Understanding the importance of tillage

Tillage is the process of loosening and aerating soil, usually in preparation for planting seeds, seedlings or cuttings. Tilling the soil before planting gives the plant the best conditions in which to thrive. 

Tillage improves the condition and quality of the soil by breaking up soil crust and increasing porosity, making it easier for water to infiltrate the soil. Plus, it increases the soil temperature, which encourages growth. 

Tilling soil also helps with the maintenance of crop beds. It keeps weeds at bay by disrupting seeds — burying them too deep or exposing them to pesticides on the surface. And it can be used to mitigate erosion through a practice known as contour ploughing, in which water channels are used strategically to control run-off and prevent soil from washing away.

There are two main types of tillage: primary and secondary. 

Primary tillage is carried out through practices such as ploughing. It involves a deep turning of the soil. This is done to kill weeds, aerate soil and enable water to soak into the crop bed more easily. In some cases, primary tillage is also used to bury unwanted residue that has gathered on top of the soil. Primary tillage on its own is not enough to fully prepare for planting. It leaves behind large clods of soil that still need to be broken up. 

Secondary tillage is a shallower turning of the soil than primary tillage. It’s used to break up clods, level surfaces, shift residue and control weeds. Secondary tillage is usually the final step in preparing crop beds for planting.

There are a lot of different tools and machines that are used to till soil. Each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the best tillage system for the job at hand depends on factors like the type of soil and the crops that are to be planted. The decision is also affected by the layout of the land and personal preferences.

The tillage machines most commonly used in commercial farming are ploughs, disc harrows, subsoilers and field cultivators. These need to be kept in tip-top shape to ensure they’re running as safely and efficiently as possible. 

We offer a wide range of spare parts for these machines at TVH, with options to suit any make and model. Please contact us for more information.

Carbide is created by combining carbon with metals such as tungsten and cobalt. This forms super-hard alloys that are often more durable and last longer than steel. If you are looking for a long-term tillage solution, carbide tools might be the perfect option. Carbide offers many advantages over traditional steel:

• Long lasting – Carbide tools deliver a substantially longer service life than steel equivalents.
• Lightweight – Carbide is up to 30% lighter than steel. This puts less stress on the machine, helping to extend its lifespan.
• Durable – High-strength carbide grades are more wear resistant than high-strength steel grades.
• Versatile – Unlike steel, carbide maintains its hardness at high temperatures. This means carbide tools can be used at higher speeds for longer periods of time without any reduction in performance.

Tillage has always been and will always be an integral part of agriculture. Using the most appropriate tillage systems can save farmers a lot of time and money.

TVH has a wide range of products for tillage systems available:

• Parts used for ploughing: coulter, mouldboard, heel, knife coulter, wedge nose, shin, skim, skim mouldboard, slatted mouldboard
• Cultivator parts: cultivator tines, spoiler
• PTO harrow parts: power harrow tines
• Carbide parts: power harrow tines, wings, point for blade, share, skim share

Need help choosing the best parts for the job? Please contact us. Our experts are more than happy to help.