Salvaging and adapting

[F.L. Jennings]

You work with what you have. If times are prosperous then you buy tools and implements. If times are hard then you make them from scratch, and probably from scrap materials. Often I'll salvage some tool/fixture/implement that has outlived its life or usefulness to be recycled into something I need at the present.

I had some tubing from past projects lying around so I made a seeding harrow from it. It consists of two sections 5ft. X 30in. chained together. The teeth are pieces of 3/4in sq. tubing with the ground contact end pressed flat for wear and shape factor purposes. Tooth positions are alternated from row to row on the harrow.

I use a heavy harrow to flatten the earth after it has been disked. After seeding I use this lightweight harrow to cover the seeds. Herre it is suspended from the FEL as I transport it from one field to another.

It does a really good job of raking out roots and other debris, and leaves the finished earth as shown below (before compacting)

You can buy (saw it online) a four way divider for your pto seeder, but I made this one by welding small angle clips to the ID of the cone hopper and screwing pieces of pt plywood to them. Different seeds/ferterlizer can go into each of the sections. This was a cheap fix to fill a need.

I have a potato row former I made that molds the earth to a nice row cross section. (no photos of it) After getting the rows thrown up and looking good, I have a bar raker built into the molder implement that rakes a trench down the center of the row so that the seed potato pieces can be planted. I then go back over the rows, covering the seed with the "row molder". I built the molder from a light weight grading blade that I no longer used.


Future projects - small and large -

1. pto driven tiller. I have a worn out bush hog that I can salvage the right angle gearbox from.

2. Chainsaw carrier that will mount on the cross bar for the fel that is directly in front of the steering column. It will also carry a fuel can and bar oil. After loading the fel with wood I am always forced to stick the saw under my feet which is a great nuisance.

3. Add a trailer hitch to the bottom of my backhoe wood splitter so that I can pull a trailer load of wood and have a fel load of wood after splitting over in the woods.



My newest favorite saying is "reach for your head, not your check book."







.....

 

[jimmer2880]

very innovative. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[CCWKen]

Brilliant! And ditto on the innovation. Your imagination is surpassed only by your craftsmanship. If I hadn't already picked up my $8 spike harrow from the salvage yard a few months ago, I'd be building one too. I got a pto driven seed spreader there too for a few bucks. All it needs is a new container. I'll get that rolled out as soon as I finish a couple of projects. Ain't a thing wrong with building or recycling equipment.

What I want to know is where did you find so much flat space in the Ouachitas? I got kin in Heavner, Poteau, Mena, Blackfork, Waldron and half a dozen others in that area. Shoot, we might be cousins! You hear of the Bowens, Smiths or Janways (aka: Janeway)?

 

[F.L. Jennings]

What I want to know is where did you find so much flat space in the Ouachitas? I got kin in Heavner, Poteau, Mena, Blackfork, Waldron and half a dozen others in that area. Shoot, we might be cousins! You hear of the Bowens, Smiths or Janways (aka: Janeway)?

We have some Bowens that live up hwy 9 a couple of miles.

As for flat space I have a few acres of flat high ground, but it's tilted a little. Actually about half of my 30+ acres is pretty flat, but most of it I leave forested. That field in the photos is my favorite and lies in the river bottom.

 

[Renze]

My newest favorite saying is "reach for your head, not your check book."

Over here, they say "keep your eyes open, or pull your wallet open" which is based on the same principle.

 

[3RRL]

FLJ,
I respect and admire your resourcefulness.
You are much like I am, making due with what you got.
There's a lot of self satisfaction in doing projects like that. It goes a long ways.

 

[F.L. Jennings]

Boys, the older I get the more I realize the wisdom of Pogo's statement - "We has met de enemy and dey is us'!".

I look forward to planting potatoes this March - all except for the doing of it! The trouble with growing older is that you don't believe your own lies anymore about what you are capable of! Oh I guess I'll haul off and believe a few of them!

 

[weldingisfun]

I have often heard that if a real farmer can't find or afford something he needs to do a job, he builds it. Once again, we see that story proven to be true. Good job!

 

[F.L. Jennings]

I have often heard that if a real farmer can't find or afford something he needs to do a job, he builds it. Once again, we see that story proven to be true. Good job!

Thanks, good to see several Texas boys on the forum. I'm from Bonham, Fannin county, as are my folks.