[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: (ET) Ground compaction from elec traks



I till my garden with my E12 every year. Examining my footprints in the newly fluffed soil compared to the ET's tire tracks, my footprints go slightly deeper. I expect the wider surface area for the four tires creates a slightly lower pressure per square foot than my size elevens.

Here, the issue with hard-panning is the clay substrate slowly absorbs the topsoil, sand, etc. but if you are finding looser soil 6-7 inches down, that's probably not your issue. Personally, I don't till that deep - 4 inches max. - mix in the new compost and chew up the weeds before planting and some years after harvesting to mix in the left-over vines and such.

The hard-as-rock tires may reduce the tire area in contact with the ground, increasing the psi over what I have witnessed.

If you have the time and energy, it probably can't hurt to till the yard periodically. The ET and tiller make a formidable sod-buster. I will probably do a neighbour's yard this fall as a weed-fighting strategy. I'll try to remember to see how that goes in terms of reducing hard-panning and report back a few months from now. I don't have enough lawn left at this point to be worth the effort in my own yard.

Darryl McMahon

Tilling Quoting Christopher Zach <czach computer org>:

Got a question: I've noticed that over the years since getting my E20
that the grass quality has slowly gone down. Digging with the tiller I
have also noticed that my soil is hard as a rock up top, getting better
about 6-7 inches down.

Is the tractor causing my soil to "hard pan"? If so, what can be done
about this? My tires are original, and are hard as rocks. Would putting
new tires on fix the problem? Or should I till my yard every year or so?

Chris

_______________________________________________
Elec-trak mailing list
Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
https://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/mailman/listinfo/elec-trak