The "Cadillac" Of Tree Planters

The "Cadillac" Of Tree Planters PLANTERS Planters 23-4-20 "There's no tree planter on the market that plants and packs as well as this one. It eliminates having to go back and ætoe' them in after planting," says Dean Buskirk about the tractor-pulled tree planter he and his brother, Dave, designed and built a few years back. They also use a commercial mulch-laying machine that lays a 6-ft. wide strip of landscape fabric over the new trees. The "TP 2000" tree planter works so well one of western Nebraska's Natural Resource Districts uses one. The machine's key to success is the rear-mounted press wheels, a pair of solid steel 16-in. dia. wheels that weigh 45 lbs. apiece. They rotate independently so downpressure remains constant even across uneven terrain. Because the press wheels have adjustable spring tension, they can be set for both no-till and prepared sites. The 5 1/2-ft. wide by 8-ft. long machine features a large 20-in. dia. coulter in front, a hard surfaced shoe, and a small pneumatic gauge wheel in the middle. It's equipped with two rear seats for riders, adjustable leg rests to comfortably accommodate both short and tall riders, and two tree bucket baskets. Having riders facing backward instead of forward, makes it easier to see where they've been and, thus, to space trees more evenly, Buskirk notes. The Buskirks pull the rig with their Deere 3020 tractor. "You need at least a 60 to 70 hp tractor to pull it," Buskirk says. Their company, Trees Are Us, has used the machine to plant 75,000 small bare root trees this year. As soon as the trees are in the ground, they're covered by a 6-ft. wide strip of fabric using their commercial mulch layer. The tree planters sell for around $5,500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Trees Are Us, 7355 Gage Road, Hemingford, Neb. 69384 (ph 308 487-3961 or 3995; E-mail: dsbuskirk@bbc.net).

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