Harvest is here, and it’s time to shift focus toward fall tillage. Your focus may be on this year’s harvest, but how you manage residue, weeds, moisture, and soil structure now lays the foundation for next year’s crop. As you evaluate your equipment needs, changing discs on your KELLY Diamond Harrow can adjust to different tillage objectives. Here’s why upgrading your disc chains, rather than replacing your whole setup, might be the smartest fall decision you’ll make.

Why Discs Matter More Than Power

Machines get the glory—big horsepower, big width, big investment. But for the KELLY Diamond Harrow, discs do the real work in shallow tillage. They control residue breakdown, weed seed exposure, seedbed smoothness, and soil moisture—all essential to strong crop starts. Using some types of tillage equipment can leave you fighting issues like erosion, compaction, uneven seedbeds, or weed problems.

With KELLY Tillage Disc Chains made specifically with fall tillage in mind, you can manage residue while keeping soil disturbance shallow. That means less fuel, less wear, and better soil health. The K4 and K4 Notched Disc Chains have proven effective for many farmers.

“The K4 discs with weights on the front and CL1s on the rear is a one-pass tool,” says Toby Spear, Miller, Mo. “I’d run the K4 on every pass – fall and spring.”

What the Right Disc Chains Can Do

Here are some of the specific benefits of choosing new or upgrading your KELLY Disc Chains over investing in an entirely new machine:

·       Residue Management: A quality chain can cut and size residue effectively, helping it decompose faster. Protect topsoil, reduce erosion, and maintain ground cover while exposing residue to microbes in one pass through the field.

·       Weed Control: Discs can uproot established weeds so that they die off.

·       Moisture Conservation: By working shallow and leaving a protective mulch layer, you manage to retain moisture and prevent the soil from drying out or crusting over.

·       Seedbed Preparation: The ideal seedbed is even, smooth, and well-prepared. Choosing new or upgrading disc chains help level the soil, eliminate clods, and create a more uniform surface so planters, drills, or air seeders perform more consistently come next season.

Choosing the Right Discs for Fall

If you’re making upgrades this fall, consider the following when selecting disc chains:

·       Type of Disc Chain – match soil conditions, operation, and residue type.

·       Spacing & Depth – Shallow tillage does big things. It avoids deep disruption while still lifting weed seeds and residue. Keeping the working depth shallow helps preserve soil structure.

·       Disc Condition and Material – Sharp, well-maintained discs cut better. Notched or smooth, weight and strength matter for cutting through tough residue. Heavier-duty chains can handle high-residue conditions.

·       Integrate Cover Crops – If you’re using cover crops (or plan to), you can use disc chains to both terminate and mulch them, returning organic matter to the soil. Some KELLY models interface with air-seeding units, so you can do seeding and residue management in one pass, which reduces fuel, labor and machine hours.

When and How to Apply Upgrades

Fall tillage timing can depend on your operation, but when upgrading your KELLY Tillage Disc Chains, consider:

·       Timing: After harvest and before ground freezes—or just before moisture becomes limiting—is your window. Doing tillage now gives residue time to break down and weeds time to germinate (so you can get control before planting).

·       Test and Adjust: Try a new disc chain on a small section first. Monitor how it handles residue, weeds, and moisture.

·       Maintenance: Clean, inspect, and sharpen or replace disc blades as needed. Even the best disc chain loses effectiveness if blades are dull, broken, or misaligned.

Bottom Line

You don’t always need bigger tractors or new machines to improve your fall tillage. Dedicating effort—and modest investment—to the right disc chains can deliver many of the gains: better residue management, weed control, moisture conservation, a smoother seedbed, and fewer passes.

Upgrade your discs, not your machine—and let your fall tillage set you up for success next season. Contact your dealer today to learn more about disc chain options.