Christmas Tree Planter Built Out Of Scrap Metal

Christmas Tree Planter Built Out Of Scrap Metal MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 22-5-36 Here are 2 inventions I came up with to make life easier around my Christmas tree farm. The first is the root rake I use to pile up brush for burning. I built an 8 ft. wide by 3 ft. tall frame out of 3 in. sq. box tubing and fitted it with nine 36 in. long tines on 9 in. spacings off an old chisel plow. It mounts on the standard front end loader arms on my Deere 5200 equipped with front assist, which is necessary to help push brush. I built the rake three years ago for under $100, including the $3 apiece I paid for the chisel tines I bought at an auction, and have pushed thousands of junk Christmas trees with it. I also built this Christmas tree planter out of scrap metal. I built the frame out of 2 by 4 in. box steel and used 8 in. wheelbarrow wheels for press wheels on back to press the seedlings into the soil. I mounted an old plow coulter on front to open a furrow to drop the seedlings into. I mounted an old spacer wheel built from rolled round tubing on the side. Every time it completes one revolution, as indicated by a white mark on the side, I know it has traveled 9 ft. That's the spacing I use for trees. I used a plastic tote box for the seed-ling box on front and a seat off an old lawn mower on back for the operator. The planter mounts on any Cat. I 3-pt. and cost under $100 to build. I usually plant between 2,000 and 4,000 Christmas trees a year. (Paul Ezra, 9341 S. St. Rd. 39, Winamac, Ind. 46996; ph 219 278-7219)

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