Narrow-base terracing plow

A narrow-base terracing plow comprising:

• (a) a frame constructed and arranged to be connected to and supported by a tractor to extend transversely therebehind;
• (b) a pivot bracket mounted on said frame for free pivotal movement about a vertical axis;
• (c) a pair of opposed depending support ears carried by said mounting bracket and depending therefrom;
• (d) a harrow gang pivotally mounted upon said support ears for movement about a generally horizontal axis and extending outwardly and rearwardly from said horizontal axis;
• (e) a rigid link universally mounted at one of its end portions upon said frame and being universally connected at its opposite end portion to the intermediate portions of said harrow gang;
• and
• (f) hydraulic cylinder means pivotally mounted at its inner end upon said mounting bracket and being pivotally connected at its outer end to the intermediate portions of said harrow gang;
• (g) said cylinder means being of such length that upon extension it forces and holds the outer end portion of said harrow gang downwardly sufficiently that said harrow gang is off horizontal and inclined downwardly from its said horizontal axis and upon contraction it elevates said harrow gang out of ground-engaging position to elevated position relative to said frame;
• (h) said harrow gang being independently vertically movable to elevated non-operative position by said cylinder means;
• and
• (i) said harrow gang including a plurality of discs, the innermost of which is located below and immediately adjacent to the vertical plane of the pivot of said gang.

The method of forming a narrow-base terrace consisting in:

• (a) moving soil centrally along a centerline of the terrace to be formed, by moving through the soil simultaneously a pair of transversely spaced gangs of centrally-directed disc harrows disposed at opposite sides of the centerline and having outer trailing end portions;
• (b) moving the soil disposed outwardly of the prior path of the disc harrows laterally toward the centerline and into that prior path of the harrows, by raising one of the disc gangs so as to substantially eliminate lateral soil movement during operation and moving the other of such harrow gangs parallel to the centerline and through the soil along a path just outwardly of its prior path;
• and
• (c) thereafter moving that laterally moved soil toward the centerline of the terrace until the terrace is formed by repeatedly moving said pair of gangs of disc harrows simultaneously through the soil along opposite sides of the centerline with the outer trailing end portions of the gangs of discs being forced downwardly so that the gangs extend at an angle to the level of the soil being traversed thereby.

A method of forming a narrow-base terrace consisting in:

• (a) moving a pair of laterally spaced gangs of centrally directed disc harrows along opposite sides of the centerline of the terrace to be formed, with the outer end portions of each gang trailing and the discs thereof cutting the soil at an angle of approximately 21.degree.-29.degree. relative to the centerline to thereby effectively move the soil engaged thereby laterally toward the centerline;
• (b) raising one of the disc gangs so as to substantially eliminate lateral soil movement during operation and thereafter moving the other such gang of disc harrows through the soil parallel to the centerline and outwardly of the prior path of the disc harrows, with its outer end portion trailing and depressed off horizontal and its individual discs cutting the soil at an angle of approximately 21.degree.-29.degree. relative to the centerline, to effectively move the more laterally disposed earth toward the centerline and into the first pass path followed by one gang of such harrows;
• (c) thereafter moving said other gang of such disc harrows through the soil parallel to the centerline along a line disposed between the line of the immediately preceding movement of the gang of disc harrows and the centerline, to effectively continue the movement of the earth toward the centerline;
• and
• (d) then simultaneously moving the two gangs of disc harrows through the soil along the opposite sides of the centerline with the outer end portions thereof trailing and forcibly depressed, with the gangs extending at an angle to the direction through which they are moving through the soil, until the terrace has peaked.