SP Rope Wick Applicator Built From Deere Tractor

SP Rope Wick Applicator Built From Deere Tractor ROPE WICK APPLICATORS Rope Wick Applicators 22-1-13 Steve Hietbrink, Firth, Neb., wanted to custom spray postemergence herbicides in milo without having to spend the money for a commercial self-propelled high clearance sprayer. He solved the problem by building his own self-propelled, 12-row rope wick applicator out of an old 3-wheeled Deere high clearance "tobacco" tractor. "We run the wheels off it all summer applying Roundup. It works good and didn't cost much to build," says Hietbrink. "The rear axle has 5 ft. of clearance so it works good in tall crops." He started with a 1953 Deere High Boy 600 "tobacco" tractor which he bought used for $2,000. It came equipped with a 4-cyl. gas engine - which he converted to propane - and a 4-speed transmission. The rig rides on two 10.00 by 24 rear tires and a single front caster wheel. The rear wheels originally straddled two 30-in. rows which made it unsafe on hilly ground, so Hietbrink moved the wheels out so that they now straddle four 30-in. rows. He did that by lengthening a shaft that runs across the back of the tractor and is used to chain-drive the wheels. Each end of the shaft rides on a carrier bearing that's mounted inside a vertical steel tube. An oil-bathed chain inside the tubing runs from the shaft to a sprocket mounted on the wheel. The tractor didn't have a hydraulic system so he mounted a belt-driven hydraulic pump (salvaged from an old 3-wheeled flotation fertilizer applicator) and reservoir behind the engine. The pump is used to operate cylinders that control the boom as well as an add-on power steering pump. He used 2 by 6-in. steel tubing to build a frame that supports the 30-ft. rope wick. The wick and frame are built in five sections. A pair of hydraulic cylinders are used to raise the entire boom. Separate cylinders can be used to raise or lower the two outside sections as needed on hills, terraces, or fence rows. The section just in front of the tractor is manually raised or lowered by adjusting a lever mounted in front of the driver. "I hire college kids to drive it," says Hietbrink. "Two years ago used it on about 3,000 acres. We tow it behind a pickup for transport between farms. "The driver sits more than 7 ft. off the ground so he has a good view. We usually travel about 5 to 7 mph. One drawback is that the small tires make it ride hard over rocks and bumps. However, the seat is comfortable. It's a Bostrum spring suspension seat off a semi truck. Access to it is provided by a lad-der mounted on the left side of the tractor. The rig has three hydraulic control valves - one to raise the boom and two to tilt the wings." Hietbrink says he's willing to sell the rig. "Most of the farmers in our area are switching from milo to corn," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Hietbrink, Box 88L, Firth, Neb. 68358 (ph 402 791-5777).

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