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Bridge Hitch Pulls Fertilizer Cart Behind Planter
"It lets us apply fertilizer on up to 120 acres at a time without having to refill," says Darwin Peterson, Alden, Iowa, who, along with son Ronald, built an 18-ft. long bridge hitch and a 6-ton dry fertilizer cart that they pull behind their 8-row White 6100 planter. Cart delivers fertilizer by air to each planter fert
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Bridge Hitch Pulls Fertilizer Cart Behind Planter FERTILIZER APPLICATION Fertilizer Application (58f) 17-6-7 "It lets us apply fertilizer on up to 120 acres at a time without having to refill," says Darwin Peterson, Alden, Iowa, who, along with son Ronald, built an 18-ft. long bridge hitch and a 6-ton dry fertilizer cart that they pull behind their 8-row White 6100 planter. Cart delivers fertilizer by air to each planter fertilizer opener.
Peterson removed the planter's original fertilizer tanks and metering system. He used 5 by 7 steel tubing to build the bridge hitch and 18-ga. sheet metal to build the cart which is mounted on a pair of 21 by 16-in. tires. A Crary hydraulic-driven blower (powered by tractor hydraulics) is mounted on the cart's axle. The blower sends fertilizer through a 1 1/2-in. dia. conduit mounted alongside the bridge hitch to the planter. An electric clutch is used to start or stop the cart's ground-driven metering system.
"I built it because I didn't want to have to stop to refill the fertilizer tanks on my planter as often," says Peterson. "I bought the planter in 1991 equipped with fertilizer tanks and openers, but the system didn't work well because the double disc openers plugged up. The company finally replaced them with single disc openers set at a fixed angle so they don't plug up.
"I spent only about $4,000 to build the cart and hitch. Commercial pull-type dry fertilizer tenders sell for at least $12,000. At an application rate of 100 lbs. per acre I can cover 120 acres without having to refill. The hitch is long enough that I can turn the planter fairly short without hitting the cart. I use a hand crank to calibrate the ground-driven metering system on cart before Igo to the field. The metering device is hinged so I can tip it up in the air and wash it out with a garden hose.
"Next year I plan to also use the cart to fill my planter with soybeans. I'll replace the metering system with an air lock powered by a 12-volt gearhead motor. A 2-in. dia. hose will deliver soybeans to the planter and a cyclone will slow them down as I fill each hopper."
Peterson says he'd be willing to custom build the bridge hitch and cart.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Darwin Peterson, Rt. 2, Alden, Iowa 50006 (ph 515 859-7392).
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