BCS Subsoiler

Description

BCS Subsoiler (Ripper)

The subsoiler, also known as a ripper or flat liner, breaks up compacted soil below the depth a tiller reaches without turning the soil over. A single 16 inch shank with a 1.25 inch angled tip is pulled through the ground, cracking hardpan and leaving the topsoil in place. With enough weight on the tractor it engages up to 11 inches deep.

Why Loosen the Subsoil

Compacted layers stop water draining and stop roots going down. Ripping through them improves drainage, increases the soil’s capacity to hold air and water, and lets plant roots reach deeper. Because the soil is not inverted, the biologically active topsoil stays at the surface, which makes subsoiling a useful companion to minimum-tillage systems.

Weight Is Not Optional

A subsoiler only reaches depth if the tractor can pull it there, and BCS says wheel weights or barbell weight hangers are most definitely required. For best results BCS recommends 12 inch wheels (5×12 or 6.5×12), which can take the 150 lb wheel weights. Like other BCS drag implements, it connects to the tractor through the Tool Carrier Kit.

Subsoiler Details

• Shank length: 16″
• Tip width: 1.25″, angled
• Working depth: up to 11″, soil and ballast permitting
• Tractors: 749, 779, 852, 853; 750 and 889 with the HD 2-bolt bushing
• Required: Tool Carrier Kit plus wheel weights or hangers

Ripping in the Right Conditions

Subsoiling works by shattering a compacted layer, and that happens only when the layer is reasonably dry. Ripping wet ground just cuts a slot that seals over again. Make the passes in late summer or early autumn when the soil is driest, and space them across the slope where drainage is the goal. Coverage is three years residential and one year commercial.

Subsoiler, Tiller or Plow

A tiller works the top 8 inches and mixes it; the moldboard plow inverts it; the rotary plow digs 12 inches and throws the soil aside. The subsoiler is the one to choose when the soil surface is fine but water and roots stop at a hard layer below it.