What is Ripper and Subsoiler? Its advantages and disadvantages

08 Aug, 2022

Ripper is a highly efficient agricultural tool or implement that is used to loosen or aerate the soil.

When organic matter is on top of the soil's leaves, it gets utilized. In addition, it can remove weed roots that are buried beneath the earth. It is capable of numerous actions, including ripping, digging, and tearing

 

What is a Ripper?

A Ripper tractor is the perfect tool for applying tillage. By breaking up the earth's dense layers, the ripper tines create suitable soil conditions with minimal force. A fantastic operating component of a ripper, the tooth has interchangeable tips and a protective covering that resists wear. Modern rippers have hydraulic drives that raise and lower the teeth, alter the ripping angle of the tooth tip, alter the spacing of the teeth, and regulate the mechanism that positions the arms. 

In deep sandy soils where roots must spread wide to reach moisture in the subsoil, deep ripping is most successful. When utilized to penetrate a compacted pan or another distinct restricting layer, ripping is especially advantageous because it gives roots access to the unrestricted soil water underneath the layer.

It is frequently believed to be less trustworthy to deeply rip heavier textured soils, such as sandy clay loams, loams, and even sodic clays. Although the benefits of ripping on various soil types can frequently be fleeting in subsequent years, more recent research has demonstrated that the yield responses to deep ripping can be considered in the year the soil is ripped. The ripper's design determines how much mixing occurs. 

The risk of haying off when soil water reserves are low and the end of the season is dry is one of the biggest possible drawbacks of deep ripping. The ripping can sometimes result in faster water use and more vegetative biomass than is necessary for grain filling, which can lead to haying off and lower yields.

 

Advantages of Ripper

• The operating width, angle, and depth of ripping can all be adjusted remotely with a ripper machine. 
• When used with push tractors, some rippers lower the peak dynamic loads that are transferred to the attachments and price movers by absorbing shock. 
• Compaction's negative consequences are lessened. 
• For fracturing larger lumps, a tractor ripper is ideal. 
• It can reach a depth of up to 40 cm and is safe for users.

 

Subsoiler

A subsoiler is a tractor attachment used for deep tillage, soil breaking, and soil loosening. It is an agricultural tool that is mounted on a tractor and digs far deeper than a mouldboard plow, a disc harrow, or rotary tillers. 

The yield and, ultimately, your bottom line are impacted by subsoiling because it results in soil that is more nutrient and mineral-rich. Even healthy soil might become too tight and dry for water to pass through, therefore subsoiling can be advantageous.

In India, tractor subsoilers are a common farming tool that promotes healthy soil. It has all the characteristics that most closely resemble agriculture equipment used in India. The farming tool can be used for tillage and land preparation.

 

Advantages of subsoiling

1. Better drainage capacity

Aerated soil also has considerably better groundwater drainage, which lessens and completely gets rid of ponding and surface water on your fields. Reduced runoff also has the advantage of allowing water and any nutrients that promote growth to "soak" into the soil.

 

2. Sub soiling leads to better absorption of fertilizer

Fertilizer is wasted in soils that are less permeable or compacted. This is because the fertilizer cannot be absorbed into the soil; instead, it merely evaporates or washes off the surface. 

The fertilizer rapidly penetrates the ground and is absorbed by the roots once the soil is porous and aerated.

 

3. Increases pastures growth

To promote the growth of the pasture, farmers end up aerating and subsoiling paddocks. It has been demonstrated that aerating and subsoiling can enhance pasture growth by 22%.

 

Disadvantages

1. It decays the layer of soil

The soil is lifted and made more erosive by subsoiling. The organic matter on top, both alive and decaying, aids in preserving the topsoil, which is rich in nutrients and important. 

However, when you subsoil, everything gets uprooted and the organic matter is mixed together. This results in the best soil being washed away by torrential rains or blown away by strong winds.

 

2. Dry’s the soil out

Many races to get the soil tilled so it can dry out in the late winter or early spring. The soil life and microbes are also killed by this drying out. Instead, farmers typically succeed in improving drainage after establishing no-till-raised farms.

 

Difference between ripper and subsoiler

Here is a tabular representation of the difference between Ripper and Subsoiler.

Ripper	Subsoiler
The working depth of the ripper ranges from 35 to 45 cm (14 – 18 in Deep)	The working depth of the subsoiler is around 60 cm which is (24 in deep)
Helps in ripping the soil	Helps in loosening the soil.
Here there is presence of rocky areas hence soil is not compact.	Soil is compact here.
Used in tilling	Used in tillage and land preparation
Fieldking is the top brand for a Ripper	Lemken, Mahindra, Fieldking are top brands for Subsoiler.