Cultipacker (Ever add weight) ????

[pharmvet]

I just purchased this 12 ft single row cultipacker. I used it for the first time and really liked how it performed, except that it did not cover the tractor tracks. It seems that if it were heavier it would do a better job of covering the tire tracks. I was thinking about adding a couple of rail road irons to the top of this cultipacker. Would this be beneficial? Would it ruin the bearings / bow the axle? Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. thanks

[ericher69]

Add the weight say up to 500lbs and see if it helps then move up in 100lbs increments if needed

[sixdogs]

Weight is a lesser part of the problem. If you had a "cultimulcher" --search my prior posts or the net---you would do better. That tool has two packers with cultivators in the middle. The cultivators take out the tracks and the second packer does it's job. Trouble is,they aren't cheap, are awkard to store and limited use for a hobbyist.

Plan "B" for you would be to start with harder ground OR to pack multiple times at slight angles to the first pass. Just a few degrees off, not a 45 degree angle under any circumstances. You could maybe add some weight to the packer but I don't think that's the total issue. The primary issue would be the ground is too soft relative to the weight of the tractor. Secondary is just one packing makes the tracks harder to hide.
You could also pack it once, drag it with something smoother like a chain harrow and then pack again but not in the same tracks. I'll bet that would work.

Here's some very soft ground I did this morning and the cultimulcher I used. (Having trouble with photos--stay tuned) For some reason my photos won't post and I may not fix it until later.

[HCJtractor]

I doubt if more weight will help much. Besides, it's mostly esthetics anyway. What you have rolled should be great with or without tracks

[sixdogs]

Here are the pics from my earlier post showing what I packed this morning and how it looked.

You have a very nice packer so maybe just fool around with combinations till you get the right one. I'm thinking don't get the soil so fluffy and then maybe pack and drag and then pack again. Maybe a little rain in-between would help as well. Good luck, it will work out. Maybe even add a little weight. These are really great tools.

[sweettractors]

Don't worry about the tractor tracks. That soil is cultipacked by the tractor tires and when the seed germinate, I doubt you see any difference at all. Ken Sweet