What implement for creating furrows?

[Fallon]

I've got a potential job to till up a 3/4 acre field. That's easy enough. Hit it with the subsoiler (or scarfiers on the box blade, land plane or possibly my new T3 arena rake) then go at it with the tiller. Done it a number of times for my own pasture/field as well as putting in some horse arenas for others even in the hard Colorado ground. As long as the nearly worn out tiller tines don't finally fail that's easy enough.

The problem is they also need some furrows created for the lavender they want to plant. Hills 1-2' wide, 4-5" deep & spaced 3-6' apart. I've been perusing Craigslist for anything 3 point & seen a few things vaguely close, but are to big for my machine and/or are more likely to be a cultivator that won't bed things up as much as desired. I don't have the time or energy to build anything custom for the job. I haven't ever had anybody request furrows in the 7 odd years I've been doing tractor stuff, so this is likely to be close to a 1 use implement. 40hp pushing 6k lbs Kubota L4060, so probably need something more than a cat 0 or lawn tractor solution as those that would get pretzeled quick even in tilled ground.

Thoughts:

• A bedder like https://www.palletforks.com/tractor...-1-3-point-quick-hitch-compatible/191363.html is probably what I'm looking for, although that one is about 12" smaller than my track. At $700 or whatever with shipping, that probably exceeds my budget for a one time use tool or what the client would pay if I had to pass most of the cost onto them. Not sure anybody around would have one to rent, although I'll look.
• I've got a good 3pt back blade, but I don't think that's too likely to get the desired results. Anybody done anything like this with a back blade tilted & angled heavily? If so I could always just bid the furrowing separately & not charge him for that part if I can't make the back blade work
• A middle buster or potato plow would be cheap, but not sure if it would get quite what they are looking for
• Would a 3pt 2 or 3 bottom plow be likely to work? I can probably find one around cheap enough to make the job worth it
• I've seem some ditchers around, but none close & not sure if they are going to be to big for my machine or give reasonable results for the desired usage.

 

[jyoutz]

I've got a potential job to till up a 3/4 acre field. That's easy enough. Hit it with the subsoiler (or scarfiers on the box blade, land plane or possibly my new T3 arena rake) then go at it with the tiller. Done it a number of times for my own pasture/field as well as putting in some horse arenas for others even in the hard Colorado ground. As long as the nearly worn out tiller tines don't finally fail that's easy enough.

The problem is they also need some furrows created for the lavender they want to plant. Hills 1-2' wide, 4-5" deep & spaced 3-6' apart. I've been perusing Craigslist for anything 3 point & seen a few things vaguely close, but are to big for my machine and/or are more likely to be a cultivator that won't bed things up as much as desired. I don't have the time or energy to build anything custom for the job. I haven't ever had anybody request furrows in the 7 odd years I've been doing tractor stuff, so this is likely to be close to a 1 use implement. 40hp pushing 6k lbs Kubota L4060, so probably need something more than a cat 0 or lawn tractor solution as those that would get pretzeled quick even in tilled ground.

Thoughts:

• A bedder like https://www.palletforks.com/tractor...-1-3-point-quick-hitch-compatible/191363.html is probably what I'm looking for, although that one is about 12" smaller than my track. At $700 or whatever with shipping, that probably exceeds my budget for a one time use tool or what the client would pay if I had to pass most of the cost onto them. Not sure anybody around would have one to rent, although I'll look.
• I've got a good 3pt back blade, but I don't think that's too likely to get the desired results. Anybody done anything like this with a back blade tilted & angled heavily? If so I could always just bid the furrowing separately & not charge him for that part if I can't make the back blade work
• A middle buster or potato plow would be cheap, but not sure if it would get quite what they are looking for
• Would a 3pt 2 or 3 bottom plow be likely to work? I can probably find one around cheap enough to make the job worth it
• I've seem some ditchers around, but none close & not sure if they are going to be to big for my machine or give reasonable results for the desired usage.

I think the middle buster is the best option.

 

[jeff9366]

They also need furrows created for the lavender they want to plant. Hills 1-2' wide, 4-5" deep & spaced 3-6' apart.

Two comparable choices:

Item No. 191363

60" ADJUSTABLE DISC BEDDER, CATEGORY 1, 3 POINT QUICK HITCH COMPATIBLE​

Tractor 3 Point Hitch Garden Bedder 59'' GB60

GB60 Tractor Garden Bedder 14' Discs category 1, 3 point clevis Quick hitch i-Match compatible 14' discs Sealed Ball Bearings,Tool Bar is 59' Free Shippping

www.everythingattachments.com

 

[joecoin]

Her you will find some hillers and ridgers designed for two wheel tractors. However, they also sell (same page) a cat 1 adapter.

Tool Bar/Cultivators - Earth Tools

Clamp-on shanks with standard reversible 1½” wide chisels, adjustable angle and two adjustable depth wheels

www.earthtools.com

Or maybe this one:

Mini-Bedshaper - Earth Tools

Shank-mounted disk hillers on 45” frame, superior to furrowers & ridgers for “throwing” up soil to make a raised bed

www.earthtools.com

 

[Gee Ray]

This would not require to much to make your tiller into the bedder.

 

[jyoutz]

This would not require to much to make your tiller into the bedder.

Interesting

 

[oldballs]

Based on my attachments and experience, I try a 12 inch single moldboard plow.

Cheers
Mike

 

[LD1]

Furrows or hills?

Either way, do you have a 3PH disc? A 6 or 7' disc. We do it all the time in the garden for sweet potato hills....and I actually use the same method filling in the dead furrow when plowing the field.

Set the rear gang as aggressive as you can. Lengthen the toplink all the way to let the rear gang dig in and keep the front gang out of the dirt.

The rear gangs all pull dirt toward the middle of the disc....the front ones throw dirt outward. With a level disc you get a level field. With the front gangs kept out of the dirt and the rear ones pulling dirt in, you get hills/rows.

 

[Egon]

Should have lots of choices in market garden equipment.

 

[Tinhack]

For a 3,000 square foot garden, you should be able to do that with a shovel.

 

[LD1]

For a 3,000 square foot garden, you should be able to do that with a shovel.

I saw 3/4 acre, not 3000sq ft.

3/4 acre = ~33,000 sq ft

 

[Rockbadchild]

perhaps a disk ridger would do the job.

 

[jaxs]

It's this simple. If you don't already own the implement ,there is no way you can rent much less build or buy one for what the job is worth. Have you considered just passing on this job? I would.

 

[JPRambo]

Would one of these work?

 

[Tinhack]

I saw 3/4 acre, not 3000sq ft.

3/4 acre = ~33,000 sq ft

Ops! I guess I was thinking square meters. But still, it's 3/4 of an acre for crying out loud. I had about one acre of garden. Except for tilling, it was all done by shovel or spade and harvested by hand. Too hot and dry this year.

 

[jaxs]

Ops! I guess I was thinking square meters. But still, it's 3/4 of an acre for crying out loud. I had about one acre of garden. Except for tilling, it was all done by shovel or spade and harvested by hand. Too hot and dry this year.

LOL,I know what you mean. I was walking around on 3 acer pasture in front of my house with a hoe chopping random weeds down when the neighbors motioned me over for iced tea. They couldn't believe I undertook to chop weeds from 3 acers. I told them 3 acers is easy in comparison to 30 and 40 acer row crops I hoed as a kid,,,,twice and three times every year.

 

[Fallon]

It's this simple. If you don't already own the implement ,there is no way you can rent much less build or buy one for what the job is worth. Have you considered just passing on this job? I would.

Yes & no. I was just going to quote the job in 2 parts. Tilling & furrowing separately, both at rates that make sense to me financially. Furrowing might just be the cost of the ETA bedder. Wouldn't make anything, but would have the tool for the next job. I like tools & impliments & this is only my side gig to fund toys like the nice F350 & the tractor (or impliments) so I have a bit more flexibility tha if it were my day job.

I have a month or 2 as they aren't going tobplant the lavender until late summer at the earliest, to avoid this heat wave.

Leaning towards the ETA bedder if I end up getting the job. US made, TBN supporter & all that. I don't own a disk, but they're around. Haven't seen many for that cheap.

 

[jaxs]

Pard if you collect enough from doing 3/4 acer to pay for required implement you should be giving advice instead of asking for it. Shoot I'd mow 5 acers for the price of a mower,drag 200 yard driveway for price of landplane and right on down the list.

 

[fishman]

Have you considered making a final pass with your tiller tilted to one side? It will push dirt either to the left or right, depending on which way you have it tilted. Based on your "amplitude" between hills and trenches, it looks like it could work for a typical tiller of 5'-6'. For a one-off job, that would be a make do solution that would work ok I think.

 

[jstrick]

Years ago I did this with a middle buster (I think it was about 12 or 14 inch wide) on about an acre of strawberry patch. I just kept the tires in the furrows and let the hills pile up either side of the buster. After that, I used the tiller held high to break up and smooth the tops of the hills. After driving the tractor thru the field a few more times for the mulch and irrigation, the hills were very well defined and flat on top. The disc bedder would also work but leaves round bottom furrows where the middle buster made it flat bottomed and the sides of the hills surprisingly steep. Of course this method makes the spacing match your tractor width, so you might have some issue if your client doesn't like that spacing.