Farm country — plow discs...

[Zeke]

By now I'm sure many have heard of the 'cowboy wok' also known by other names. Very popular in the urban areas and since the popularity, what once was a farmer's scrap is now farmer's gold.

However, I have driven across this great land and I can't imagine the supply of used discs is hardly scarce. It's the logistics, they are large and heavy, so shipping is not helping areas like greater Los Angeles which is miles from productive farm land. Which is over-shopped anyway for all things "Steampunk." YMMV on that one.

I think a few gathered up and secured with a large bolt would be fair game for Greyhound as they don't have much in the way of packaging rules. If they can lift it and put it in the baggage compartment, they'll ship it. BTW, they are faster than any other shipping service short of air and quite reasonable. Perfect for bicycles and even a smaller motor cycle broken down a bit. I'm getting off track but all the large body parts and even a 901 tranny that I bought or sold all went by the dog. The tranny reached VT from CA in a little over 2 days!

Back to discs — anyone care to source a few, no more than 80 lbs total, and ship them? OK, so what is best are larger ones and they are harder to find because, IIRC, they can be used on a smaller plow when they get less in diameter. I guess they also get somewhat thin at the rim and become fragile. Nothing like a couple of broken discs out in the middle of the field. And cracked ones can be welded up good enough for the wok.

Looking for minimum of 20" discs in any shape if you can find them w/o too much trouble. If so, PM me and we can work out some details. I still have a few interesting parts I could offer up, especially factory workshop manuals and other literature plus posters. Would cover shipping with cash. This could be an ongoing thing and real money can be involved.

A LARGE broken disc is still worth it.

TIA, gentlemen. PS, youz locals can hit me up for a wok if this goes down.

[wdfifteen]

I can't help from here in Ohio. You won't find many east of the Mississippi. Disc plows that large were used mainly in the plains of the US and Canada. I think they were also used in some areas of California. I remember seeing them abandoned along wheat fields in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

[Seahawk]

I'll ask around...20" is large for this area but I'll see what I can do.

[flipper35]

They used to have disc/harrows here on just about every farm, but a lot have gone to chisel plows instead. My guess is that they turn over a lot more soil than a disc or harrow. New 20" are like $18. Don't know what 26 or 30 inch would cost. Not much more I would guess. So I would venture that at a farm auction you are looking at $35-$40 for used ones.

Do you fill the hole or just let the oil drain out there when used as a wok?

[drkshdw]

You rarely find them here in corn country too. By the time they change them out they are well beyond used. Ground down, rusted to all get out, usually have big chunks missing from the edges and are pretty well bent up.

You'll spend more money in time fixing up used ones than you will just buying new since they are less than $20. Then again, a new 22" discada is only $33 so not sure it's even worth investing in making them from used discs unless you have a ton of them laying around rusting away.

[Zeke]

No hole, used like a combination of a flat top and regular wok. It's not a stir fry but you can sautι some mushroom and onion in your favorite concoction using the shallow bowl shape and then turn around and grill your seafood, chicken or steak with the bowl dry.

I've seen the new ones they sell and the larger ones do get pricey but shipping from a farm supply is way too expensive.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by flipper35

They used to have disc/harrows here on just about every farm, but a lot have gone to chisel plows instead. My guess is that they turn over a lot more soil than a disc or harrow.

A disc harrow and a disc plow are two different things. The disc on the plow is much thicker and has a deeper dish to it. It’s probably what he’s looking for. A 30 foot disc harrow with 20 inch blades is one big ass piece of machinery with dozens of disc/blades. A disc plow with 20 inch discs would be a small one - maybe 6 or 10 feet wide and disc/blades every 16 or 20 inches.

[mattdavis11]

Can you tell me what you might want here? There's farming equipment everywhere in my area. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/disc

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

Can you tell me what you might want here? There's farming equipment everywhere in my area. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/disc

Any one of these that are used and at least 18" in dia.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/disc-blade-22-x-7g-40mm-smooth-edge-axle-size-1-1-8-in-x-1-1-4-in-square?cm_vc=-10005

[serene911]

That tractor supply place is just 20 minutes from where I live.

[wdfifteen]

If you are out scouting fence lines look for something like this combined plow/seeder. They have large diameter blades with a deeper dish than disc harrow blades ( 4 to 6 inches). These 10 foot models were for 100 hp tractors - way to small for the scale of modern farming. They sell for the price of scrap these days.

[unclebilly]

What are they worth? I know of a few in the back 40...

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

What are they worth? I know of a few in the back 40...

What is your local scrap iron dealer offering? That's about what they're worth, maybe more if there are any small scale farmers left.

[rusnak]

Milt:

You are looking for "Disc blades". Don't use the word "plow" or people will think you're looking for a furrow.

The term "Disc" refers to the entire farm implement (see pic). You want just the blades.

Farmers are busy people, so keep it short and to the point. I would target the Central San Joaquin Valley, a few hundred miles north of L.A.

There are tons of them around. Here in Fresno, there are thousands and thousands of them. You can try calling used tractor equipment dealers. They will charge more, but you will get them quicker. I can store them until there are enough for you to come pick them up in a truck.

I think you will find even more, and larger disc blades in Monterey county, near San Juan Bautista, Salinas, etc. They grow row crops there and use huge discs pulled with cab tractors and caterpillars. Growers such as Tanimura and Antle, Top Flavor Farms, etc would provide you with a lifetime supply. Same as growers near Tracy, Stockton, and Manteca. You can try calling PCAs (Pest Control Advisors) to find used discs also. I would probably say you'd pay $5 cash for each blade, and a $5 fee for the guy who finds them. You'll pay probably $10 shipping each, so it's worth coming to pick them up in person. They are VERY VERY HEAVY. The weight of the disc comes from the blades.

You might get lucky calling Domries in Fresno and Madera. They manufacture discs. Or Meyers Ward Tractor in Riverdale, CA. Or Kuckenbecker Tractor in Fresno and Madera.

Hope this helps.

[rusnak]

Gratuitous tractor pic:

[porsche4life]

They are all over the place in OK. Get used for yard art or target practice quite regularly. I can ask around some of my friends that still farm, but not sure how we’d work out the logistics with me on Az now.

[ckelly78z]

I didn't realize the unused, rusting disc in my back field is now "SteamPunk" LOL !

It's built for a small tractor/large ATV, so the discs are small.

[Zeke]

rusnak, thank you for the info.

[craigster59]

Milt, is this along the lines of what you're doing?

https://www.southwestdisk.com/

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

A disc harrow and a disc plow are two different things. The disc on the plow is much thicker and has a deeper dish to it. It’s probably what he’s looking for. A 30 foot disc harrow with 20 inch blades is one big ass piece of machinery with dozens of disc/blades. A disc plow with 20 inch discs would be a small one - maybe 6 or 10 feet wide and disc/blades every 16 or 20 inches.

Yes, I know a disc and harrow are slightly different and I was mentioning what they use here. Harrows have serrated blades where a disc does not for one, but in the grand scheme they are similar implements. We never use the word plow with them either.

On a side note, I thought they all had holes for the spindle/axle.