Looking for cultivator advice

   / Looking for cultivator advice #1  

tillboy2001

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Sep 7, 2004
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We're trying to find something to attach to a 1950's Ford tractor that sits pretty high off the ground in the middle (3 feet maybe???) but has cultivators on each side to break the ground to the left and right of a row of plants. Someone told me to look for a tobacco cultivator but I don't know. Do you know what I'm talking about? This would be to keep the weeds down in between rows of plants that are already growing up...let's say the plants are a couple feet tall like beans or whatever. Got any links I can look at to see what's available for something like this?
 
   / Looking for cultivator advice #2  
The highest crop clearance I know of in a row crop cultivator will be with something like a Deere "RG" cultivator. They're more commonly found in 4 row, 6 row, 8 row, ect configurations, but can easily be cut down.

Why do you want (need?) any more crop clearance than what you'll have as the crop passes under the tractor? (Usually in the 15" to 18" range under axles and quite a bit less under "belly" of tractor.)
 
   / Looking for cultivator advice #3  
True "row-crop" Fords of that era are very rare. The Ford N's, 600's, etc were primarily of the utility type. These tractors were built around the 3 pt hitch and were limited to 3 pt cultivators which generally give more limited clearance. What you need for higher crop clearance is a mounted type cultivator. Farmall was #1 in that category. A model cub or A tractor would do what you want in single row, or C or H in two row. All of these models were produced in great quantity and can be found easily today in good working condition with cultivators for under $2000. You might find a Ford row crop with mounted cultivators after an exhaustive search but it would cost you many times more than a Farmall because of extreme rarety. I have the smallest Farmall, the cub, and use it every year to cultivate corn that is up to 3 ft high. I also have a 1951 Ford 8n that I have used with a 3 pt cultivator and it was far more limited on how tall of crop that it could be used on.
 
   / Looking for cultivator advice #4  
True "row-crop" Fords of that era are very rare. The Ford N's, 600's, etc were primarily of the utility type. These tractors were built around the 3 pt hitch and were limited to 3 pt cultivators which generally give more limited clearance. What you need for higher crop clearance is a mounted type cultivator. Farmall was #1 in that category. A model cub or A tractor would do what you want in single row, or C or H in two row. All of these models were produced in great quantity and can be found easily today in good working condition with cultivators for under $2000. You might find a Ford row crop with mounted cultivators after an exhaustive search but it would cost you many times more than a Farmall because of extreme rarety. I have the smallest Farmall, the cub, and use it every year to cultivate corn that is up to 3 ft high. I also have a 1951 Ford 8n that I have used with a 3 pt cultivator and it was far more limited on how tall of crop that it could be used on.


This is very good advice. I would only add that cultivator tractors are often set up with the cultivators traveling mostly in the tire tracks or slightly to either side. The cultivators and attaching parts sat low to the gound but the tractor height was sufficient to clear the crop in the center. No cultivator parts were mounted there--only to either side of the wheel assemble.
If you want to make something fit yours look for parts from one of the above tractors and weld/create and invent brackets to fit yours.
 
   / Looking for cultivator advice
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Good point on the tractor height. I was asking this for a relative and didn't even think about the tractor height being a limiting factor. I'll let him know the options - which it looks like are pretty slim for using the same tractor he already has.
 
   / Looking for cultivator advice #6  
How many acres are you cultivating? If you are takling about a garden of 1 acre or less and you don't want to buy another tractor, you could use something like a walk- behind tiller or two wheeled tractor like a Gravely that would easliy go between the rows regardless of the crop height. But on the other hand if you are dealing with a larger area then look for a good working Farmall Super A or 140 with cultivators. I have two of them.
 
   / Looking for cultivator advice
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I talked to him again today and I was totally off track on what he wants. He said he saw this thing that has a couple tines on each side with space in the middle so you can pass over plants in one row that aren't too big yet. He said the one he saw had an engine on it and you could ride it. Sort of like a strange rototiller but not a tiller if you know what I mean. The tines just drag along and break the ground. Do you know what I'm talking about? Sounds like it was something that's not made anymore. They have a tiller already but are looking for something to do a little more and faster work than the tiller just to keep weeds down. Garden size is probably 1/2 acre or so.
 
 
 
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