An ATV disc harrow is a great farmer’s companion, since it can achieve good soil penetration while being drawn by an ATV. The disc harrow attaches to the ATV with a ball and socket hitch or drawbar and relies only on its weight and leverage from the ATV to efficiently and quickly break hard-packed soils. If you would like to reap the full benefits of having an ATV on your farm, consider pairing it with any of the ATV disc harrows in our buying guide below.
The Best ATV Disc
The Black Boar ATV Disc Harrow is one of the best ATV disc harrows for breaking up tough ground. It features eight rotating discs with a parallel linkage design for proper alignment when breaking up the soil. The discs are sharp. They are also made of durable steel and are powder coated to prevent rust and corrosion.
You typically install four discs on a selector plate that you hook on each side of the implement lift. Each side, with a selector plate containing four discs, can rotate from 0 to 30 degrees at the front and rear, resulting in a total range of 60 degrees. That can be quite useful when breaking up tough soil. The tool is recommended for establishing a food plot, cultivating, and maintaining your property.
- Made of durable steel
- Parallel towing design
- Powder coated finish
- Requires a 66013 manual lift or a 66000 motorized lift to operate
- Brand Black Boar
- Model 66001
- Weight 102 pounds
Lightweight and easy to install by one person
Durable construction
Offers a diverse range of motion that’s ideal for cultivating
Offers the user full control of the equipment
May experience clogging issues with grass and roots
Tends to rattle on rugged trails
The spacers and bearings connecting the discs aren’t waterproof
The Agri-Fab Ground-Engaging Disc Cultivator is another eight-disc soil breaker that’s more affordable than most ATV disc harrows within its class. The discs are powder coated for longevity, and you can adjust the working width by about 30 to 38 inches. You can also adjust the disc angle by about 10 to 20 degrees for a neater appearance and to achieve a better soil penetration angle.
The flexibility of the tool allows you to move it in any direction without straining your ATV. It also makes land preparation less strenuous to farmers and gardeners. However, the disc harrow doesn’t work without a sleeve hitch, and you need a weight of at least 200 pounds to effectively break up the soil.
- Adjustable working width
- Equipped with 11-inch, powder-coated discs
- Dependent on a sleeve hitch for operation
- Brand Agri-Fab
- Model 45-0266
- Weight 41 pounds
Quite inexpensive
Smooth operation on relatively dry and even ground
Easy to set up
Can be used to loosen clay soil
Tends to wobble on a bumpy trail
You have to add at least 200 pounds for the discs to tear up the ground efficiently
The Battle Armor Designs is a hitch-mounted disc plow that can be easily installed by one person on any two-inch receiver hitch with the help of a simple hitch pin. It features six aggressive discs designed to offer a tighter turning and consequently reduce plowing time. It’s estimated that the tool can help you clear half an acre of land in an hour or less.
The unit also features Battle Armor’s patent-pending Integrated Clean-Out System, which prevents debris buildup that can clog up the machine. However, despite the technology, it still does clog up, especially when clearing weeds and grass-covered areas.
- Hitch mounted
- Equipped with six aggressive discs
- Patent-pending Integrated Clean-Out System
- Brand Battle Armor
- Model 200-1007-16
- Weight 51 pounds
Can plow half an acre in less than an hour
Designed to resist debris build-up
At least loosens up tough soil if deep penetration is impossible
The cleanout system still tends to clog
Only compatible with 2-inch hitch receivers.
The Groundhog ATV Disc Plow has a compact design that makes it easy to install, remove, and store. The plow comes with six discs and connects to a hitch receiver under your quad bike. It delivers twice the cutting speed of the disc plows in its class, thanks to the wide 21-inch cutting width. It also features an adjustable height control system that allows for one-inch disc height increments.
It takes about four hours to plow an acre of land. You can also use it to plow in circles on a small piece of land without worrying about clogs. This disc plow is recommended for garden tilling, preparing lands for planting, grooming dirt, setting up a wildlife food plot, and a firebreak. The unit comes pre-assembled, but you should be careful not to break the hitch system when connecting it to the receiver as its hitch system is of substandard quality.
- Uses a 2inch hitch receiver
- 21-inch cutting width
- Operates at five to seven miles per hour on normal drawing force
- Can plow at 2-3 miles per hour in reverse
- Adjustable height control
- Brand The GroundHog MAX
- Model 088-9051-00
- Weight 48 pounds
Comes fully assembled
Offers an aggressive cut
No need to add extra weight
Great for weed control
Doesn’t take up much storage space
Lightweight design results in wobbling issues
Poor quality hitch system
The Impact Implements Pro Disc Plow is a great land tiller that’s best used for cutting up chunks of soil, food plot preparation, and gardening. It’s also reliable for tearing weed remains and unwanted crops. The tool features eight 12-inch notched discs with a huge 54-inch cutting width. On top of this, the disc maintains a 15-degree cutting angle for easy slicing of hard soil and loosening dirt.
Another great feature is the integrated weight tray that adds downward pressure for better soil penetration. What’s more, you can attach the disc harrow to your ATV with a sleeve hitch adaptor, Pro 1-Point Lift System, or a CAT-O three-point hitch. Also, it can be used on any vehicle, including a yard tractor, garden tractor, SXS, UTV, and ATV. It’s one of the heaviest plows in its class and it can be a challenge to turn it manually.
- Durable disc blades made of hardened steel
- Offers 54 inches of cutting width
- Includes an integrated weight tray for downward pressure
- Brand Impact Implements
- Model IP4471_BK
- Weight 120 pounds
Designed for enhanced soil penetration
Versatile installation options
The disc harrow can be used on any automobile
Easy to use and operate
Hitch adapters sold separately
Heavy and difficult to turn without wheels
Another great ATV disc harrow option for getting your soil plant-ready is the Brinly Tow Behind Disc Harrow. Unlike the other discs on the market, this one has smooth but sharp heavy-duty steel discs attached to a steel weight tray. The discs are eight in total, each with a diameter of 11 inches. The disc harrow hooks to a sleeve hitch that is sold separately. The tool allows you to adjust the working width from 29 to 39 inches to suit different garden sizes.
Additionally, the disc angle can be adjusted to establish the perfect force for breaking huge soil and chunks of clay. You can set it to 10 degrees for light disking, 15 degrees for general use, and 20 degrees for aggressive disking. Extra weight can be added on the steel tray for more aggressive disking.
- Includes eight smooth, heavy-duty steel discs
- Integrated with a weight tray
- Adjustable blade angle and width
- Brand Brinly Hardy
- Model DD-551
- Weight 60 pounds
Easy to assemble
Experiences less debris buildup than toothed discs
Multiple blade angles suit different plowing needs
Can achieve aggressive cuts
Not very productive without the extra weight
The sleeve hitch is sold separately
Best ATV Disc Buying Guide & FAQ
There are a few things that you need to take into consideration before purchasing a disc harrow for your four-wheeler. You want something that’s tough enough to break up dirt clods, pulls fairly well, experiences minimal clogs, and is easy to handle. Sure, many ATV discs on the market can help you achieve the basic function of plowing the land and leveling the heavy soil, but only a few are strong enough to break the toughest soil.
Our buying guide will help you get a high-quality disc harrow that cuts very well. We will help you get something that efficient, fast, and leaves your soil with a rich and even look.
Why Do You Need An ATV Disc?
Your ATV can be of use to you in your farming activities besides helping you survey the land. By integrating an ATV disc harrow or plow, you get to use your machine to plow a larger area of land. You also get to do it faster than you would when doing it manually.
Disking is an important farm practice for soil preparation. It helps to break up the surface crusts and clods that would typically limit plant growth. It also promotes surface uniformity, structure stability, and enhances soil granulation to improve water infiltration.
Benefits
- The disc helps to uproot dead grass to prepare the seedbed for root aeration.
- It helps destroy already existing weeds and prevent weed growth.
- Soil preparation ensures that your plants grow to their full potential.
Types of ATV Discs
An important aspect to consider when buying an ATV disc harrow is the size of the field. It will help you determine what type of disc to go for. Disc harrows are classified according to the disc gang arrangement and the area of land it’s able to plow in a given period. Here are some of the major types:
- Single Action
A single-action disc harrow features two-disc gangs fitted in the opposite direction of the mechanical lift, meaning that the soil is thrown in opposite directions. It’s the typical arrangement of most ATV drawn discs, and is recommended for small scale land cultivation where a single disking action is enough to penetrate the soil.
- Double Action
A double-action disc harrow features two or more disc gangs fitted in front and behind the farming equipment. The front and rear gangs throw the soil in opposite directions. Such a setup allows for deeper and more effective soil cultivation since the land is stroked more than once—first with the front, then with the rear disc gangs.
You can cover a wider area with such a setup, since the width of the disc gang ranges from about 5 to 15 feet. However, it would take a high-powered ATV to push and pull the disc gangs for efficient operation.
- Offset Disc Harrow
An offset disc harrow has two gangs typically fitted behind one another and operates in tandem. In this setup, the disc gangs are on the offside and lateral to the farming equipment. A single disc gang could have up to eight discs.
It’s done so to allow for more ground cover and easy maneuverability into corners. Having the disc gangs in tandem also ensures that the discs repeatedly slice the ground they move on to optimize the results.
What to Look for When Buying an ATV Disc
When buying an ATV disc, you need to look at the entire structure of the disc harrow, since they aren’t typically sold as individual discs. The quality of the disc harrow is important for the durability and sturdiness of the tool when it’s in tow. Here are a few factors to consider:
- Disc Style
Most discs are either smooth or notched. The notches are the spikes (or teeth) along the outer circumference of an ATV disc. They are typically designed to face the same direction for plowing efficiency. The more teeth there are, the more efficient the disc will be at breaking tough clay soil, since several strokes on the surface are delivered per rotation. They only downside is that they tend to clog easily.
The other disc style is a smooth disc, which typically has a smooth but sharp outer circumference. They are more suited for light plowing jobs on sandy soil or elsewhere where the soil isn’t tough. They also experience minimal clogs.
- Angling
It’s easier to break tough soil when you work the disc at an angle. Think of it like trying to crush a clump of clay with a blade. You would take longer if you only perform upward and downward strokes. You would crash the clay faster if you hit the clay from all angles instead. The same applies to plowing a tough piece of land.
ATV disc harrows are typically adjustable by 0 to 30 degrees. Zero is for less aggressive strokes, while 30 degrees is intended to help you break the toughest soil. If you decide to work with no angle at all, you will take longer but will still get the job done with a few tries.
- Integrated Weight Platform
For quick and effective cutting, the disc blade needs leverage by being pulled by the automotive, and have some extra weight for downward pressure. That’s why most manufacturers integrate a weight platform or a tray just above the disc blades. The weight tray is typically loaded with a removable weight, such as bricks, in order to force the blades to dig deep into the soil.
If you are trying to break tough clay soil, you can add the load on the tray in order to force the blades to break deep down into the soil. The weight platform has a weight capacity to prevent damage to the blades. That’s around 300 pounds for most of the tools on the market.
- Cutting Width
The cutting width is the width of the blade that determines how fast it could break soil. If you intend to plow a large piece of land, such as an acre, you need a disc with a cutting width of at least 50 inches. That will guarantee that you can get the job done in about an hour.
For the most part, the cutting width of the disc blade determines how fast you can get the job done, but it may be a non-factor if you have a poor quality blade. It’s possible to get disc blades with a large cutting width but take too long to break tough ground. You can also find some sharper blades that have about 40 inches of cutting width but can break tough ground in less than an hour.
- Adjustable Height
Prioritize disc harrows with an adjustable height, that is, they allow for height increments for deeper or shallow penetration of the earth. This is also referred to as working depth. Since not all soil types are equal, you will need to adjust the working depth when changing from softer sand soil to tougher clay soil. This feature also allows you to keep the ATV harrow in tow while you move it to a storage unit without ripping up the ground.
Tips for Buying and Using an ATV Disc
ATV disc harrows rely on their weight and leverage provided by the ATV to achieve good soil penetration. However, it can still be difficult to break tough, dry soil. You may also damage the teeth on the discs. That’s why you should wait a few days after a heavy rainfall for the soil to be softer and easier to cut.
To achieve a better cut, prevent clogging, and prolong the life of your discs, try to drive the ATV slower. Pulling the disc harrow slower results in better land tillage, and you reduce the chance of having to deal with the hazard of lifting rocks off the ground.
For an easy time transporting the ATV harrow or plow, you should buy a compact-sized one. You will have an easier time transporting it from your farm to the storage unit, and also hooking it up to the ATV’s hitch receiver. The weight also puts less strain on your ATV when it’s in tow.
- For longevity, make sure you get a disc harrow made of high-quality, rust-resistant materials.
- Avoid disking damp clay and instead wait for it to dry since it can cause severe clogging.
- Add extra weight to the harrow for better soil penetration, especially when digging tough clay soil.
- The best weight option is adding a long narrow bag of sand on the frame of the mechanical lift.
- If you notice cracks forming on the discs, reduce or remove the weight to prevent further damage.
- If you intend to use a high-performance ATV and often switch to larger farm equipment, you need to get a disc that can match up to the power.
- Read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the ATV harrow for hassle-free disc harrow connection and ground breaking.
Best ATV Disc FAQ:
Finding the best ATV disc is a bit of a complicated process, as it comes as an entire mechanism of bearings, spacers, and a mechanical lift. But you will find that it isn’t that complicated once you know what to look for when choosing the best one for your land. To help you further, we are going to answer a few of the common questions that you may have about ATV discs in general. It will give you a rough idea of what to expect before you buy an ATV disc and how best to use it.
The terms are often used interchangeably, especially when describing most automobile driven discs that are used in farming. Nevertheless, there is a slight difference in that a disc harrow is more uniformly spaced along the common axle than a disc plow. That results in evenly tilled soil with no large clods, as would be the case with a disc plow.
Yes, most manufacturers offer replacements for blades and other parts including the blade spacers and bearings. It’s also possible to receive a few extra blades with your new disc harrow, but that may cost you extra. Before you buy the harrow, check if the warranty covers the replacement of dull blades and you may get the new ones at no extra cost.
It depends on the diameter of the disc, disc style, and the cutting angle. Without any added weight, a notched disc of about 11 inches in diameter, and cutting at a straight angle can dig as deep as 8 inches into the ground. To achieve a deeper cut, you can add extra weight in the disc harrow and increase the cutting angle to push the discs deeper into the ground.
You need to get the perfect speed to achieve good penetration of the ground and to allow the soil granules to mix. You can get that by driving your ATV at about 4-5 miles per hour. Any slower and the soil won’t mix. Also, if you drive too fast, the discs will ride over the ground instead of penetrating it.
Our Top Pick
The best ATV disc harrow should help you with soil preparation for easier seeding without taking a toll on your ATV’s engine power. That’s why we went for Black Boar ATV/UTV Disc Harrow as our top pick. It comes with adjustable disc angles that allow you to adjust the disking to the desired aggressiveness with respect to the soil conditions. Also, it has notched teeth, and is made of high-quality materials that can withstand plowing in the toughest soil conditions.