Air Blower Appolicator Knifes Dry Fertilizer Into Ridges

Air Blower Appolicator Knifes Dry Fertilizer Into Ridges FERTILIZER APPLICATION Fertilizer Application (58f) 19-5-7 Tom Belton, Indianola, Ill., mounted a steel hopper on the frame of a junked-out, pull-type dry fertilizer spreader to come up with an 8-row "air blower" applicator that knifes in dry fertilizer. "It lets me band starter fertilizer onto ridges before planting to give plants a quick start," says Belton. The hopper mounts crosswise so the conveyor chain in the bottom runs across air hose outlets he installed in the bottom of the hopper. A pto-driven blower on front of the tank delivers the fertilizer to cyclone cannisters mounted on a Hiniker cultivator toolbar that hitches to the back of the spreader. Fertilizer is knifed in 3 to 4 in. deep on top of the ridges behind Yetter coulters mounted on the toolbar. A ground-driven wheel chain-drives a pulley that belt-drives the conveyor chain in the hopper, which carries 3 tons of fertilizer. "It works as well as commercial `air blower' dry fertilizer banders with fiber-glass hoppers that cost as much as $30,000, but I spent less than $1,000 to build it. I think the same idea could be used to strip-till fertilizer. "I had been broadcasting dry fertilizer in the fall and working it into the ground while planting and cultivating. However, knifing the fertilizer in helps get corn off to a quicker start. I use a 170 hp Deere 4-WD tractor to pull it, but a 100 hp tractor would be adequate. I prefer to use it during the fall in order to save time, but last year I used it mostly during the spring. "I got the fertilizer spreader free from a local fertilizer dealer. I spread the wheels out on 120-in. centers to span four 30-in. rows. The pto-driven gearbox that originally powered the spinners now drives the blower. There's one outlet at the bottom of the hopper for each two rows, and I can vary the application rate by changing gears on the hopper conveyor chain. The cyclones reduce air pressure created by the fan so fertilizer falls evenly by gravity to the ground. "The toolbar is raised or lowered by lift assist wheels salvaged from an 8-row planter that I already had. The hydraulic cylinders on both the lift assist wheels and ground-driven wheel are plumbed together so that they all raise or lower at the same time." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Belton, 8787 E. 850 N. Road, Indianola, Ill. 61850 (ph 217 733-2396).

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