GA Cultipacker Build

[Buty]

Thought I'd share my cultipacker build. Everything was purchased at my recycle center at .25 lbs except for the wheels and bearings. The center square bar was filled with sand to add weight. Estimated at just over 500 lbs.

 

[stuckmotor]

The cultipacker looks great but, what really interests me is your recycle center. Is it part of your local landfill? I don't know what our county does with the scrap iron that's thrown in the bin, I just know they won't let individuals have it.

 

[Buty]

The cultipacker looks great but, what really interests me is your recycle center. Is it part of your local landfill? I don't know what our county does with the scrap iron that's thrown in the bin, I just know they won't let individuals have it.

It's a metal recycle center so they have everything from cans to steel. Sometimes good usable equipment such as implements or, parts of implements. The 3 point attachment on this cultipacker was a K&M ballast box carrier that someone sold for pennies. It looked brand new. All I had to do was to notch it out and weld it to the cross bar for the cultipacker.

 

[Buty]

Planted some buckwheat this morning and just beat the rain. Worked like a charm.

 

[jack707]

Looks good!

 

[Buty]

Looks good!

Like predicted, still doesn't cover the wheel tracks but that's OK. In the videos I've seen, even the ones with the 15" wheels don't seem to cover the tracks.

 

[stuckmotor]

It's a metal recycle center so they have everything from cans to steel. Sometimes good usable equipment such as implements or, parts of implements. The 3 point attachment on this cultipacker was a K&M ballast box carrier that someone sold for pennies. It looked brand new. All I had to do was to notch it out and weld it to the cross bar for the cultipacker.

Thanks for explaining.

 

[kebo]

NICE work on your cultipacker! I like it. I have a home made cultipacker as well, but someone else built it. I bought it off CL for $350, I think it was. It's made a little differently in that it has four rippers in front of the wheels. This actually works well, it tends to lightly cover most of the seed, then the wheels pack it down.

Here are some pic's from a couple years ago of a food plot on a gas line where I hunt at.

 

[Steave]

Hey, glad you got it built and going. That's a nice looking tool and it works good too.

My scrap metal places sell for .30/lb or it was about 6 months ago.

I'm thinking as mentioned already about adding a couple of tines or something on the front of my cultipacker just to break up the tractor tracks but just enough not to move the seeds around very much. Maybe some slim tines maybe 3/8" rod size about 4 on each side?? Just thinking. They shouldn't disturb the seeds enough to notice and may try something for the fall planting.

Are you going to cut your buckwheat down just after it blooms and before it seeds for green manure. I cut mine down then disc or turn it under. I have a spot I need to do about 3 times next summer. When I have a spot that has poor ground that's what I use to build it up. It takes less than 2 months for it to bloom so I can get in 3 plantings sometimes weather permitting. I don't let it go to seed because it can go crazy if it gets away from you.

 

[Buty]

Hey, glad you got it built...Are you going to cut your buckwheat down just after it blooms and before it seeds for green manure. I cut mine down then disc or turn it under. I have a spot I need to do about 3 times next summer. When I have a spot that has poor ground that's what I use to build it up. It takes less than 2 months for it to bloom so I can get in 3 plantings sometimes weather permitting. I don't let it go to seed because it can go crazy if it gets away from you.

It's just pasture area that I'm planting not really garden area. I am crazy enough to plant for the bees and deer so I will just let it bloom for as long as possible. I will till that under and plant some Brassicas there in the fall and the first frost will kill any buckwheat that pops up anyway.

 

[jack707]

Looks good

 

[Steave]

Your cultipacker is too pretty to be putting it in the field. Sit that one in the front yard and get you an old junker like I have for the field. .

First year I planted some buckwheat and it started to bloom I went up one morning to goof off and check on my cameras. It was a heavy dew that morning and when I was nearing the less than quarter of an acre patch it looked funny, the white blooms weren't white anymore. When I got closer to actually see it was covered in yellow butterflies. They had to be numbered in the thousands and working the plants like a swarm of bees. Pretty sight seeing all those bunched together so there must be something there the butterflies like to eat.

The bees, the few that's still here, go for the clover mostly but they do work the buckwheat too. Around here when we done bees we got wild flower honey a dukes mixture of flowers. It's good honey and could sell all we could harvest but lots of work trying to keep the bees healthy. It's a constant battle against the parasites and mites not to mention the hornets and birds.

 

[rodnok]

Yesterday I paid a visit to Buty at his home in Georgia. He had posted a ballast box for sale on craigslist. I did not know he is a member here until we started talking about tractor stuff. His place is a piece if heaven. Very nice young man! Thanks again. Buty for the good deal! That cultipacker is a work of art.

 

[Steave]

My buddy, passed on now, used to go hunting at that private wildlife club up around Crossville. It is a 600 acre reserve with all kinds of exotic animals. Several kinds of big horn sheep, wild russian hogs, and trophy deer plus a lot of other stuff. Him and his wife would go up and hunt and stay a couple of days. The owner had a few medium size trailers to stay in. I live about 30-35 miles from Canton, GA off Hwy 411 / 20 before getting to Rome, GA.

Buty can use his cultipacker for ballast now. Maybe he won't get it dirty using it that way.

 

[rodnok]

Steave, we bought some land up by Crossville. Will be building house up there after our house sells. Dont know about hunting preserve uo there. Would like to though. Buty needs 700 lbs of ballast so cultipacker wont do

 

[jack707]

What about filling his back tires with beet juice for extra weight?.

 

[Steave]

What about filling his back tires with beet juice for extra weight?.

I don't need any ballast but where do you buy that beet juice. Most folks around here use Rim Guard or Calcium Chloride. Calcium Chloride is what rusts your rims. Beet Juice or Rim Guard won't rust is what I've heard. Sorry Buty for hyjacking your thread. I'm done now.

 

[jack707]

Beet juice is rim guard

 

[Steave]

OK thanks.

 

[Buty]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

Rodnok, nice meeting you too and thanks again for the purchase.