A disc harrow is a farm implement that is used to cultivate the soil where crops are to be planted. It is also used to chop up unwanted weeds or crop remainders. It consists of many iron or steel discs which have slight concavity and are arranged into two or four sections. When viewed from above, the four sections would appear to form an "X" which has been flattened to be wider than it is tall. The discs are also offset so that they are not parallel with the overall direction of the implement. This is so they slice the ground they cut over a little bit to optimize the result. The concavity of the discs as well as their being offset causes them to loosen and pick up the soil they cut.
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In the olden days, disc harrows typically consisted of two sections and which were horse-drawn and had no hydraulic functionality. These harrows were often adjustable so that the discs angle would not be offset so that they could be transported without ripping up the ground as much and so they did not pull as hard.
Modern disc harrows are tractor-driven and are raised hydraulically. Some large ones even have side sections which raise up vertically to allow easier road transport or better storage configurations.
Disc harrows are primarily used to chop up soil that has been recently plowed to eliminate clumps and loosen the soil if it has been packed. They are also used to chop up old crops, such as cornstalks, to make the land easier to plow and to eliminate clogging in the plowing process.
An offset disc has two rows of discs that are in a line and angled to make a "V" instead of an "X". An offset disc harrow digs deeper in the soil and has larger, often serrated discs and is often referred to as a disc plow.
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