Cultipacker questions

[pharmvet]

Two weeks ago, I diddn't know this implement existed. Now Im not sure how Im going to make another food plot without one !!!

1) What is the standard diameter of the packing wheel on most cultipackers?

2) What is the advantage of double vs single roller (if any)??

3) Im sure drag type is best, but for food plots, Im thinking 3 pt. Would I be making a mistake?

4) Can I buy the rollers, and build my own frame and axle, and purchase bearings from a supply store?

thanks

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

I'm also interested in the answer to your questions. (While I would like to get a 7 footer for the tractor, I'm thinking about just getting a 4 footer to pull behind the ATV due to the cost.)

 

[Don87]

Two weeks ago, I diddn't know this implement existed. Now Im not sure how Im going to make another food plot without one !!!

1) What is the standard diameter of the packing wheel on most cultipackers?

2) What is the advantage of double vs single roller (if any)??

3) Im sure drag type is best, but for food plots, Im thinking 3 pt. Would I be making a mistake?

4) Can I buy the rollers, and build my own frame and axle, and purchase bearings from a supply store?

thanks

The older cultipackers I've seen appear to have 16 to 18 inch rollers.

A 3 pt. would work fine.

Culipackers don't use bearings. The wheels actually float on an axle so the can work uneven terrain.

Someone on here built one using steel barbell weights. Start with a large diameter, second is a smaller diameter, next large diameter. The smaller diameter appeared to be 2 inches less than the large one. Run a pipe, that is a smaller diameter than the holes in the weights, thru the middle of then and you are set.

EDIT: I can't answer the 'double row' question.

 

[Don87]

Homemade cultipackers: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/206881-homemade-cultipacker.html


Here is the 'barbell design': http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/211282-my-homemade-cultipacker.html

 

[HCJtractor]

I also plan to build one. The only rollers I have found are 9" ones from AgSupply which are not very heavy and nicer 15" ones from Everything Attachments. It would be easy to design one with both a 3 pt hitch and a tongue so it could be used either way. Transport wheels would also be nice to have. I would have to trailer it some and travel between plots, so transport wheels sure would be nice. Some designs are a flip over style, but it seems this would only work with fairly light ones. I am thinking of making one with a ratchet jack to engage lift wheels (sort of like on a offset harrow) so I can pull it with a vehicle or tractor and not need hydraulics I have seen clever ones like this online. This way, it would not tie up the tractor and one person could disc or seed while another could pull a packer with a truck to save time

A double roller simple adds weight and would break clods better and level better with fewer passes. And yes, they do have bearings at each end. Check out Everything Attachments. Sweet water (a sponsor) also has used ones and sometimes has wheels but I bought some from them and was very disappointed

 

[wolc123]

Most old cultipackers have either 14" or 17" diameter rollers. Dunham and Brillion were two of the largest manufacturers. They are getting a little harder to find with the rising prices of scrap-iron, but are still relatively common in many agricultural regions. I currently have a 5 ft Dunham, that I just finished rebuilding, and a 7 ft Brillion. Each of these started out as 8 footers. Narrower cultipackers do a better job of pressing in small seeds over uneven terrain. The old cultipackers came with wood bearings, and that actually still works best on them, especially now that we have pressure-treated lumber. I think a 5 ft cultipacker is the optimum width for the average foodplotter, and it can be easily loaded on a trailer and pulled with an ATV or small tractor. The cultipacker is just about the simplest farm implement that there ever was. I would look long and hard for an old Brillion or Dunham before I forked over the big bucks for a modern, imported cultipacker. I have never paid more than $50 bucks for one, including the 8 foot Dunham I got last year. There are at least (4) old cultipackers sitting in hedgerows, within 4 miles of my farm, right now as I type.

 

[sweettractors]

Two weeks ago, I diddn't know this implement existed. Now Im not sure how Im going to make another food plot without one !!!

1) What is the standard diameter of the packing wheel on most cultipackers?

2) What is the advantage of double vs single roller (if any)??

3) Im sure drag type is best, but for food plots, Im thinking 3 pt. Would I be making a mistake?

4) Can I buy the rollers, and build my own frame and axle, and purchase bearings from a supply store?

thanks

15" is about standard diameter on a good USA made used cultipacker. A double is usually 15" followed by 9". Heavy duty oversize singles are 17"-18" diameter. A oversize or double roller type packers essentially gets you extra weight for rocky or tough clay based soil. Most applications can get by with the 15-16" single roller.
3 point hitch packers were hardly heard of until food plots became popular 4-5 yrs ago and the need arose to move from 1 farm to another on a trailer. The pull type will always do the best job, as it will follow the ground contours better and not be jerked around by the tractor. Here is a list of many variations. Maybe they give some of you some ideas. Ken Sweet
items in Sweetfarmequipment store on eBay!

 

[pharmvet]

Thanks for the information so for guys. The tractor I will be using most is a 7710 Ford. I think it is 7 ft. wide (outside of rear wheels). I figured, therefore, that an 8ft. unit would be just about right to cover my tire tracks. From looking around, those combo units with 3 pt. on one side and pull tongue on the other look pretty good.

 

[flusher]

Bought this one locally for $600. It's about 10 ft wide.



Material to duplicate it probably would run $300-400 (new).

 

[sweettractors]

Bought this one locally for $600. It's about 10 ft wide.

View attachment 259938View attachment 259939

Material to duplicate it probably would run $300-400 (new).

You got a good deal at $600. Looks good. The last new wheels I ordered from Brillion were about $70 each + shipping. Ken Sweet