Wheel-Mounted Hole Puncher Helps Plant Trees

Wheel-Mounted Hole Puncher Helps Plant Trees WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 29-3-2 Planting tree seedlings is fast and easy for Larry Zenz, Parks, Ark., ever since he rigged up this device that bolts onto one of the rear wheels on his 16 hp utility tractor. It works as both a precise marker and as a hole puncher. "It punches holes in the ground at exact 10-ft. intervals," says Zenz. He used 3 by 3-in. angle iron to make a frame that bolts onto the tractor wheel using holes already in the wheel. He welded a metal pipe onto the frame, then inserted a 2-in. dia. solid steel shaft that's pointed at one end inside the pipe. The shaft is held secure by a steel pin. As the tractor drives down the field, the pointed shaft makes a 2-in. dia., 8-in. deep hole every 10 ft. Tree seedlings are then inserted by hand. "I can't use it on fields with a lot of stumps and rocks, but on open fields it works perfect," says Zenz, who operates a tree farm. "The wheel measures 37 in. in diameter and happened to be just the right size for spacing the holes 8 ft. apart. We had been stepping off the distance between holes and then using a shovel-like device to punch a hole in the ground. Using a wheel-mounted device is a lot faster and simpler and also more accurate. If the ground is in normal condition the device punches a hole without raising the tractor at all. However, if the wheel hits a rock or tree stump it can really vibrate the tractor. "When I'm done using the device I just pull the pin out of the shaft and pull it out. The angle iron bracket stays on the tractor." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Zenz, HC 60, 5779 E. Hwy. 28, Parks, Ark. 72950 (ph 479 577-2677).

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