Chain harrowed our fields :)

laura_nash

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Sorry, pointless happy post.

I chain harrowed my summer fields last weekend. This is exciting for a couple of reasons:

They are usually partially under water at this time of year, last year they were completely submerged. Just shows how dry this winter has been here!

Its the first time I've driven the tractor more than about 5 foot. We got it (MF35) with the house but in terrible condition. OH has put it back together and up to now he's done all the driving and its only been doing back box work. We'd only recently bought the chain harrow. It was actually really fun!

So we're now in business for some actual land management which is exciting. We also have a topper and a mini-sprayer to play with later in the year.
 

Achinghips

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Can I just ask from a land management PoV, why did you chain Harrow the summer fields? Haven't they been resting all summer or do you plan to reseed?
 

pennyturner

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You will never regret having that little MF35. Ours has been in near-constant use since we got it, and it is surprising what it can manage - even if you need someone sitting on the bonnet in lieu of weights. It seems to really WANT to do it's job.

Well done to your OH for giving it the TLC it needed.
 

Antw23uk

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I cant even imagine this having walked across my paddocks to feed the ponies with the dog this morning and slipping and sliding all over the place and avoiding the water filled hoof prints, lol! Very jealous :)
 

laura_nash

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Can I just ask from a land management PoV, why did you chain Harrow the summer fields? Haven't they been resting all summer or do you plan to reseed?

The "summer fields" are the ones I use in summer. They've been rested since the end of August.

I don't poo pick anymore (yay) so the harrowing was partly to spread out any remaining muck in the toilet areas. Particularly since we've been getting some actual frost this winter (didn't get a single frosty night last year). Actually I was really impressed with how little muck was left, we do have very active bird and dung beetle populations and they've obviously been hard at work.

It did get quite wet in August so some bits were slightly churned up, nowhere near enough to need reseeding but the harrow helped level it off.

Finally one of the fields was neglected when we got it, and the amount of dead grass the harrow pulled up was quite impressive. Hopefully this will help encourage the grass and that will help us with our constant fight against silverweed and creeping thistles in that field.
 

laura_nash

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You will never regret having that little MF35. Ours has been in near-constant use since we got it, and it is surprising what it can manage - even if you need someone sitting on the bonnet in lieu of weights. It seems to really WANT to do it's job.

Well done to your OH for giving it the TLC it needed.

Thanks pennyturner, there is something appealing about them isn't there? As well as the practicality of the size for our little fields. I like the fact that ours has been on our property for about 40 years too.

We actually have a weight carrier (a modified 135 one I think) fitted so hopefully I can avoid sitting on the bonnet :)
 

stencilface

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Although we get ours done with a big tractor and harrow, I'm looking good forward to doing the toilet areas myself this year now that we have a harrow for our arena. No tractor, just a decrepit sorn daihatsu.

Wouldn't work atm though, think the big tractor would sink to its windows....
 
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