Parts for Cultivating Machines
Tillage Machines – Types, Construction, and Applications
Tillage machines are devices in agriculture that prepare the soil for sowing, improve its structure, and ensure optimal conditions for plant growth. They can perform various tasks such as loosening, mixing, leveling, crushing clods, destroying weeds, and aerating the soil.
Below you will find a classification of tillage machines, their construction, and applications.
1. Plows – tools for plowing
Description and Application:
A plow is a basic tillage machine used for plowing, which means turning and loosening the soil. Plowing helps in destroying weeds, plant residues, and aerating the soil.
Types of Plows:
Furrow Plow – turns the furrows in one direction, creating ridges.
Reversible Plow (Swing) – has rotating bodies, allowing plowing in both directions.
Chisel Plow (Subsoiler) – loosens the soil to a great depth without turning it.
Disc Plow – instead of shares and moldboards, it has discs that work well on stony soils.
Construction of a Plow:
Frame – the load-bearing structure to which the bodies are attached.
Share – the cutting part that slices through the soil.
Moldboard – turns the furrow, covering plant residues.
Support Wheel – regulates the depth of plowing.
✅ Application: Winter plowing, preparing the soil for spring crops, weed control.
2. Harrows – leveling and loosening the soil
Description and Application:
Harrows are used for breaking up clods of earth, leveling the field, and destroying weeds after plowing or other tillage operations.
Types of Harrows:
Tine Harrows – have metal tines that loosen and level the soil.
Disc Harrows – consist of rotating discs that break up the soil and mix crop residues.
Active Harrows (Rotary) – powered by the tractor's PTO, they intensively loosen the soil before sowing.
Construction of a Harrow:
Frame – the base to which the working elements are attached.
Working Elements – tines, discs, or rotors depending on the type of harrow.
Press Wheel (optional) – improves soil contact with seeds, leveling the surface.
Application: Leveling soil after plowing, mixing crop residues, improving soil structure.
3. Cultivators – loosening and destroying weeds
Description and Application:
Cultivators are used for loosening the soil, destroying weeds, and mixing crop residues without turning the soil.
Types of Cultivators:
Tine Cultivators – have spring or rigid tines that penetrate the soil to a medium depth.
Chisel Cultivators (Subsoilers) – used for deep loosening of the soil (up to 50 cm).
Stubble Cultivators – mix crop residues, aiding in their decomposition.
Construction of a Cultivator:
Frame – the base of the machine.
Working Tines – elements that loosen the soil.
Finishing Roller – levels the surface of the field.
Application: Loosening soil after plowing, destroying weeds, improving soil structure.
4. Tillage Aggregates – combining various tools
Description and Application:
Tillage aggregates combine several machines into one device, allowing for simultaneous loosening, leveling, and preparing the soil for sowing.
Types of Aggregates:
Passive Tillage Aggregates – consist of harrows, cultivators, and rollers.
Tillage-Sowing Aggregates – combine soil cultivation with sowing in one pass.
Disc Aggregates – use discs to mix soil and crop residues.
Application: Preparing the field for sowing, cultivating stubble, reducing the number of passes over the field.
5. Tillage Rollers – improving soil structure
Description and Application:
Tillage rollers are used for packing the soil, which improves its structure and increases its ability to retain moisture.
Types of Rollers:
String Rollers – loosen the surface of the soil and crush clods.
Ring Rollers (Cambridge) – help settle the soil and improve seed contact with the soil.
Packer Rollers – intensively pack the soil, creating a level surface.
Application: Reducing water evaporation, compacting the soil, improving sowing conditions.
Tillage machines provide the right conditions for plant growth, increasing yields and reducing labor inputs. Depending on the type of soil, climatic conditions, and cultivation system, plows, harrows, cultivators, tillage aggregates, and rollers are used.
The choice of the right machine depends on:
Type of soil
Cultivation system (traditional, simplified, no-till)
Cultivated plant
