Rope Wick Applicator Floats Over The Row

Rope Wick Applicator Floats Over The Row ROPE WICK APPLICATORS Rope Wick Applicators 8-4-15 "It saves a trip through the field and lets you control weeds when they're still small," says Stan Shearer, inventor of a new over-the-row rope wick applicator that attaches to cultivator gauge wheels, "floating" independently over each row. Shearer built his first rope-wick applicator about seven years ago when rope wicks were totally new to the Midwest. By 1980 he had formed his own company. His new rope wick design is a result of customer demand for a way to combine rope-wick chemical application with row crop cultivators. Gauge wheel mounting allows the wicks to be placed much closer to the top of the crop than conventional wicks, which attach to a toolbar and are thus set for an average crop height, according to Shearer. By attaching to gauge wheels, the wicks adjust to changing terrain and stay close to the growing crop. "This is critical, especially on hilly fields where there are dead furrows, land splits, and uneven terrain. With these units, you can simply set the height at the beginning of the field and concentrate on running the cultivator," says Shearer. A central reservoir pipes chemical to individual row units. Ropes, arranged in a criss-cross pattern, wipe chemical on the tops and sides of weeds. Shearer says the applicators do not interfere with the use of cultivator row shields so they can be used early in the season to kill fast-growing weeds, such as milkweed, when they are still easy to kill. The Row-Wick, as it's called, comes with universal mounting brackets which fit any cultivator with gauge wheels. A 6-row unit sells for $319.96. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stan Shearer, Service Systems Engineering, Rt. 1, Box 64, Jackson, Minn. 56143 (ph 507 847-3672).

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