Front-Mount Anhydrous Carrier

Front-Mount Anhydrous Carrier FERTILIZER APPLICATION Fertilizer Application (58f) 19-1-27 "It eliminates tracks behind our field cultivator, allowing us to work the ground once and then plant," says Duane King, Kingland Farms, Tiffin, Ohio, about his home-built carrier that pushes a 1,000-gal. anhydrous ammonia tank ahead of his Challenger 85C tractor. Anhydrous is de-livered from the tank to the back row of shanks on a 32-ft. Wilrich field cultivator that's equipped with a 5-bar flexible harrow. Trailing behind is a Brillion cultipacker hooked up to a long hitch on back of the field cultivator. A pair of 24.5 by 32 caster wheels mount on front of the carrier, which pivots on a 3-in. dia. steel pin at the front of the tractor. King uses a pickup or tractor to pull an anhydrous trailer up steel ramps and onto the carrier's 8-ft. wide platform. The ramp folds up and a chain is wrapped around the axle to secure the trailer to the carrier. A rope is used to tie the trailer hitch up out of the way. "It increases yields because we're able to plant into a loose, deep seedbed," says King, who used the carrier for the first time last spring. "We preplant apply all our an-hydrous on corn ground, and in the past if we didn't work the soil again after applying anhydrous, it was hard to get a uniform stand because of the tracks. "It turns short thanks to the caster wheels, pivot point, and the long hitch on the culti-packer. The company doesn't recommend this idea because of all the extra weight it puts on the front of the tractor. Gross weight of the anhydrous tank and trailer is about 8,000 lbs. However, the caster wheels support about half that weight so the tractor has to carry only about two tons. A radar-controlled monitoring system automatically-adjusted the anhydrous flow rate to compensate for changes in tractor speed. To build the front carrier, I used 4 by 10 and 4 by 8 sq. steel tubing and fitted it with tractor wheels I got from my brother, who had used them for tractor pulling. I got most of the steel at salvage prices. My total cost to build the carrier was less than $1,000. It even has lights on it for night work. The platform rides only 8 in. off the ground - if it touches the ground it rides along like a sled. "We got the idea after building another carrier for our Deere 8630 a few years ago. It carried a pair of 550-gal. liquid fertilizer tanks, one on each side of the carrier. The tractor pulled a Banish tine field cultivator with rolling baskets, followed by a 3-drill folding hitch that I built with a 24-ft. drill in front with an 18-ft. drill trailing behind on both sides. We were able to build that carrier with a single caster wheel because it operates on smooth ground, whereas the anhydrous carrier is used on rough chisel plowed ground. When full, the two liquid fertilizer tanks weighed about 12,000 lbs., but most of the weight was on the wheel so the tractor had no problem pushing it. I also used the carrier with a 24-row corn planter. "I was able to finish a field and fold all three drills without having to stop. Now I use a Deere 35-ft. folding drill to plant soybeans." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Duane King, Kingland Farms, 3191 W. St. Rt. 18, Tiffin, Ohio 44883 (ph,419 447-8946).

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