Bedder/Hiller furrow attachment

[Haywire]

I am wondering why the furrowing attachment on these are forward of the disks. Looks like in the video the disks just cover up any furrow the shovel may try to make. At the end of the video, they stop using them together and raise the disks for a second run with just the furrower down. Seems to me that if they mounted the shovel behind the disks, it could be a one run and done implement.

Ian

 

[Baby Grand]

I think the idea is to shatter the ground in front of the discs so the discs are not smearing the soil to break it loose. If I understand the useage of this implement you want the furrower to break up the soil and the discs to pile it up in a hill. That way you'd get less "plow pan" from the disc shearing/smearing the soil at the lowest point of contact. If I have that all wrong, please straighten me out 'cause I want to build one of these, but I want to know the "why" before I do the "do" and build it.
-Jim

 

[sweettractors]

We have sold around 20 of these in the last week $20 each and the are double spring and some have pretty good points on them. Ken Sweet

 

[Haywire]

I think the idea is to shatter the ground in front of the discs so the discs are not smearing the soil to break it loose. If I understand the useage of this implement you want the furrower to break up the soil and the discs to pile it up in a hill. That way you'd get less "plow pan" from the disc shearing/smearing the soil at the lowest point of contact. If I have that all wrong, please straighten me out 'cause I want to build one of these, but I want to know the "why" before I do the "do" and build it.
-Jim

My thinking is that if you are using the furrower attachment, it's right after tilling so the ground is powder anyway. I could see something like a cultivator shovel ahead of them if you are hilling potatoes, but you'd need two of them out at the edges for that, not running the center where the plants are.

I don't know... I'm learning as I'm going. Have you watched the Everything Attachments video? They explain what the furrower is used for there.

Ian

 

[Baby Grand]

My thinking is that if you are using the furrower attachment, it's right after tilling so the ground is powder anyway. I could see something like a cultivator shovel ahead of them if you are hilling potatoes, but you'd need two of them out at the edges for that, not running the center where the plants are.

I don't know... I'm learning as I'm going. Have you watched the Everything Attachments video? They explain what the furrower is used for there.

Ian

Well I'll be dipped. Just watched the video and I think I overthought this. Seems like the furrower is there just for making a furrow to plant in. Based on that, I'd have to agree, Ian - I'd put the furrower aft of the discs. I suspect the implement maker puts it foreward to use less steel/keep cost competitive. I have also seen these setups with some points/sweeps outboard to break up the tire tracks.

 

[jimgerken]

After watching the video I am left wanting the attachment to have the furrower BOTH in front of the hiller discs and behind them (two furrowers). Ted solves the problem with a second pass with the hiller discs raised. But then he points out that Peanut got off the track a bit. If the furrower was mounted behind the hillers you would get what you wanted in the first pass.

 

[Foodplot]

I built mine from an old cultivator, a couple of discs, and a couple of bearings. I tried the cultivator tine that I use for a furrower on front and back, only back worked. HOWEVER, I've since removed it and replaced it with a rolling section of drain pipe filled with concrete to compact soil on the hill a bit. I don't plant everything in furrows, and find the compression more useful on a single pass. A planter or hoe makes quick work of a furrow, and your depth is easier to control.

 

[Ford850]

I built mine from an old cultivator, a couple of discs, and a couple of bearings. I tried the cultivator tine that I use for a furrower on front and back, only back worked. HOWEVER, I've since removed it and replaced it with a rolling section of drain pipe filled with concrete to compact soil on the hill a bit. I don't plant everything in furrows, and find the compression more useful on a single pass. A planter or hoe makes quick work of a furrow, and your depth is easier to control.

I like the idea of the rolling pipe. You could add a piece of soft copper pipe wrapped around the center of that roller to create a perfectly centered planting line impression. It would be small enough to drop seeds into it, or just as a line to set plants.

 

[Foodplot]

Thanks, Ford850. Makes sense--I hadn't thought of putting a circumferential ridge on my roller. I'll try that. I have to rehill part of the garden anyway. We had 2" of rain in a couple of hours this week, so I have a couple of washouts.

 

[Haywire]

Could you post some pics of the roller setup and what the hill looks like afterward?

thanks,
Ian