Corn row cultivator mounting positions ideas needed.

[jimgerken]

I picked up a Ferguson cultivator this weekend. Will get some pics in the next few days. Its in fair shape. I worked with all the clamp fasteners to get everything moving. Also put in some time to make it quick-hitchable. It is on the tractor now, and I have some new used sweeps to put on it, then set it up for my 30 inch spacing. I was also advised that it would be nice to have shields on it to protect the small corn plants. I doubt I will get shields on it this year. No shields with it, none available as far as I know, so I will have to fab something. My corn is up about 8 inches tall now, so maybe I don't need shields???
So, maybe next year it will have shields and liquid fertilizer applicator added. I am thinking I can add the liquid to both the planter and the cultivator, using the same tank and pump, just setting it on brackets first on the planter then later the cultivator, and clamping it on. Thinking of simply using Miracle grow anyway, in the small quantity I need. A little shot a couple inches from the row, at planting time and again when cultivating. It would seem that the shields on the culitvator would be the ideal place to attach the fertilizer dribble tubes.

 

[randy41]

i've got a fred caine cultivator that i've used on sweet corn with good results even on hilly ground. i hear that lilliston rolling cultivators are the way to go though.

 

[jimgerken]

The lilliston was the one I had to run as a kid. Boy could I take out corn with that thing. The rolling diggers are mounted back away from the tractor on swing arms and once you are off-course it takes about 30 feet of row length to get her back on target. Times 6 rows! If the rollers could be in front of the back tractor wheels, it would work much better.

 

[jimgerken]

I found this: Manuals Forum
Really great site which has thousands of old manuals for these attachments. Readng now, good stuff!!!

 

[jimgerken]

I finished preping the cultivator last night. New used sweeps from the helpful neighbor were installed, and the spacing set for 30 inch row crop use. It was a bear to get all the joits moving, and the further along I got the more the big hammer was applied. Hopefully once set correctly it really never has to change 'cause it relates so closely to the planter, which will not change.
I test-ran it in the garden where there were no plants. I put a couple sticks standing in the ground, 29 or 30 inches apart, and cultivated over them using the front wheels as position indicators (there is only about 4-5 inches of space between the front tire and the corn row, each side), and the sticks stayed standing. I cultivated about an inch and a half deep. Saturday I will run it thru corn to see what happens, but I am fairly confident now that it is going to do the job.

 

[RealJimbo]

We don't spray here, so cultivation is crucial.

If you cultivated as a young guy, then I can't really tell you anything you don't already know. If you could get the cultivator mid-mounted, you'd have the cat by the tail. My JD RM cultivator has been completely reconfigured, but it came with crop protector wheels. My skills are not good enough to drive fast enough to need them. And other than lettuce, spinach, etc, you WANT to throw dirt up on the plants.

If your weather is anything like ours this year, you may want to rig a nurse wagon set-up on the cultivator.

 

[jimgerken]

Mega-hot and dry I assume you mean. Yup, its shaping up that way again. I worry we depleted the deep subsoil moisture already last year, this year could be very tough.

 

[jimgerken]

I tried the cultivator. No good. The grass had reached three feet high by the time I got to it this weekend. The cultivator cut it out alright, but then it balled up into a bale like mound in the cultivator and started taking out corn plants. I pulled it out of the ground, parked it in the shed for next year, and broke out the 24" wide rotary garden tiller. I made two passes per space between rows. It took two hours of tilling in 94 degreee weather, but I think it made a difference. I am thinking the remaining grass will bend over now that it is in the row, not supported by grass around it. And the corn leaves are somewhat more visible sticking out of the remaining rows. Some corn got hit by the tiller, but not too much, so overall I improved it.
If we don't get rain this week it is all going to die anyway (some of it has already turned brown so I know its gone), so whatever. Try again next year.

 

[Baby Grand]

Great thread, Jim. Hope you've had some rain lately. Many thanks for posting the link to the implement manuals. The information in the Ferguson cultivator manual is going to be used in my hiller modifications.

 

[ironwood]

I too picked up an old Ferguson cultivator recently, it is a match to the one in the pics although the tag is painted over. Thanks for posting the links. I paid 250 for mine.


Ironwood

 

[BrianR]

I am having a lot of problems with lack of rain here too. 1/2 acre of sweet corn never even got out of the ground. I planted it just as the dry spell started, and never received any rain. I think 10 plants actually germinated then died.

My smaller garden, the corn was able to be watered so it did grow. I was able to cultivate 1 time and now the weeds are as tall as the corn, but the corn only got about 4ft tall before the June 29th storms blew it all over. At any rate I still miraculously have some corn to eat right now!

 

[GreenElephant]

You're right about the grass. Once it gets too big, the cultivator is just a giant grass catcher. But Otherwise it works like a champ. Secret is to keeping the grass down. Also, the 1 1/4 shanks that hold the spring tines will fit into the brackets of other implements. So you can find multible uses. I like to use it for field cultivating, to scratch in broadcast sown small grains, to rip up grass (points not sweeps). Looking back to cultivate is less fun than looking forward, so if your tractor has a body mount cultivator, that's the way I'd go for corn. But you can still use the Ferguson to plow out your tire tracks. It's a great implement. Wish I had one more shank for mine! Cheers. Jim