Periscope Viewer Keeps Eye On Row-Crop Cultivator

Periscope Viewer Keeps Eye on Row-Crop Cultivator CULTIVATORS Cultivators (58C) 12-3-8 A "periscope viewer" in front of his Steiger Puma cab lets Paul Pierce, Sullivan, Ill., keep his 3-pt., 12-row cultivator centered perfectly on the row without having to look back. By looking into the top of the periscope, Pierce can watch one crop row, which appears upside down, as it passes between the cultivator's cutaway disks. "You'll see the corn plant going between the cutaway disks and it'll be upside down," says Pierce. "But all we care about is the side to side relationship of keeping the corn plants centered between the cutaway disks. It's a way of checking where-the cultivator is in relationship to the row." Single surface mirrors didn't work with his Steiger because its tires and axles blocked the view. However, the periscope, which extends to within 1 ft. of the ground, solves that problem. The periscope is a 4 ft. length of 8-in. PVC pipe with a 45 degree elbow at top and a 90 degree elbow below. In the crook of each elbow is a 10-in. long, 71/2 in. wide oblong mirror, custom cut at a local glass shop. The mirrors, which have the profile of a football, fill up as much of the elbows as possible to provide the largest viewing area possible. The top mirror is set at a 22 degree angle, with its top part at the 1 o' clock position and the bottom part at 7 o' clock. The bottom mirror is set at a 45 degree angle, with its top part at 2 o' clock and the bottom part at 8 o' clock. "The bottom mirror is angled to reflect straight up the center of the tube, and the top mirror reflects that image, making it visible from the tractor seat," explains Pierce. Both mirrors are attached to rails mounted inside the tube at the elbows. The rails, made of 1/8 in. metal, follow the curvature of the elbow. A toggle bracket is mounted on each rail. Vertical slots in the elbows allow toggle bolts to fit into these brackets. By loosening the bolts with a crescent wrench, Pierce can adjust the bolts up or down to "cock" the mirrors at the proper angles. To keep dust from interfering with the mirrors, both ends of the periscope are sealed with 8 in. dia. clear glass panels, also custom cut at the glass shop. Each glass panel is "sandwiched" between two 1-in. high rings cut from a piece of 8 in. dia. PVC pipe. The rings and glass are set within the periscope, 2 in. from each end. During the cultivating season, Pierce says he washes the glasses every day. "We hit `em with window cleaner, wipe them off, and go again." Two clamps fasten the $100 periscope to the tractor, using existing holes in the frame. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Pierce, Rt. 1, Box 109, Sullivan, Ill. 61951 (ph 217 752-6728).

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