If you could have one:Disk Harrow, cultivator, moldboard plow???
05-02-2007, 02:57 PM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
RE: If you could have one:Disk Harrow, cultivator, moldboard plow???
Buddy, my first impression is it will be like driving nails with a pair of pliers....Sure you can do it, but you might not be happy with the results....I will admit, I'm kinda spoiled and blessed when it comes to equipment....My dad was a John Deere dealer...2 years after he died (I was 20) in 1975 I went to work for them and stayed with them 13 years...So I have a pretty decent background with working with equipment....I would rather see you wait until you can purchase what will do the job, rather than buy something that you will have to replace in a few years especially when it might not even do what you want it to do....
Clover does not need to be covered and most biologists will agree that clover is high in protein and is beneficial to wildlife....I'd work with getting a good clover plot established first, then work on the other stuff...I went turkey hunting Saturday morning there were 7 deer standing in my clover patch....I planted it a year and a half ago and they are still hitting it....
Clover does not need to be covered and most biologists will agree that clover is high in protein and is beneficial to wildlife....I'd work with getting a good clover plot established first, then work on the other stuff...I went turkey hunting Saturday morning there were 7 deer standing in my clover patch....I planted it a year and a half ago and they are still hitting it....
05-02-2007, 07:20 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 2,059
RE: If you could have one:Disk Harrow, cultivator, moldboard plow???
nchawkeye; I agree with you that what he's proposing isn't the best method. Rob (moderator) did his plot with similar equipment last year. Now he's hooked on shooting over his own plot. At least this will get rackluster into plots and he won't have much invested. He probably couldn't get a farmer to cultivate the landfor the money that he's talking about.
Dan O.
Dan O.
05-03-2007, 09:29 AM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Isle, MN
Posts: 1,469
RE: If you could have one:Disk Harrow, cultivator, moldboard plow???
I bought a cultivator last night and it came in this tiny tiny box. I started thinking that I'm pretty much buying this for this year because it is not made well and I know it's going to suck! It went back to fleet farm today. So, now I don't know what I'm going to do. My father in law is going to bring his garden tiller up there tomorrow. That might really suck. we'll see.
04-30-2012, 04:51 AM
#14
Spike
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Isle, MN
Posts: 1
better late than never :-)
I just found this forum. I also have acerage near Isle MN, that I bought in 1999. We have unique soil here, and if a person carves a food plot out of the woods, there are unique issues to deal with.
The first things I bought to farm food plots, were an ATV (2002 Yamaha Kodiak), flipover disk, reversable drag harrow, and a small spreader. Since then, I got a tractor, a box scraper, a John Deere two row planter and a ATV mount sprayer from Northern. Find grind lime doesn't spread will with the Agri Fab spreader I bought at Fleet Farm however. I may get a rent or buy a bigger one soon.
The unique part I mention above about our soil around Isle, is, between lots of rocks, lots of hardpack clay with some patches of black dirt, and roots galore, some implements just skitter across the ground and won't dig in. I feel a good disk is the best way to go, and it may need to be weighted with cement blocks to dig in, unless its a big one like shown above.
I have used the disk on my ATV for years, and finished with the drag harrow. Last year I finally bit the bullet and got a tractor, box blade and 2 row planter. I hand-planted corn on my largest plot last year, and the standing corn kept the deer and turkey in the area all winter. I did disk every year the first 6 years, just to break up and get the soil lighter, work in lime and fertilizer, etc. I also use Glyphosate three days before disking to kill off volunteer weeds.
So where can I rent or buy a larger spreader... that is my next challege. I had 16 tons of fine grind lime delivered last week but a small spreader just doesn't cut it.
The first things I bought to farm food plots, were an ATV (2002 Yamaha Kodiak), flipover disk, reversable drag harrow, and a small spreader. Since then, I got a tractor, a box scraper, a John Deere two row planter and a ATV mount sprayer from Northern. Find grind lime doesn't spread will with the Agri Fab spreader I bought at Fleet Farm however. I may get a rent or buy a bigger one soon.
The unique part I mention above about our soil around Isle, is, between lots of rocks, lots of hardpack clay with some patches of black dirt, and roots galore, some implements just skitter across the ground and won't dig in. I feel a good disk is the best way to go, and it may need to be weighted with cement blocks to dig in, unless its a big one like shown above.
I have used the disk on my ATV for years, and finished with the drag harrow. Last year I finally bit the bullet and got a tractor, box blade and 2 row planter. I hand-planted corn on my largest plot last year, and the standing corn kept the deer and turkey in the area all winter. I did disk every year the first 6 years, just to break up and get the soil lighter, work in lime and fertilizer, etc. I also use Glyphosate three days before disking to kill off volunteer weeds.
So where can I rent or buy a larger spreader... that is my next challege. I had 16 tons of fine grind lime delivered last week but a small spreader just doesn't cut it.
05-03-2012, 05:04 PM
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Coffeyville KS USA
Posts: 931
You should save up and buy a small tractor. Something like a Ford 8N or an Allis WD45. They are 40-60 years old, but will hands down outperform an ATV when you are trying to do groundwork. Another thing about old tractors, they don't lose their value like something new. I've got a '63 Allis D17 and a '73 Deere 830. Both are working strong, and I don't anticipate anything going wrong with them in the next few decades.
Buy a 2 bottom plow and a 5' disk. Shouldn't be more than 5 bills. That'll do 90% of your plot work. If you know how to weld, you can make other implements like a boom pole lift, 10' sprayer, subsoiler, etc.
Once you have a tractor, you'll find new uses for it and tell yourself "I don't know how I've gotten along without this".
Buy a 2 bottom plow and a 5' disk. Shouldn't be more than 5 bills. That'll do 90% of your plot work. If you know how to weld, you can make other implements like a boom pole lift, 10' sprayer, subsoiler, etc.
Once you have a tractor, you'll find new uses for it and tell yourself "I don't know how I've gotten along without this".
05-03-2012, 10:30 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: arkansas
Posts: 3,162
I do all my food plot with a 30hp front end assist John Deere. I didnt buy it just for food plots, I put in a big garden and have 3 acres to take care of. This tractor is a life saver when it comes to food plots. I do most of my ground prep with a 5 tine chisel plow, it does a great job. The plow works the ground deep and I have a homemade drag that i pull across, makes the perfect seed bed.
05-04-2012, 10:16 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Isle, MN
Posts: 1,469
holy crap! I started this thread 5 years ago and i don't even remember it. i'm getting old. I swear to god i started reading this thread and someone mentioned 'rackluster' i was like 'that's me??? oh no, someone hacked my account and is posting food plot questions'. haha.
funny how things have changed over the past 5 years. I'm now kind of a food plot addict. Here's a quick overview of my progression:
* that year i bought a king kutter disk - not the flipover kind, the crankup kind on wheels. still have it but haven't used it for a few years. it worked really good even in my hard clay. just took a long time and it REALLY worked my 4 wheeler. ended up melting some plastic. thought - i better get a tractor.
* in 2009 i bought a 30hp tractor - 1982 john deere 950 mfwd, ps, loader - the works. picked up a plow, disk, box blade, brush hog... it was a great tractor. i've shot buzillions of deer over food plots made by that tractor
* this year has been a busy year. my love of food plots and hunting expanded quite a bit. I bought 76 acres in wisconsin back in march (still have the land in isle) and i sold the 950 and bought a brand new shiny plastic 2012 john deere 3032e. just about everything you see is plastic except the side panels under the hood and the loader. very nice tractor though. also finally got a cultivator with the tractor (frontier)
i have to say of the 3 implements the disk works the best and it gets used by far the most. i've had 2 different 2 bottom plows and i'm yet to pull them more than 20 feet in the ground - total.
the cultivator is good but i hit too many roots and rocks that stop the tractor in it's tracks. if i had a nice FLAT food plot w/ no rocks or tree roots the cultivator would be great.
the disk goes over everything but still breaks ground. only thing i have to do is pick up the rocks that pop up. i highly recommend a disk!!! I usually ratchet strap a big log on top of it to ad weight.
i think my next investment will be a planter. not this year though. i'm TAPPED OUT!
Thanks all for your help over the years. Now, i'm back on to learn more about food plots in my sandy soil in wisconsin.
still laughing about this 5 year old thread popping back up.
funny how things have changed over the past 5 years. I'm now kind of a food plot addict. Here's a quick overview of my progression:
* that year i bought a king kutter disk - not the flipover kind, the crankup kind on wheels. still have it but haven't used it for a few years. it worked really good even in my hard clay. just took a long time and it REALLY worked my 4 wheeler. ended up melting some plastic. thought - i better get a tractor.
* in 2009 i bought a 30hp tractor - 1982 john deere 950 mfwd, ps, loader - the works. picked up a plow, disk, box blade, brush hog... it was a great tractor. i've shot buzillions of deer over food plots made by that tractor
* this year has been a busy year. my love of food plots and hunting expanded quite a bit. I bought 76 acres in wisconsin back in march (still have the land in isle) and i sold the 950 and bought a brand new shiny plastic 2012 john deere 3032e. just about everything you see is plastic except the side panels under the hood and the loader. very nice tractor though. also finally got a cultivator with the tractor (frontier)
i have to say of the 3 implements the disk works the best and it gets used by far the most. i've had 2 different 2 bottom plows and i'm yet to pull them more than 20 feet in the ground - total.
the cultivator is good but i hit too many roots and rocks that stop the tractor in it's tracks. if i had a nice FLAT food plot w/ no rocks or tree roots the cultivator would be great.
the disk goes over everything but still breaks ground. only thing i have to do is pick up the rocks that pop up. i highly recommend a disk!!! I usually ratchet strap a big log on top of it to ad weight.
i think my next investment will be a planter. not this year though. i'm TAPPED OUT!
Thanks all for your help over the years. Now, i'm back on to learn more about food plots in my sandy soil in wisconsin.
still laughing about this 5 year old thread popping back up.
Last edited by RackLuster; 05-05-2012 at 06:15 AM.
05-04-2012, 10:24 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Isle, MN
Posts: 1,469
lindakd - i'm kind of between isle and mora. on the same road as k&r custom meats. love the area. You nailed the issues w/ doing food plots up there. i have the same things: rocks, roots, clay, etc. overall, things grow well though as long as we get rain. i've had good luck w/ oats, clover (probably my best luck), and rape. i'm thinking about beans and more brassicas this year.
i'd have a planter already but it's just AMAZING how expensive they are. can't find a good deal.
i'd have a planter already but it's just AMAZING how expensive they are. can't find a good deal.
05-05-2012, 05:16 AM
#19
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Comance county, OK
Posts: 11,408
A lot has changed in the past five years. We bought two more properties, both are marginal farm land. We planted nearly 30 acres of food plots this spring; mostly iron clay peas, plus some soybeans and blackeyed peas. Last year most of our spring plots died for lack of rain.
One of our properties came with a nice old dual wheel Farmall M tractor and lots of implements, including a no-till drill: There are also a couple hundred tons of junk tractors, farm machinery, trucks etc. We bought a 28 horsepower McCormick 4wd tractor in 2010 and a got a pasture drill. At our place in Garvin county we still have the 1600 Mitsubishi tractor and the old disk that is pictured.
We tried the expensive oat seed and discovered its not worth the money. Plain old horse feed oats work as well overall and much better on one place. The smaller plots are hand broadcast and disced in. We plant oats in the plots beginning in August-September. Last year several plots of oats matured and in September we disced them without re-planting: They seeded down very nicely.
Good luck with your game plots.
One of our properties came with a nice old dual wheel Farmall M tractor and lots of implements, including a no-till drill: There are also a couple hundred tons of junk tractors, farm machinery, trucks etc. We bought a 28 horsepower McCormick 4wd tractor in 2010 and a got a pasture drill. At our place in Garvin county we still have the 1600 Mitsubishi tractor and the old disk that is pictured.
We tried the expensive oat seed and discovered its not worth the money. Plain old horse feed oats work as well overall and much better on one place. The smaller plots are hand broadcast and disced in. We plant oats in the plots beginning in August-September. Last year several plots of oats matured and in September we disced them without re-planting: They seeded down very nicely.
Good luck with your game plots.
