Homemade Tool Bar for Garden Bedder aka Disc Hiller

[artcarneyagr]

With most places having no hillers in stock, and I can't find any on the used market without nearly new pricing, and can't even find a cheap one-row cultivator and modifying it to work, I've decided to just try and make one. I've looked at all the various threads on here, and they seem a bit scattered as some people use stuff they have lying around or salvage stuff from old equipment on the cheap.

I'm having to start from scratch and trying to generate a shopping list. Open to any and all ideas, pictures are appreciated! Thanks!!!

Will a "T" shape be fine like in the pictures, or should I add some additional support at about 45 degree angles?

Category 1 tool bar:
2" x 2" Square Tube Steel - is 1/4" the thickness I need?
2" flat stock - go with 1/2" thickness? Planning to use it to add reinforcement at the "T" connection
4" flat stock - go with 1/2" thickness? Planning to use this for plate at the top for my top link, and then notch out a 2x2 square in the plate to use for my lower 2 pins
2"x2"x1/4" Angle - might use this instead for my lower 2 pins, wouldn't take much

As for the Disc Hiller, is there a preference of hub style? Looks like "King" vs "Blanton" and I'm not sure which would be better.
Disc Hiller - 16" Disc Hiller with 22" Shank, King Style Hub: Disc Hiller Cultivator-King Style
Alt. Disc Hiller - 16" Disc Hiller with 22" Shank, Blanton Style Hub: 16 Inch Disc Hiller with 22 Inch Shank | Agri Supply 31752

Clamps: I know I could probably make the clamps cheaper, but for $34 I may just buy them to save some time and effort.
Disc hiller mount bracket: https://www.ruralking.com/disc-bedder-clamp

Bar Length/Width: My tractor tire width is 30.5" between the tires, and then 55.3" out-to-out. The widest I would set my discs apart would be that 30.5" width so I can cultivate later on if needed. I'm thinking of going with a 72" bar width to get out past the tires in case I want to use the tool bar for something else in the future, or maybe add some s-tines or sweeps for use as a cultivator....do my hilling in the spring then swap the discs out for the s-tines for use as a one-row cultivator the rest of the year, but that might be too much pressure on a 72" width and might bend it?

I don't have a quick hitch, nor do I use one, but what would be the dimensions to make sure the pins are located at in case I ever picked up a quick hitch?

Open to any and all ideas, pictures are appreciated! Thanks!!!

Photos where I'm getting ideas from, some of which came from TractorByNet:

 

[bmaverick]

Also look at the hiller option here too.

Cultivator, Garden Bedder, Hiller Attachment | Heavy Hitch - Compact Tractor Attachments

Upgrade your tractor with the Heavy Hitch Cultivator, Garden Bedder, and Hiller Tractor Implement. Durable, adjustable, and perfect for various soil conditioning tasks. Shop now!

heavyhitch.com

This should give you more ideas. The more robust you make the attachment, the more it can do.

They have it for SCUT, CUT and ATVs. Most of the clamp on items can be mail order or from Farm stores too.

 

[5030]

Last time I checked, Agri Supply had them in stock

 

[artcarneyagr]

Last time I checked, Agri Supply had them in stock

We don't have those here in western KY. Closest thing we've got is Rural King, which are all out of stock for a month or more.

 

[5030]

We don't have those here in western KY. Closest thing we've got is Rural King, which are all out of stock for a month or more.

Agri Supply ships. I've purchased many things from them, all my mower blades is one. None here either. Even bought my last hay rake from them and they shipped it very reasonable.

www.agrisupply.com

 

[bmaverick]

We don't have those here in western KY. Closest thing we've got is Rural King, which are all out of stock for a month or more.

I LOVE Rural King. Wish there was one near me. Takes 2 hours 1-way to get there.

 

[artcarneyagr]

Also look at the hiller option here too.

Cultivator, Garden Bedder, Hiller Attachment | Heavy Hitch - Compact Tractor Attachments

Upgrade your tractor with the Heavy Hitch Cultivator, Garden Bedder, and Hiller Tractor Implement. Durable, adjustable, and perfect for various soil conditioning tasks. Shop now!

heavyhitch.com

This should give you more ideas. The more robust you make the attachment, the more it can do.

They have it for SCUT, CUT and ATVs. Most of the clamp on items can be mail order or from Farm stores too.

View attachment 737899

Thanks! I looked at just buying one from them but at $393 + $85 shipping, that's way more than what I could just build one for. I'm definitely keeping that website on hand in case I need some future parts, they have lots of stuff that simply clamps onto a 2"x2" tool bar.

 

[5030]

I LOVE Rural King. Wish there was one near me. Takes 2 hours 1-way to get there.

None close either. All we have is TSC where everything is either scratched, dented or broken.

 

[workinonit]

Ag Supply has tons of them and they can ship to you.

 

[artcarneyagr]

Agri Supply ships. I've purchased many things from them, all my mower blades is one. None here either. Even bought my last hay rake from them and they shipped it very reasonable.

www.agrisupply.com

Oh I know they ship, I've ordered a lot of parts from them in the past for various implements and tractor parts, and that's where I plan to get the discs from for my build.

 

[artcarneyagr]

Ag Supply has tons of them and they can ship to you.

Tons of what?

 

[workinonit]

Hillers, sweeps and tool bars.

 

[artcarneyagr]

Hillers, sweeps and tool bars.

Well I kind of said that already in the original post. I plan to order my hiller discs and parts and such from them for my build. I thought maybe you were referring to something else.

 

[workinonit]

I've never seen them but I'm sure they have something already setup.

 

[artcarneyagr]

I've never seen them but I'm sure they have something already setup.

They don't on their website, other than a $1,400 one that's more than what I need. I'm doing the simple one, for under $400

Here's all I saw on Agri Supply's site for one that's fully ready to go.......

Disc Bedder One Row

This disc bedder on row works on a 3 inch toolbar only, will not work with any other tool bar.

www.agrisupply.com

 

[bmaverick]

They don't on their website, other than a $1,400 one that's more than what I need. I'm doing the simple one, for under $400

Here's all I saw on Agri Supply's site for one that's fully ready to go.......

Disc Bedder One Row

This disc bedder on row works on a 3 inch toolbar only, will not work with any other tool bar.

www.agrisupply.com

Amazing what welding or bolting a 3PT triangle together on any attachment can raise the price from a mere $400 to $1,400. LOL

I've looked at universal 3PT triangle hardware and then building off of them. You are indeed right, it's a huge savings.

Something low end like this

To a beefy one like this.

Even the simple cost savings types prove well suited for many applications.
Last year, I made one like this out of a 4x4 sq post.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

Will a "T" shape be fine like in the pictures, or should I add some additional support at about 45 degree angles?

Category 1 tool bar:
2" x 2" Square Tube Steel - is 1/4" the thickness I need?
2" flat stock - go with 1/2" thickness? Planning to use it to add reinforcement at the "T" connection
4" flat stock - go with 1/2" thickness? Planning to use this for plate at the top for my top link, and then notch out a 2x2 square in the plate to use for my lower 2 pins
2"x2"x1/4" Angle - might use this instead for my lower 2 pins, wouldn't take much

As for the Disc Hiller, is there a preference of hub style? Looks like "King" vs "Blanton" and I'm not sure which would be better.
Disc Hiller - 16" Disc Hiller with 22" Shank, King Style Hub: Disc Hiller Cultivator-King Style
Alt. Disc Hiller - 16" Disc Hiller with 22" Shank, Blanton Style Hub: 16 Inch Disc Hiller with 22 Inch Shank | Agri Supply 31752

Clamps: I know I could probably make the clamps cheaper, but for $34 I may just buy them to save some time and effort.
Disc hiller mount bracket: https://www.ruralking.com/disc-bedder-clamp

Bar Length/Width: My tractor tire width is 30.5" between the tires, and then 55.3" out-to-out. The widest I would set my discs apart would be that 30.5" width so I can cultivate later on if needed. I'm thinking of going with a 72" bar width to get out past the tires in case I want to use the tool bar for something else in the future, or maybe add some s-tines or sweeps for use as a cultivator....do my hilling in the spring then swap the discs out for the s-tines for use as a one-row cultivator the rest of the year, but that might be too much pressure on a 72" width and might bend it?

I don't have a quick hitch, nor do I use one, but what would be the dimensions to make sure the pins are located at in case I ever picked up a quick hitch?

I built the hillers in the first and fourth pictures you posted. They're made from 2" square 1/4" wall tubing. The orange painted hiller got sold to a neighbor of mine, and he uses it every year, 10 years now. The 2nd hiller I added a pipe to place a cultivator shank in. It's purpose is to leave a shallow furrow in to plant on top of the hill. Both versions used the 16" disc/22" shank Blanton hub style. Can't remember why I chose that style. I built the bar width to 48" just for convenience. Center to center on the old 8N was about 5', which enabled me to bed up close to 3' per row. The most important thing I've found using it, is to be sure to hill up inside your tire track. The hiller doesn't weigh very much, so doesn't move much dirt if it's not loosened up. The compaction of the tire limits the amount of hill. I have an old Pittsburg cultivator that I use to prep the ground before hilling. The shovels break up the ground, enabling the hiller to throw the dirt up for the hill. I found out a benefit of this tool, it creates a small furrow on either side of the hill, perfect for irrigating. I don't know how big of a bed you're trying to create, the angle of the discs will determine how much dirt it will throw. I've used the one I built for years, the only thing I've done to it is weld caps on the cross tubing to keep ants from building a nest when it sets. I've not had to repair anything. It's really lightweight but durable for it's application. You could weld all the bracing on it you felt it needed. For $34.00, I'd build all the clamps you wanted, and ship for $2.00. The Cat 1 3 point measurements are pretty standard, I'd recommend looking at several quick hitches to see what they measure. Hope this helps.

 

[artcarneyagr]

I built the hillers in the first and fourth pictures you posted. They're made from 2" square 1/4" wall tubing. The orange painted hiller got sold to a neighbor of mine, and he uses it every year, 10 years now. The 2nd hiller I added a pipe to place a cultivator shank in. It's purpose is to leave a shallow furrow in to plant on top of the hill. Both versions used the 16" disc/22" shank Blanton hub style. Can't remember why I chose that style. I built the bar width to 48" just for convenience. Center to center on the old 8N was about 5', which enabled me to bed up close to 3' per row. The most important thing I've found using it, is to be sure to hill up inside your tire track. The hiller doesn't weigh very much, so doesn't move much dirt if it's not loosened up. The compaction of the tire limits the amount of hill. I have an old Pittsburg cultivator that I use to prep the ground before hilling. The shovels break up the ground, enabling the hiller to throw the dirt up for the hill. I found out a benefit of this tool, it creates a small furrow on either side of the hill, perfect for irrigating. I don't know how big of a bed you're trying to create, the angle of the discs will determine how much dirt it will throw. I've used the one I built for years, the only thing I've done to it is weld caps on the cross tubing to keep ants from building a nest when it sets. I've not had to repair anything. It's really lightweight but durable for it's application. You could weld all the bracing on it you felt it needed. For $34.00, I'd build all the clamps you wanted, and ship for $2.00. The Cat 1 3 point measurements are pretty standard, I'd recommend looking at several quick hitches to see what they measure. Hope this helps.

Thank you for that info! That's very helpful.

You don't happen to a have photo of your second hiller where you added a pipe to place a cultivator shank in? I assume it was a just a vertical pipe that you could slide the cultivator shank in, and maybe have removable pins to adjust it up or down? I have a box blade with 6 ripper shanks, I've been trying to think of a way to borrow one off of it to use for making a shallow furrow on top of the hill.

The furrow you mentioned alongside the hills is definitely a bonus, I was looking at getting soaker hoses but I think with the furrow and irrigating I won't have to mess with soaker hoses. Planning on doing a 70x70 area for pumpkins, watermelons, and cantaloupes, along with my other area that's 30x60 for misc garden vegetables like potatoes, green beans, sweet corn, peppers, etc.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

Thank you for that info! That's very helpful.

You don't happen to a have photo of your second hiller where you added a pipe to place a cultivator shank in? I assume it was a just a vertical pipe that you could slide the cultivator shank in, and maybe have removable pins to adjust it up or down? I have a box blade with 6 ripper shanks, I've been trying to think of a way to borrow one off of it to use for making a shallow furrow on top of the hill.

The furrow you mentioned alongside the hills is definitely a bonus, I was looking at getting soaker hoses but I think with the furrow and irrigating I won't have to mess with soaker hoses. Planning on doing a 70x70 area for pumpkins, watermelons, and cantaloupes, along with my other area that's 30x60 for misc garden vegetables like potatoes, green beans, sweet corn, peppers, etc.

In your original post, it's the 4th picture down. Date in the corner is Mar 7 2012. The picture shows the beta version when I was playing with the idea. A piece of 2" square is temporarily sandwiched between the upright, and the pipe to hold the cultivator shank. There are 2 nuts welded to the pipe to grip the shank.

The ground where our gardens are slope towards a swale. We use tote tanks to haul water in from the river. Open the valve and let it flow seems to be just the right rate to allow water to flow and soak in the rows. Typically, we get plenty of rain early on, till about June for the first crops (potatoes, green beans, cauliflower,etc). Only have to water the blackberries, raspberries, pumpkins, indian corn etc.

 

[JethroB]

Before toolbars came along cultivator frames were used. I have a couple of six footers. They can be found around here in scrap piles, fence lines, or junk yards pretty cheap. Holes are at 1 inch spacings.