disk bedder

[sweettractors]

Jim, I'd love to see a picture of your hiller mounted on your cultivator. I put mine on my cultivator and left a middle sweep to lay out a planting furrow on top of the bed. The shafts on the hillers from AgriSupply were just a bit smaller than my sweeps, so I had to shim around them so the cultivator feet would tighten down. My hillers and a photo of my bedded garden are below.

Is it just me, or is the use of disc hillers like these a relatively new thing? As kids we planted acres and acres of vegetable crops in furrowed rows, but the only hills were ones we built by hand to plant melons, squash, cucumbers, etc. I have so many implements now that I would have killed for as a kid. We wore out a one-way plow and now my tiller does a similar job much quicker and far better. We had that one-way, a cultivator, a 2-bottom plow, a dirt scoop, and spike and tooth harrows. In those days the only mowers I saw powered by the PTO were sickle-bar mowers. I don't recall seeing rotary cutters until the late 50's or 60's. I bet I could ask Ken Sweet and he'd know when they were first used.

Row Hillers are still not used in Ky. We lay off our rows with a wide point or a middle buster 1-2-3 rows at a time. They are used a lot in the south and on the East coast states. I never knew why. We do sell the Keluvator with 16 inch discs for $495. My Grandad had the first Bush Hog in Hart County in 1958 and I was told to cut anything I could ride over with the 70 HP Case tractor. And I did. He mounted a 6 inch well casing across the front of the tractor (Tire to Tire) I would ride a lot of saplings down that were 6 inches in diameter and mulched them. Direct drive from the 6 ft Brush Hog to the tractor (no slip clutch and no shearpin) Ken Sweet

 

[farmerjim]

i have that bedder/hiller from stevens. i love that attachment for hilling taters and making my raised beds b4 laying my plastic mulch, wish i had the $$ for a plastic mulch layer but someday maybe. the only thing that i didn't like is the fact that after making the bed or hilling you will have compacted soil from the tires, which can be easily fixed by also getting 2 cultivator shanks and mount them to follow the spacing of the tires. i just bought the hiller 1st, but i plan to order the 2 cultivators this spring. overall its a great tool and nicely built, the hd model has the sealed bearings. plus its easily adjustable w/ only 1 adjustable wrench and 1 socket.

 

[sweettractors]

$20 each. Good used double springs with shank. Ken Sweet

 

[jwillett]

Jim, I'd love to see a picture of your hiller mounted on your cultivator.

I usually take pictures of everything I do like this but was just too busy last weekend (Turkey season came in). I will get some pictures this weekend when I head back to the farm. I am building a better frame to mount the disc on and also plan on making it a full blown bedder, got the material lying around and like messing with this stuff. Looking at making a bed 6" to 8" high and 10" to 12" wide but it will be fully adjustable.

 

[jwillett]

Here are pictures of what I am using for now, building a new frame for the disc. It will also be able to make squared off beds when I get to that part of the build, it just takes time and the right scrap steel to show up.

Got more rain and it was still very wet but I have to go for it when I am down at the farm.

More pictures: MF 1532 pictures by jwillettgn - Photobucket

 

[jinman]

Very nice! Jim, that cultivator looks like it has been around a long time. I was showing mine to my grandson yesterday and told him it was older than me. Yours looks to be a similar age, but a slightly different style with springs on the chisel plows. Mine is a Dearborn/Ford cultivator made in the mid-40s. They are still great implements.

Your beds look very familiar. After planting, I run a soaker hose right down the top middle of mine and the water soaks in very rapidly from all that loose soil. We are in drought here, but our garden is happy and green because my wife waters as needed.:thumbsup: