Which Should I Buy: a Disc Plough or a Moldboard Plough?

Que dois-je acheter : une charrue à disques ou une charrue à versoirs ?

01.11.2026

Differences Between Disc Ploughs and Moldboard Plough

1. Structure and How They Work

What to Compare	Disc Plough	Moldboard Plough
Main Parts	Uses a disc plough body – the disc is concave and spins on a vertical axis.	Uses a moldboard (triangular plough body) – the moldboard doesn’t spin.
How They Work on Soil	The disc spins into the soil, breaks up clods with centrifugal force, and cuts through weeds and roots.	The moldboard cuts into the soil, then uses its curved surface to lift, flip, and break up the soil.
Power Source	Some driven disc ploughs need the tractor’s power take-off shaft to spin the disc (like the 1LYQ series), while mounted ones just need tractor pulling.	Just needs tractor pulling – the plough body cuts into the soil as the tractor moves forward.

2. Soils They Work Best In and Where to Use Them

What to Compare	Disc Plough	Moldboard Plough
Best Soil Types	Great for sticky, hard, stony, or weedy soils (like wasteland).Cuts through shrub roots well to prevent tangling.	Better for loose or moderately sticky cultivated land (like already ploughed fields).Gets stuck in gravelly soil, so not good for stony areas.
Typical Jobs	Reclaiming wasteland, deep ploughing virgin soil, dealing with weedy plots.Deep ploughing in paddy fields or dry land (driven disc ploughs work well in paddy fields).	Normal field ploughing, breaking up soil, and preparing land, especially for handling crop stubble (like wheat or rice stubble).
How They Avoid Clogging	The spinning disc keeps weeds and straw from tangling – good for fields with tall crop residues (like corn stalks).	The moldboard can get tangled by straw and vines, so you need to use a straw crusher with it.

3. How They Work and What They Do

What to Compare	Disc Plough	Moldboard Plough
Ploughing Depth and Soil Breaking	Can plough 20-30 cm deep, breaks soil well into loose, even clods, but doesn’t flip soil much.	Usually ploughs 15-25 cm deep, flips soil well – turns topsoil to the bottom, which helps with pest control and mixing in organic fertilizer.
How Much They Resist	The spinning disc reduces resistance, so it works with lower-horsepower tractors and uses less fuel.	The moldboard has more friction with the soil, so it needs a higher-horsepower tractor and uses more power.
How Flat the Ground Is After	Leaves the ground pretty flat, good for sowing after, but the soil isn’t as loose as with a moldboard plough.	Can leave soil clods after flipping, so you need to harrow the land to level it.

4. Other Differences

Maintenance Cost: You can flip the disc on a disc plough when it wears out or replace it – easier to maintain. Moldboard plough blades wear out faster from hard soil, so you need to replace them more often.
Price: Disc ploughs are more complex (especially driven ones), so they usually cost more than regular moldboard ploughs.

5. Which to Choose

Choose a disc plough if: Your land is wasteland, stony/weedy, or sticky, or you need to cut through vegetation well.
Choose a moldboard plough if: Your land is already cultivated, you need strong soil flipping (like covering weeds or mixing fertilizer), or you want a cheaper option.

Note: In real life, you can use them together – plough deep with a disc plough first, then flip the soil with a moldboard plough to get better results.

If you have any questions about ploughing, feel free to contact us! Our company makes tractors of all horsepower and walking tractors, plus matching farm tools. If you’re in South Africa, we can ship tractors to Johannesburg or offer door-to-door delivery! Chinese tractors are really affordable and high-quality!