psandhu

I have a few acres planted for a dove plot, it's all in 30" rows. I've had problems with weeds the last few years, so this year I decided to cultivate between rows. Yesterday I picked up the cultivator for $20. It's about 30" wide and a drag type. The front is rounded, not square.

I plan on moving the tines in the center off to the side, so I can operate directly over the row.

I'd like it to have a 3pt hitch, but not sure how to go about designing it. I do have a 110 mig welder and some limited experience. I also have access to a variety of flat, angle and square iron.

Should the top link be rigid, or should it swivel/pivot like a bush hog?

Also, would the cultivator be more effective if I mounted 2 small tires in the back. I'd keep the runners about 1" off the ground.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

North Texan

You shouldn't have tomake the top link swivel or do anything special. Just make sure the top link is level with the plow so it will plow level. The top link on your tractor should be threaded so you can make any necessary adjustments to down pressure as soil conditions change.

If you have some good, heavy square tubing, start with that. You could even use pipe if you have some. Use one piece for the bottom, with your pins sticking out on either side. Then take another piece, and weld it in the center going up to connect to your top link. On the top, cap it and take two pieces of flat steel, and place it on either side with a hole in the middle for the top pin. Then to give it a little bracing, weld some braces on the sides to form a triangle.

Once you get the frame of the hitch built, then connect it to your frame. Again, make sure the hitch is in the correct position so it will plow level. After the hitch is connected, weld a brace from near the top of the hitch to about the center of the plow lengthwise. You need to do this because when you are plowing, the back end of the plow is going to want to kick up. The top link in your tractor's 3 pt. is what keeps appropriate down pressure on the back of the plow to keep it plowing level.

This is about the closest thing I could find to it on the internet:



Hope this helps.

RonM

That's a Springtooth harrow, wasnt designed to be used as a cultivator, it will tear stuff out by the roots. You can buy a 1 row cultivator for aboout $120 at TSC, That was designed for working ground, I used to pull a 15 ft one behind a disk.... In fact I( have anold 8 ft one out in my machinery lineup as we speak...

yeoman

The position of the tines in your photo is about the angle you want for cultivating. Unfortunately, there isn't enough clearance under the frame to straddle rows andcultivate plant growth much over 4 inches. If you lower the tines using that lever on the harrow to gain clearnace, the tines are going to bite too deep and agressively. For cultivating, it's best to disturb as little soil as necessary on the first cultivation which leaves weed seeds below ground. On the second cultivation, it's good to go deeper to throw some soil over new weeds that have come up in the crop row. What about planting your rows on say 40" centers and using the harrow on a shallow setting to drag between the rows? I guess your sunflowers are already in and you're hoping to use this this year.