DISC HARROW

METHOD OF TEST AND SPECIFICATIONS

PAES 133: 2004 and PAES 120: 2001
 DISC
HARROW
disc harrow implement consisting of two or four gangs of
concave steel discs used for additional pulverization,
mixing of pesticides and fertilizers into the soil, leveling
and firming the soil, closing of air pockets and eradication
of weeds
DISC HARROW AND ITS
COMPONENT
Frame- structure on which the gangs are
fitted.
Gang- set of concave discs, which is
mounted on a common shaft and
separated by a spool.
Gang angle- angle between the axis of
gang and the line perpendicular to the
Gang angling mechanism- mechanism by
which the gang angles are adjusted
Gang axle- shaft on which a set of
concave discs are fitted
Ground clearance- vertical distance
between the ground and the lowest edge
of the disc when the trailed harrow is
supported on transport wheels
Hitch-portion of an implement designed
to connect the implement to the power
source
Included angle- angle between the axes
of two adjacent gangs
Scraper component- which scrapes the
soil adhering to the concave side of the
Side angle- (disc angle) angle, in the soil
surface plane, between a tool axis and a
line, which is perpendicular to the
direction of travel
Classification of disc harrow shall be
classified according to gang orientation

1. Single-action disc harrow- consists of

two gangs of discs, placed end-to-end at
an angle, which throw the soil in opposite
directions
2. Tandem disc harrow- consists of two
or more gangs, in which a set of two
gangs follows behind the front gangs and
is arranged in such a way that the discs
on the front gangs throw the soil in one
direction (usually outward) and the discs
on the rear gangs throw the soil in the
opposite direction
 3. Offset disc harrow- consists of two
gangs wherein one gang is located behind
the other at an angle and the harrow is
operated in an offset position in relation to
the tractor centerline
Size - The size of the harrow shall be determined
by the number and diameter of the discs and the
width of cut. For size determination, width of cut
shall be calculated by the following formula:
What is the cutting width of the single-disk harrow set at 18-degree working angle
containing 20 disks spaced at 30 cm? Disk diameter is 40 cm.

Given:
Type of disc= single-disc harrow
N= 20
S= 30cm
D= 40cm
Required:
cutting width (W)
Formula:
W= 0.95NS + 0.3D
1000
W= 0.95(20)(30cm)(10mm/1cm) + 0.3(40cm)(10mm/1)
1000

W= 5.82m (answer)
At 18-degrees working angle, a tandem disk harrow is used to pulverize a newly
plowed farm at a rate speed of 10 km/hour. Compute the effective width of the
implement. The harrow has 24 pieces of 30-cm disk spaced at 20 cm
Given:
Type of disc= tandem-disc harrow
N= 24 Speed= 10km/hr
Disc Spacing= 20cm
D= 30cm
Required:
cutting width (W)
Formula:
W= 0.95NS + 1.2D
1000
W= 0.95(24)(20cm)(10mm/1cm) + 1.2(30cm)(10mm/1cm)
1000

W= 4.92m (answer)
Materials of Construction
1. Mild steel shall be used in the manufacture of the
frame, gang axle, scraper, gang angling mechanism,
and hitch.
2. Cast iron shall be used in the manufacture of spool.
3. Carbon steel shall be used in the manufacture of
hitch pin.
4. Carbon steel with at least 80% carbon content (e.g.
AISI 1080) or alloy steel with at least 0.0005% boron
content shall be used in the manufacture of the disc
blades.
 General Conditions for Test and Inspection
Disc Harrow on Test- The disc harrow submitted for test
shall be sampled in accordance with PAES 103.
Role of the manufacturer/dealer- The manufacturer/dealer
shall submit to the official testing agency the specifications
and other relevant information of the harrow. An official
representative of the manufacturer/dealer shall be appointed
to conduct minor repair, adjust and witness the test. official
testing agency.
It shall be the duty of the representative to make all
decisions on matters of adjustment and preparation of
the implement for testing. The manufacturer/dealer
shall abide by the terms and conditions set forth by
the by the official testing agency.

Termination of Test- If the harrow becomes non-

functional during the test, the test shall be terminated
by the test engineer.
Tractor to be Used The tractor- to be used shall be
compatible with the harrow in accordance with the
manufacturer’s specification of required power.

Tests and Inspection

Verification of Manufacturer’s Technical Data and

Information- This investigation is carried out to verify that
the mechanism and specifications conform to the list of
technical data and information submitted by the
manufacturer.
Field Performance Test- This is carried out to test the field
performance of the harrow. The test shall be carried out on
a dry field as specified by the manufacturer where the
conditions of the field are to be recorded.
Size of the Area per Trial- Harrowing operation shall be
done in fields of not less than 1, 000 m2 and shall be
rectangular in shape with sides in the ratio of 2:1 as much
as possible.
Traveling Speed- A traveling speed of 7 kph to 8 kph
shall be maintained during the operation.
Test Trials -The test shall be conducted with at least
three test trials. For each test trial, two passes
perpendicular to each other shall be done. Test data
shall be measured for each pass.
Headland- Depending on the tractor size, headland
shall be at least 3 m in length.
 Field Capacity Determination
Effective Working Width Effective- working width is
determined by dividing the total width of the field by the
number of passes.
Verification of Operating Speed Outside- the long
boundary of the test plot, two poles 20 m apart (A, B) are
placed approximately in the middle of the test plot. On the
opposite side also two poles are placed in similar position,
20 m apart (C, D) so that all four poles form corners of a
rectangle, parallel to at least one long side of the test plot)
 (see Figure 2) The speed will be calculated from the time
required for the harrow to travel the distance (20 m)
between the assumed line connecting two poles on opposite
sides AC and BD. The easily visible point of the machine
should be selected for measuring the time. The starting
position shall be at least 2 m to 5 m from poles A and C to
stabilize speed before measuring and recording data.
Tractor shall be operated at rated engine speed (rpm
 Soil Hardness (Optional)- The soil hardness shall be
measured using cone penetrometer.
Wheel Slip or Travel Reduction- The tractor drive wheel is
marked with colored tape. For a given distance, the number of
revolutions of the driving wheels with load (N1) and without
load (N0) shall be recorded (refer to Annex E for the formula
used in calculating wheel slip). PAES 133: 2004 A-41
Fuel Consumption (Optional)- The tank is filled to full
capacity before and after each test trial. The volume of fuel
refilled after the test is the fuel consumption during the test.
When filling up the tank, careful attention should be taken to
keep the tank horizontal and not to leave empty space in the