Cultipacker questions.

[BufordBoone]

Herhttps://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-avg-securebrowser&hsimp=yhs-securebrowser&hspart=avg&p=offset+disk+video#id=46&vid=a62e072f57caf4f25285206bf980fa52&action=view
Here is an offset disk harrow. It is more aggressive than a tandem disk and requires more power, but you have plenty of HP. I've got one food plot that was so torn up by hogs I had to creep over it to mow. I'm going to hit it with my rototiller this weekend and see how it works. Rototillers do a great job of busting clods and smoothing dirt to a fine and fluffy texture (sometimes too fluffy), but you can't go very fast.

Thanks (to both) for the video of the offset disc. Skipperbrown, please post hoe the tiller works. I've considered getting a tiller but wonder if it would be so slow as to make it more economical to just run the disc over 5-10 times.

 

[rbtjr]

We have a 980 lb 8' cultipacker we bought from Everything Attachments. For food plots we disk thoroughly (in at least two directions). We disk once or twice (usually once), spread the fertilizer and then disk again (this is usually the second disking). When the soil is dry or almost so, we run the cultipacker over the plot to break up most of the remaining clods. This creates little furrows like Skipperbrown said, and creates a pretty good seed bed. I would say that these furrows in our case are 1/2" (mostly) to 1" deep. We run the cultipacker perpendicular to the slope of the plot to try to slow the drainage of the rain. Then we seed and run the cultipacker over the plot again in the same direction. This depresses most of the seed slightly into the soil. This process works well for us.

 

[BufordBoone]

Lots of great info. Thanks to all.

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[airbiscuit]

Make one of these!

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[BufordBoone]

With all your help, I may have an answer.

I will probably get a heavyweight (~100lbs/ft) cultipacker that I can pull behind a UTV. I'll have the connection be a pintle ring. I have a Pintle hook that goes in a 2" receiver so that will work well with my UTV.

I'll also weld a 2" receiver on my disc. That way I can use the Pintle hook in the receiver and picking up the disc should put significantly less stress on the connection than if I used a standard 2" ball hitch.

Therefore, I'll be able to disc and cultipack on every pass...or do them on different passes.

The cultipacker will also be a great help in planting food plots.

I hope this all works out.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[airbiscuit]

Good plan, although I did like that homemade cultimulcher! Post pics or video of your plan on action.

 

[Jkott]

I have a lot of sandy soil, so when it’s dry it tends to bunch up in front of the cultipacker. Even under normal circumstances, it doesn’t make it “smooth”. It makes a lot of ridges and the notches push seen into the soil. The tire tracks are usually visible as they pressed deeper than even my 600 lb 3 pt 5’ cultipacker. Btw, mine is convertible and can be pulled behind either the 3 pt or an atv. I got that so my neighbor could pull it behind his atv instead of me having to do his plots...

To be honest, the smoothest and tightest pack I have gotten behind my CUT is bolting 3 larger pickup truck tires together and dragging them with a chain behind the tow bar. They tend to make the ground very smooth, even, and tightly packed. And they have the advantage of being free just for the asking at a tire shop.

Only drawback to the tires is transporting them. I used to just put them in the bucket, but 3 of them are heavy and that’s manual labor and defeats the point of a tractor. I need to see about finding a 3 pt boom pole on sale and the right length chain links to raise and lower it in a useful manner without it swinging when transporting.

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[HCJtractor]

I had a 7’ Brillion cultipacker, which I used both on the 3 point hitch and towed on the drawbar. I was unimpressed. Even though it weighed close to 1000 lbs, it wasn’t heavy enough to break up many of my clods. My opinion is get the heaviest you can pull, preferably a twin roller. I think one behind an ATV is a waste of time. It’s just too light.
I level my plots (after discing with a big offset harrow) with a homemade drag. It works way better than the cultipacker.
Now if you’re only goal is pressing in seeds after broadcasting, the cultipacker works well.

 

[BufordBoone]

Thanks, HCJ. That is the kind of info I was looking for.

I have been needing (wanting) a cultipacker for a while for planting food plots. I'll likely stick with my current plan and see if it does anything with the dirt clods. I like the idea of running it behind my disc AND being able to pull it with my ATV.

 

[3gunr]

I have an old 8 ft brillion cultipacker that does a beautiful job of pressing seed in and compacting the soil. But i also use a tiller which works way better than a disk unless you have a very heavy set. You can find used cultipackers on craigslist for a decent price .

 

[HCJtractor]

I have an old 8 ft brillion cultipacker that does a beautiful job of pressing seed in and compacting the soil. But i also use a tiller which works way better than a disk unless you have a very heavy set. You can find used cultipackers on craigslist for a decent price .

I would agree cultipacking after using a tiller would be effective. My usage was usually trying to cultipack after discing, sometimes a week later when the clods had hardened, expecting to break them up. It just didn’t happen, even with my 900 pound packer. Now had I cultipacked immediately after discing, perhaps it would work better, but my time is usually limited.

As far as pressing seed, in fluffy soil it would certainly work. But in an uneven or lumpy seed bed, I found mine disappointing.

I’m working on a plan to drag a big 8” I beam behind my tandem disc, to disc and smooth in one pass. I’m copying a previous design I saw here years ago. The beam will lift with the harrow for transport. I’ll report if it works.

 

[skipperbrown]

For covering seeds, we always set the harrow blades straight and make a run over the freshly broadcast seeds. It does a pretty good job of throwing some dirt over the seeds.