I bought an old cultipacker.....

[warhammer]

I made a pass over the acreage I disced to break up the large clods and firm up the seedbed before seeding Bermuda.
Seems like there is too much side to side play for the wheels and they clatter a fair bit pulling even at very low speed.
There are three bushing/shims on the end of each side of the axle with a bearing in the middle. If you push all the wheels to the inside there is about an inch of play on each side.
Any one have any idea about how much side gap the wheels should have on the axle?

Warhammer

 

[Conn]

I have an older McCormick-Dearing double roller cultipacker and it's the same way. My bearings in the ends are shot and let even the shaft walk back and forth a good 2" or so.

I was going to rebuild it soon using pillow block bearings, since I also have a disc that's split in half on the front roller that needs to be removed anyway.

I put a couple of hose clamps on both ends after using a pry bar to shove the discs together and it seems to work a little better.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Warhammer that sounds normal. New i think they had space but since these things are older than anyone alive who knows.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Maybe you could add a couple of more wheels to tighten it up

 

[gwdixon]

Mine wobbles also. It seems to be in the design.

Mine had wood bearinga - apparently walnut according to the lumber supply place. One was split into several pieces but the way it was framed the pieces still acted as a bearing.

The wood bearings were replaced simply with a pipe inside a slightly larger pipe and heavily greased each use. A Zerk fitting was put on the pipe. Seems to work.

 

[warhammer]

Good idea on the clamps. I measured the slack and had decided milling a steel block to take up the slack was the way to go. That would take things from a repair to a project and I need to use the cultipacker in the next week or two to roll out some acres of Bermuda seed.

I have an older McCormick-Dearing double roller cultipacker and it's the same way. My bearings in the ends are shot and let even the shaft walk back and forth a good 2" or so.

I was going to rebuild it soon using pillow block bearings, since I also have a disc that's split in half on the front roller that needs to be removed anyway.

I put a couple of hose clamps on both ends after using a pry bar to shove the discs together and it seems to work a little better.

 

[warhammer]

Mine has 20mm of play on one side and 35mm on the other. I am thinking a little side to side is there by design or it would bind up. Those wheels are loud when they clatter against each other!

Warhammer that sounds normal. New i think they had space but since these things are older than anyone alive who knows.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Based on using an old worn out one I would say Grease IT and Go.

You get it all tight and then hit something hard you will get to brush up on your cast iron welding skills.

These new look like they are missing one roller is my take. Rebuild the boxing when you have time for non productive activities and pull it at less than 20 MPH in the mean time.

6 MPH is the speed we used a worn out one that I think we must to have used over 500 acres over time. I could hear Dad a half mile away coming down the shoulder of the road.

 

[dcyrilc]

I hate to sound dumb here, but since there is no such thing as a dumb question...here goes.

What is the purpose and use of a cultipacker?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What is the purpose and use of a cultipacker?

In harder soils, after disking, it's used to break up clods.
In softer soils, it's used to compress the soil to firm it up.
They can also be used after seeding small seeds to firmly press them into contact with the soil.

The finish leaves grooves in the surface that help prevent runoff and erosion