Aiming to address the shortage of agricultural machinery in the cotton cultivation and sowing mode of wheat in the Yangtze River basin, a combined operation mode integrating rotary tillage, stubble removal, ridge formation and precision sowing was proposed, and a ridge forming device ( which mainly included boat-type side plate, contour-mimicking ridge plate, contour-mimicking ridge plate connecting mechanism and shaping roller) was designed. Firstly, the mechanical parameters of wheat stubble, soil and rotary tiller were tested in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, and the discrete element simulation model was established. Secondly, based on the throwing situation of rotary tiller in the discrete element simulation, the boat-type ridge side plate and the contour ridge plate were designed respectively to reduce the wear between soil and components. The discrete element method (DEM) with multi-body dynamics (MBD) coupling simulation was employed to validate the designed ridge-forming device. A wear life calculation method was also proposed. The coupling simulation results demonstrated that the minimum service life of the boat-type ridge-forming side plate was 2 577.8 h, with a ridge-forming stability coefficient of 98.4%. Field tests confirmed the wear patterns matched the simulation results, showing a minimum service life of 2 430 h (5. 7% deviation from simulation) and a stability coefficient of 92. 26% (6.2% deviation from simulation). Ultimately, the field emergence results met the agronomie requirements for direct cotton seeding after wheat harvest in the Yangtze River Basin. The methodology developed thereby can provide a theoretical framework and practical reference for the design and optimization of ridge-forming devices and their soil-engaging components.