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rtfcandlearntherules t1_ja757v5 wrote

Reply to comment by AliMcGraw in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong

How is washboarding a concern on a field that's being plowed?

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tanandblack t1_ja7l5xa wrote

You drive on it after plowing...

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rtfcandlearntherules t1_ja7nke0 wrote

I mean the plow is behind the tractor ..?

Sure you might drive on it afterwards but from my experience a field is not a dry granular road surface like a gravel road. There's also way less traffic, the fields gets plowed frequently and sees almost no traffic. It also turns wet from rain and water and "moves" naturally.Completly different from a gravel road. On top of that the wiki article even recommends "plowing" the road to remove washboarding.

I am not saying that you are wrong because I am geniuenly interested to learn about this, i never thought about it before. But the arguments presented still have me sceptical. That being said the general idea you presented makes perfect sense, of course you'd want to "squish" the ground as little as possible with the tractor. I can understand that without any science.

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gobblox38 t1_ja8v15o wrote

I've come across quite a few farmers that do no plow.

That's not to say the majority of your post is wrong though, just adding a little bit of extra information.

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Naive_Composer2808 t1_ja98ov9 wrote

It more about soil compaction and disruption beyond what is really necessary to plant fertilize cultivate and harvest, any more than that and you are harming the productivity of the plants and soil.

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freefrogs t1_ja9ib55 wrote

A few things to consider here. One is that not every field is a nice soft soil like you might think of in your garden - there are clays and sands and different compositions, some of which are susceptible and others aren't. Another is that not every farm still does plowing, and especially not deep plowing, and even that won't totally break up compaction especially farms that have to plow when it's still wet.

Also, even on farms that do plow, there are still a lot of operations that happen after plowing. There can still be tillage and fertilizing and top-dressing etc etc etc that happen after initial soil prep.

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