARD
a. Top View
 Moldboard - part of the plow which lifts,
 vertical suction/vertical clearance inverts and throws the furrow slice to one
– distance by which the point of the share is side.
bent downward for the plow to penetrate
the soil to the proper depth (for tractor-  Types of Moldboard
drawn moldboard plow)
- general-purpose moldboard
- slatted moldboard
- sod moldboard
- stubble moldboard

 GENERAL-PURPOSE MOLDBOARD
- plow bottom that has less curvature than
the stubble and can be used easily for
b. Side View stubble, ordinary trash and stalk cover land
 tailpiece
– optional accessory, attached to the wing
of the moldboard to improve inversion of
the furrow slice

 trash board
– optional accessory, mounted above the
shin, which deposits the upper edge of the  SLATTED MOLDBOARD
furrow in the furrow bottom - plow bottom which is used in sticky soils
and soils that does not scour on solid
 frog moldboard.
– central part of the plow to which the
share, moldboard and landside are attached

 landside
  Reversible Plow for Two-Wheel Tractor
 SOD MOLDBOARD
- plow bottom that has long, narrow and
less sloping moldboard with a gradual twist
that allows complete inversion of the
furrow slice with minimum breakage.

 STUBBLE MOLDBOARD
- plow bottom that has short, broader and
curved more abruptly along the top edge  Reversible Plow for Four-Wheel Tractor
and is suited to work in soil which has been
cultivated from year to year
CLASSIFICATION OF MOLDBOARD PLOW
MOLDBOARD PLOW
1. Animal-drawn Moldboard Plow
 Moldboard Plow - sliding implement that
cuts, lifts, inverts and throws to one side a
layer of soil (furrow slice) to bury surface
materials.

2. Tractor-drawn Moldboard Plow

2.1. Two-wheel Tractor

 left-hand plow
- throws the furrow slice to the left of the
plow’s direction.

 right-hand plow
- throws the furrow slice to the right of the
plow’s direction.

 two-way plow/reversible plow Moldboard Plow for Two-wheel Tractor

- throws the furrow slice either to the left or
right of the plow’s direction 2.2. Four-wheel Tractor
- it consists of both the right-hand and left-
hand plow with one type being used at a  Tractor-mounted Moldboard Plow
time.
 - Type of plow mounted on the tractor’s
three-point linkage and depends upon the
tractor for its general operation.

 Semi-mounted Moldboard Plow

- Type of plow that has the front end
directly connected to the tractor’s
three-point linkage and its rear end is
supported by furrow and land wheels.
The plow is also equipped with
hydraulic lines and cylinders for its
lifting and/or depth control.

 Trailing Moldboard Plow

- Type of plow hitched to the drawbar or
lower links of the tractor, supported by
two or three wheels and equipped with
hydraulic lines and cylinders for lifting
and/or depth control.
 Shattering the compacted layer allows water to
SUBSOILER seep more easily into the soil profile and to assist
root penetration.

The effect of subsoilers on the soil is the

same as that of chisel tines. They cut vertically
through the soil forcing the soil to move upwards,
which flexes and breaks the soil. However, they
are designed to operate at greater depths than
chisel ploughs in order to break up deep
compacted layers. Fracturing and some
loosening of the compacted layer is sufficient to
meet this requirement rather than thoroughly
loosening the soil at depth. This requirement
together with the requirement of minimizing
draught force is met by having the chisels at a
low lift angle, as described in the section on
chisel ploughs. Like chisel ploughs subsoilers are
most effective in soils that are dry or near dry. In
moist soils the lifting and shattering action is not
What is a subsoiler?
nearly so great. If the soil is wet only a
compacted path, which is of little value, is made
 Subsoilers are heavy implements and they
through the soil.
are designed for primary tillage below
ploughing depth to rectify deep compaction
Subsoiling is a costly tillage operation
problems. Subsoilers are similar to heavy
because of its high energy requirement. Tillage
chisel ploughs and their mode of operation
deeper than 250 mm is rarely profitable as a
and the effect that they have on the soil is the
regular practice. The beneficial effects are
same. Most of the section on chisel ploughs
usually temporary and frequently disappear after
therefore also applies to subsoilers and only
the first year. Subsoiling should only be carried
their most notable features will be described
out when there is a compaction problem to be
in this section.
rectified.

 Subsoiler - implement for intermittent tillage

B. Description and Operation
at depths sufficient to shatter compacted
subsurface layers. It is equipped with widely
A very strong frame and tines are used
spaced shanks either in-line or staggered
due to the depth of operation and the high
on a V-shaped frame.
draught forces involved. The tines on subsoilers
are commonly called shanks, or standards,
Subsoiling - deep tillage, below 350
because of their large size. Wings are sometimes
mm for the purpose of loosening soil for
attached behind the chisels to improve the lifting
root growth and/or water movement
and loosening efficiency of these machines.

 A subsoiler or flat lifter is a tractor-

mounted farm implement used for
Definitions
deep tillage, loosening and breaking
gauge wheel
up soil at depths below the levels worked by
auxiliary component of the subsoiler that helps
moldboard ploughs, disc harrows,
maintain uniform operating depth and for
or rototillers.
adjusting depth of

main frame
A. Function and Characteristics
part of the subsoiler that holds the transverse
toolbars together (Fig. 1)
The subsoiler is a heavy duty implement
designed to operate below the normal depth of
primary tillage
tillage and to loosen and shatter the soil. The
tillage which constitutes the initial major soil-
passage of tractors and implements tends to
working operation, normally designed to reduce
create a hard layer or plough pan in some soils
soil strength, cover plant materials, and
and to make them impervious to water.
rearrange aggregates
ripper point
tool attached to the shank of the subsoiler to cut
through the soil (Fig. 1)

shank
structural member primarily used for attaching a
tillage tool to a beam (Fig. 1)

soil abrasion
scratching, cutting, or abrasing of materials
caused by the action of soil.

Subsoiler
implement for intermittent tillage at depths
sufficient to shatter compacted subsurface
layers, equipped with widely spaced shanks
either in-line or staggered on a V-shaped frame
(Fig. 1)

subsoiling
deep tillage with at least 350 mm depth for the
purpose of loosening soil for root growth and/or
water movement

transverse tool bar

part of the main frame to which shank
assemblies are attached (Fig. 1)

wear shin
metal plate attached to the shank to reduce
abrasion and enhance durability of the shank
(Fig. 5)
Classifications
A. According to type of mounting
A.1 Drawn type subsoiler
Type of subsoiler wherein main frame is
mounted far behind the tractor. Guide wheels
are necessary for transport (Fig. 2)
A.2 Three-point hitch mounted
Type of subsoiler wherein main frame is
mounted to the rear of the tractor using the 3-
point hitch linkages (Fig. 3)
B. According to type of shank
B.1 Straight shank
B.2 Curved or parabolic
draft
total force parallel to the direction of travel
required to move the implement
drawbar power
power requirement of an implement being
towed or pushed
effective field capacity
function of field speed, working width and field
efficiency expressed in hectares per hour
field efficiency
ratio between the productivity of a machine
under field conditions and the theoretical
maximum productivity
implement
any agricultural tool mounted on the tractor
implement width
horizontal distance perpendicular to the
direction of travel between the outermost edges
of the implement (Fig. 1)
operating width
horizontal distance perpendicular to the
direction of travel within which an implement
performs its intended function; distance
between the outermost shanks of the subsoiler
(Fig. 2)

sweep angle
angle measured from the outer side of the wing
in reference to the direction of travel (Fig. 3)
theoretical field capacity
function of speed and operating width
expressed in hectares per hour
tip angle
angle formed by the top and underside of the
ripper point (Fig. 3)
wing lift
length of the side of the wing opposite the wing
lift angle (Fig. 3)
wing lift angle
angle measured between the two sides of the
wing (Fig. 3)
wing width
distance between the tip of each wing (Fig. 3)
transport height
overall height of the implement measured from
the topmost point to its lowest point (Fig. 4)
transport length
overall length of the implement measured from
the terminal point of the implement to the
mounting point (Fig. 4)
Principle of Operation
The subsoiler shall be attached 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 gauge wheels or through the
action of hydraulic cylinders. The subsoiler shall
be pulled by the tractor to cut through the soil.
Manufacturing Requirements
Generally, the subsoiler shall consist of main
frame, transverse tool bars and shank
assembly.
References
Elliot K.M. (1994) SOIL TILLAGE,
CULTIVATION AND EQUIPMENT SELECTION
FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ON
SMALL AND MEDIUM-SCALE FARMS.
Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards
PAES 149:2010, Agricultural machinery –
Subsoiler – Specifications
Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards
PAES 150:2010, Agricultural machinery –
Subsoiler – Methods of Test