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Ground Hog Cultivator
A machine with a track pulling a small cultivator caught the eye of Levi Stoltzfus when he was shopping for a new garden tiller. The owner had built it himself 10 years before. Now Stoltzfus manufactures a modified version of it at his business, Swampy Hollow Mfg., in Goodville, Pennsylvania.
"My wife loves it,"
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Ground Hog Cultivator CULTIVATORS Cultivators (58C) 31-6-26 A machine with a track pulling a small cultivator caught the eye of Levi Stoltzfus when he was shopping for a new garden tiller. The owner had built it himself 10 years before. Now Stoltzfus manufactures a modified version of it at his business, Swampy Hollow Mfg., in Goodville, Pennsylvania.
"My wife loves it," Stoltzfus says, "so we made two, put out ads and sold them right away." The first one ended up in India for cultivating sugar cane.
The Ground Hog Cultivator is operated like a tiller, but instead of front tines, it pulls a small cultivator. The cultivator tines go in the ground about 4 in. with just the weight of the machine. For deeper tilling, simply go over the area twice, Stoltzfus says. The cultivator pushes the dirt apart instead of pulling moisture and weed seeds to the surface like a tiller. And instead of jumping like a tiller when it hits rocks, the cultivator slides past them.
"It's easier to operate than a regular rototiller," Stoltzfus adds. "With a tiller you have to hold back. This one you set it to the speed you want. It feels like it's going faster and gets something done."
Stoltzfus uses 5 1/2 hp engines that run from idle to full speed.
Another benefit of the cultivator is that it folds up for rows as narrow as 9 in. and expands to rows up to 30 in. With tracks instead of wheels, there is less compaction and slippage on the soil, Stoltzfus adds.
At 175 lbs., the Ground Hog is similar in weight and size to a tiller. Cost is $1,095. In the near future, Stoltzfus says he hopes to add a transmission for two forward speeds and reverse. He also plans to add attachments: a row maker, hiller and seeder.
"I am personally pleased with it, but I hardly get a chance to use it," Stoltzfus says, adding that his wife uses it all the time.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Levi Stoltzfus, Swampy Hollow Mfg., 1564 Main St., Goodville, Pennsylvania 17528 (ph 717 445-4027).
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