Brain storming cultipacker design..help please!

[HCJtractor]

I want to build a nice cultipacker. I plan to use packer wheels from Everything Attachments which are 15" diameter and weigh 28 lbs. It will be
7' wide and so it will have almost 600 lbs. of iron. My desires are to make it transportable, with wheels and tires appropriate for road use (short distance, relatively slow speeds), and to make loading it on a trailer easier, and to allow travel between plots. Yet I don't want to depend on hydraulics to use it.

So I am contemplating two styles. One is the "flippy" style I see commonly that works by flipping the tongue over to change between rollers or wheels. However, most of these are relatively small ones, and I fear that mine will be too heavy to lever it over to lift the rollers onto the wheels. But I could be wrong. THis style would be the easiest to build, but I have never seen a big one designed like this.

The other would be one with lift wheels like the ones on an offset lift harrow except they could be positioned with a ratchet jack rather than a hydraulic cylinder. I have even thought about a design that could somehow engage the lift wheels by backing up and having the packer roll up onto the wheels and then locked into place with pins, and released and lowered by driving forward. (sort of like the gadgets that lift a boat trailer) But that is just a random thought. I am leaning towards the ratchet jack solution. I have seen several designed like this. Brillion makes a hydraulic version that has possibilities.

So if any of you have any ideas or have seen ones like this, please jump in. Again my criteria are a 7 footer, 600 lbs. of packer wheels, a towed version or combo towed/3 point, and transportable down rural highways for reasonable distances (and lets not get into legality issues!) And no hydraulics. Thanks for any ideas or input!

 

[RickB]

I think with the mechanical advantage of the hitch acting as a lever, the flip-over style will work. Now, I am not a licensed engineer, and I have not applied any trigonometry, geometry, or other exact science in coming to that conclusion. That said, Brillion Iron Works used wheel/axle combinations for DECADES that utilized stub axle spindles that were cross-drilled for anchor bolts. The assemblies slid into cross-drilled bores in the end support castings of pull-type Sure Stand Seeders and simple cultipackers. The operator backed each side up on a short plank suported on one end by a 4x4 or other similar block in order to get the ground clearance sufficient to install/remove the transport wheel/axle assembly. Each side was done in succession. Simple, and utilitarian; this system worked well for years & years.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I would just go with a 3pt design. Its simple, easy to transport, back up, load/unload from a trailer and does just as good of a job as a towed type at that width. We donated a new Brillion 3pt cultipacker to the NYS DEC to use on the state lands improving the grounds for the wildlife. It was paid for by our local NWTF chapter and the NWTF. Very simple design.

 

[284 International]

I have an old wheel disk that is lifted by a hand cranked lead screw instead of a hydraulic cylinder. The design would work well for what you are talking about doing.

 

[HCJtractor]

I would just go with a 3pt design. Its simple, easy to transport, back up, load/unload from a trailer and does just as good of a job as a towed type at that width. We donated a new Brillion 3pt cultipacker to the NYS DEC to use on the state lands improving the grounds for the wildlife. It was paid for by our local NWTF chapter and the NWTF. Very simple design.

My reason for not wanting a 3 point are several. One is that it ties up the tractor. We have limited time to spend on our plots so one person could be discing or seeding with the tractor while another pulls the cultipacker with a truck. Since I have two properties about 10 miles apart, a 3 point requires trailering both the cultipacker and a tractor, which also takes lots of time. Plus it ties up trailer space if i am transporting multiple implements. One that could be towed with a truck is what I envision. I agree that a 3 point would work work ok (although most agree a pull type works better), it is not what suits my needs, hence the reason to design a transportable one. Those Brillions are sweet! Could your club donate one to me? They sure are costly! Cheap is what I need. I figure I could build one for about $1200 with decent rollers, wheels, and a scrap steel frame.

The threaded jack screw would work, but I already have a nice ratchet jack that I have used to lift my 3500lb. offset harrow, so I know it has the power to lift a lighter cultipacker in the same manner.

Thanks for the input however!!!

 

[284 International]

The threaded jack screw would work, but I already have a nice ratchet jack that I have used to lift my 3500lb. offset harrow, so I know it has the power to lift a lighter cultipacker in the same manner.

A ratchet jack would work, it just seems tougher to fabricate a clean, efficient system. Mine has a handle at the rear of the disk. Cranking it turns the lead screw, which pushes or pulls on a bell crank. The bell crank twists an axle with offset spindles, raising or lowering the wheels. It seems like drop spindle trailer axles and tires would be economical and simple to incorporate. A hinged axle with a ratchet jack between it and the frame would work too.

There are many correct ways to reach the same end target. If a ratchet jack works, great. If a self contained electric over hydraulic system is preferable, consider that. A pinned system where dropping the tires let's the truck pull the frame up past center against blocked tires may work, then pin them in transport position. As long is it works well for you and is safe, all is well with the world.

This sounds like an interesting project. I'm excited to watch the build.