Dealers 
Sales portal Subsoiling is the practice of fracturing compacted soil layers below the normal tillage depth without inverting or mixing the soil profile. Unlike plowing, it breaks up the hardpan and lifts the ground, then leaves residue and topsoil largely where they were.
Why compaction layers cost Prairie producers
On heavy clay soils across the Black and Dark Brown zones, repeated wheel traffic from heavy equipment builds a dense layer well below the surface. Roots hit that layer and spread sideways instead of driving down. In a dry July, a canola or wheat crop with a shallow root system runs out of moisture faster than the same crop in an open profile. Soil compaction is quiet damage that compounds over several seasons.
When and how producers address it
Most producers subsoil in the fall after harvest, when the soil is dry enough to fracture rather than smear. Smearing compacts the walls of the shank slot and defeats the purpose. A penetrometer or soil pit locates the hardpan, then the operator sets the shanks to cut just below that zone. Because the soil is fractured rather than flipped, surface residue stays in place through the winter, which holds snow and keeps spring moisture in the ground. This approach fits squarely under conservation tillage principles. Subsoiling is generally a corrective pass, not an annual one. Once the layer is broken, a rotation that includes primary tillage at varying depths, along with deep-rooted crops, can keep the profile open for several years. Setting shank depth correctly matters: shanks should cut just below the hardpan, not well into the subsoil, so the trip release does its job on rocks without pulling shanks out of the target zone.
Equipment that fits the job
The Mandako Chisel Flex is built for this work. It runs HD shanks on 12″ spacing, and each shank carries an 800 lbs trip release so a rock lifts one shank while the rest stay in the ground. The flex frame keeps wing-tip shanks cutting the same depth as those behind the hitch on rolling Prairie ground. Residue stays on top, not buried, which is the whole point of subsoiling over full inversion tillage. Run a penetrometer check the following spring to confirm the layer is fully broken before deciding whether a second pass is needed.
