He Uses 2-Row Cultivator To "Clean Up" After 12-Row Rigs

He Uses 2-Row Cultivator To "Clean Up" After 12-Row Rigs TILLAGE EUIPMENT Cultivators (16) 23-2-29 "It compliments the two 12-row cultivators that we use on our 1,250 acres of corn and soybeans," says Charles Goodall, Sidell, Ill., who uses a belly-mounted cultivator on an International "C" tractor to cultivate point rows and any place where rows intersect waterways. He narrowed up an old 2-row, 40-in. cultivator to fit his 30-in. rows. A hydraulic cylinder controls a rock shaft that raises or lowers the cultivator one side at a time, if desired. "It makes a great touch-up cultivator," says Goodall. "It works particularly well where rows intersect diagonally with waterways. When you raise a 12-row cultivator as you enter a waterway it leaves a ridge of soil, which acts like a dam and prevents water that runs down the row from entering the waterway. You can eliminate the ridge if you keep the cultivator down all the way into the waterway, but that can cause the cultivator to develop side draft and you might end up tearing out the corn on some rows. We simply raise the cultivator just before we enter the waterway and use our 2-row cultivator to finish up." Goodall carries a 5-ft. wide section off an old Melroe harrow on back of the tractor to level the soil and to pull weeds out at the same time. The harrow is equipped with vertical 16-in. long steel tines, some of which are bent sideways so that they clear the row. A pair of steel arms on back of the tractor are connected to a steel "lift rod" that runs up to the cultivator, allowing the two rigs to be raised or lowered at the same time. "We bought both the C tractor and the cultivator at a local dealer. The tractor was equipped with a Woods belly mower which we still use to mow our lawn and farmstead. We plan to switch to a 4-row, 3-pt. cultivator equipped with soft spring shanks for higher speed cultivation. Also, a 3-pt. model will be easier to put on and will allow us to drive faster on the highway. "I think farmers can save a lot of money by doing a least-cost mix of mechanical cultivation and herbicides. We use a post emergence herbicide program that allows us to wait and see what weeds develop in a given year. If the soil gets too wet to apply herbicides we can usually get in with the cultivators to clean up badly infested spots. There are a lot of used Deere 12-row cultivators on the market so you don't need to make a huge investment." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles Goodall, 3503 N. 470 East Road, Sidell, Ill. 61876 (ph 217 288-9523).

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