subsoiler on L1500DT

bucktail

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L1500DT, 6' king kutter back blade, boom, dirt scoop ford disk JD212
Jun 13, 2016
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It appears that my L1500 doesn't have enough ass to pull large tree roots out with a subsoiler. I don't have the rear tires filled, and no weight on the front. Traction and the front wheels coming off the ground seem to be the 2 main issues. I think lift would become a problem if I had weight on the front. My approach was to put the subsoiler in the ground run in 3rd gear low range, and try to pull it up enough to break the root when I started to spin.
 

Creature Meadow

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2012 L4600, Disk, Brush Hog, GB60 Garden Bedder, GSS72 Grading Scraper
Sep 19, 2016
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Central North Carolina
It appears that my L1500 doesn't have enough ass to pull large tree roots out with a subsoiler. I don't have the rear tires filled, and no weight on the front. Traction and the front wheels coming off the ground seem to be the 2 main issues. I think lift would become a problem if I had weight on the front. My approach was to put the subsoiler in the ground run in 3rd gear low range, and try to pull it up enough to break the root when I started to spin.
How deep you going, mine on my L4600 goes down to 20" and big roots stop it! I keep plenty of shear bolts on hand as well as it breaks before causing damage to anything else.

When I can see the roots I drop it couple inches below ground and ease her forward in L 1 and lift usually works then strap roots and hook to loader and lift them from the ground.

For the ones I know are there I usually makes several passes to loosen ground before going all in. The front edge on mine is sharpened others I have used are flat front and did not do well shearing the root.

Is your sharp not like a knife but at least pointed?
 

bucktail

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L1500DT, 6' king kutter back blade, boom, dirt scoop ford disk JD212
Jun 13, 2016
1,251
189
63
MN
How deep you going, mine on my L4600 goes down to 20" and big roots stop it! I keep plenty of shear bolts on hand as well as it breaks before causing damage to anything else.

When I can see the roots I drop it couple inches below ground and ease her forward in L 1 and lift usually works then strap roots and hook to loader and lift them from the ground.

For the ones I know are there I usually makes several passes to loosen ground before going all in. The front edge on mine is sharpened others I have used are flat front and did not do well shearing the root.

Is your sharp not like a knife but at least pointed?
I'm probably going a little over a foot deep. I don't have the 3 point adjusted so that it will go all the way to the ground. The front of the shovel is beveled, but not sharp. It's maybe 1/16" wide at the front. I could sharpen it, but it runs more or less parallel to the roots, so I don't think sharpening it would help much. Having an edge on the front of the subsoiler would help if that's what you were talking about, but I don't really want to remove any metal. I suppose I could get something welded to it.
 

Creature Meadow

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2012 L4600, Disk, Brush Hog, GB60 Garden Bedder, GSS72 Grading Scraper
Sep 19, 2016
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135
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Central North Carolina
I'm probably going a little over a foot deep. I don't have the 3 point adjusted so that it will go all the way to the ground. The front of the shovel is beveled, but not sharp. It's maybe 1/16" wide at the front. I could sharpen it, but it runs more or less parallel to the roots, so I don't think sharpening it would help much. Having an edge on the front of the subsoiler would help if that's what you were talking about, but I don't really want to remove any metal. I suppose I could get something welded to it.
The leading edge on mine is not sharp but beveled as yours. Sharp was the wrong choice of words.

I used one once that was flat on front 0 edge, it was a beast to pull it.
 

xmikew

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L1500DT
Apr 15, 2017
226
1
16
Charleston
How did you make out here bucktail? Looking at subsoil to lay some irrigation lines with my 1500dt wondering if you found a secret. Think I'll need weight in front? No loader on mine.

To find this thread again I searched 1500 and ass haha

- Mike


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D2Cat

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Mar 27, 2014
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40 miles south of Kansas City
I think pulling a sub-soiler with an L1500 is being optimistic unless your in sandy material. Hard clay will stop that tool at a shallow depth with that HP and weight of machine. It takes a lot of both to pull a sub-soiler effectively!
 

Daren Todd

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Massey Ferguson 1825E, Kubota Z121S, Box blade, Rotary Cutter
May 18, 2014
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I have one for my L1501. It will pull it, but it's like eating a whale. One bite at a time :rolleyes:

Take shallow bites with it. Use the differential lock, and 1 low for the gear.


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xmikew

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L1500DT
Apr 15, 2017
226
1
16
Charleston
I have one for my L1501. It will pull it, but it's like eating a whale. One bite at a time :rolleyes:

Take shallow bites with it. Use the differential lock, and 1 low for the gear.


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How shallow do you do Daren? I'm pretty sandy here. Some places are white sand on my property. No clay. When the land was cleared it was all pulled out with excavators and then root raked. I left fair amount of trees. Don't mind having to hand do some areas. I also don't mind going slow. Hell a purpose built trencher is slow as hell too - granted its running augers and leaves you a nice trench but still slow. I have no frost line here. Can you do two passes with a subsoiler? One shallow to break up and then one to go deeper and lay some line? Will front weight help? Assume it will but I'm a newbie.

Thanks!
 

Daren Todd

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Massey Ferguson 1825E, Kubota Z121S, Box blade, Rotary Cutter
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My yards all clay. Caught it when it was still moist. Went around 6 inches the first pass and just kept working back and forth to loosen every thing up. Occasionally I would hit a root and would stop. Tires on the tractor are the rice paddy tread so I was leaving two trenches on either side of the subsoiler as well :D

But in my case, I wasn't worried about the trenches since I was loosening up an area for a ditch.

Haven't tried mine on sand, but if your just trying to lay pipe or phone/ power line, then you don't need a wide V on the end like mine has.

Trenched for an invisible fence for my kid using a box blade ripper tooth. His area was gravel with lots of Cedar roots. Occasionally a large rock or larger tree root would stop me, but it went through quite a bit easier then the sub soiler.
 

bucktail

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L1500DT, 6' king kutter back blade, boom, dirt scoop ford disk JD212
Jun 13, 2016
1,251
189
63
MN
I'm in sandy loam. I can pull it about a foot deep in 4th low range until it hits a root. I can run in 2nd and spin the wheels while lifting the 3ph without bogging it with the traction that I get, but my tires aren't filled and there's no added weight to the front.
 

xmikew

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Equipment
L1500DT
Apr 15, 2017
226
1
16
Charleston
I'm in sandy loam. I can pull it about a foot deep in 4th low range until it hits a root. I can run in 2nd and spin the wheels while lifting the 3ph without bogging it with the traction that I get, but my tires aren't filled and there's no added weight to the front.


Awesome that's promising. I think I'll get one and give her a go!!
 

bucktail

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Equipment
L1500DT, 6' king kutter back blade, boom, dirt scoop ford disk JD212
Jun 13, 2016
1,251
189
63
MN
Awesome that's promising. I think I'll get one and give her a go!!
Keep in mind that my soil is pretty loose. I don't think it would work very well in clay.