Cultipacker wheels from Agri Supply

[Buty]

Since they are hard to find used in my area, I plan to build a 5' cultipacker to manage a few small food plots (5000 sq ft ea.). Looking at the wheels from Agri Supply and was wondering if someone could recommend them or, recommend another source for the wheels. I will be using the cultipacker a few times a year after the use of a rototiller and will be planting anything from clover to larger grains. My soil here is clay/rocky but improving. Thanks.

 

[Steave]

You're right about the hard to find used cultipacker. I happened to luck up and find one a few years ago in Cedartown, Ga. It sure helps the seeds make better, firmer contact with the soil for shallow planted grains and leaves the field looking neat.

I don't know anything about those wheels from Agri Supply but it sure sounds like the way to go. On a 5 footer you'd have about 26-27 wheels so that would be a lot less expensive than just buying one. That's what I was going to do before I found the one I got. Mine has 2 sections of rollers, larger rollers first followed by a row of smaller diameter rollers on back. It was built as a seeder but the boxes are missing and I'm just using it as a cultipacker.

It buries the smaller rocks as it passes over them and also helps with erosion by firming the soil. As far as how good it would hold up would be how fast you tried dragging it. Around here the bigger rocks would sooner or later break a wheel if you traveled very fast. I'm old and slow so don't worry much about it.

Tifton is the closest Agri Supply from here then Valdosta there also is one on I-16 before you get to Suvannah. I usually keep me a list going and stop in Tifton on the way to my Son's house in Fla. when I can make it down. If you build one don't forget to show us some pictures.

 

[Buty]

Thank you so much for the reply. I'm like you, I'm in no hurry with these small plots so I think it would hold up just fine.

 

[Steave]

If you build your own would you be making it a pull behind or 3pt hookup. Pull behind would be easier to build and if you had a boom pole or loader you could haul it to the field then hook it up. Mine happens to be a 3pt hitch but when I get to the field just drop and no need to pick it back up. Of course that would be if you had turn around room. If you had to back up it wouldn't be a problem with a cultipacker.

Surely must be a reason but on mine the shaft through the wheels is mounted so it will rotate and the wheels will turn freely on the shaft that rotates. I'm not convinced that if the shaft was stationary and let the packer wheels rotate on it wouldn't work just as good on small food plots. If you were doing a big field it might save some wear on the packer wheels. Mine probably gets 2-3 hours of actually rolling a year. Only use it for food plots in the spring and then again in the fall a total of about 2 acres.

 

[Fallon]

The huge gap between wheels & shaft lets the wheels float a bit to follow the contours of the ground where it isn't perfectly level. Lots of old packers used oak bearings that lasted for many decades. That shaft doesn't rotate that much.

 

[jack707]

I bought my cultipacker wheels there I'm building a 6 foot packer to use on my food plot. I guess I went overboard on the frame I uses 2x2x1/4 tube and the whole thing is heavy!. I going to weld a 3 pt. Hitch instead of a bar.

 

[Steave]

The huge gap between wheels & shaft lets the wheels float a bit to follow the contours of the ground where it isn't perfectly level. Lots of old packers used oak bearings that lasted for many decades. That shaft doesn't rotate that much.

I've tried to notice how much the shaft is turning but it's hard to tell. Mine is (was) a Brillion Seeder at one time and the seeds fall down behind the front set of rollers and the back set of rollers covered the seeds. The ground needs to be worked up good and smooth for it to work properly. My cousin just redone a couple of smaller fields for hay. He seeded lespedeza then borrowed my cultipacker to firm the top of the ground. Thats where these things really shine.

 

[Steave]

I bought my cultipacker wheels there I'm building a 6 foot packer to use on my food plot. I guess I went overboard on the frame I uses 2x2x1/4 tube and the whole thing is heavy!. I going to weld a 3 pt. Hitch instead of a bar.

What are you using for the shaft. I think the diameter of the center hole is 1 3/4".

 

[jack707]

I am using cold rolled steel 1 3/4

 

[jack707]

6 foot long

 

[Oldstuff]

I have been doing plots for wildlife since 2004 and the cultipacker is a great tool. When mine was made by a local that makes them I selected to get a tow behind at the recommendation of a friend that has a 3 point and a tow behind cultipacker. This one is 6 foot working area. It was made from the wheels of a really big old packer on a new 2 by 2 inch square tubing frame. Has a 1 3/4 solid axle shaft and has greasable ball bearing blocks. The shaft does flex with the contour of the ground.

 

[Buty]

This is what I was thinking about building. I have the top 4" pipe so I was thinking of using that and fill with sand for extra weight. The receiver tube would be for adding a hitch for pulling.

 

[Buty]

I bought my cultipacker wheels there I'm building a 6 foot packer to use on my food plot. I guess I went overboard on the frame I uses 2x2x1/4 tube and the whole thing is heavy!. I going to weld a 3 pt. Hitch instead of a bar.

Please send pics when you get a chance. Thanks.

 

[jack707]

 

[Buty]

Looking good!

 

[jack707]

Thanks! This project is not done yet I still have to weld a bar across the front so I can weld my 3pt.hitch on to the tube.ill post another pic. When I'm done.

 

[kebo]

Just thought I would add some pic's of my cultipacker. It's a home made job as well, but I had nothing to do with building it. I was watching CL for a long time and finally saw this one just north of charlotte, so I went and got it for the reasonable price of $350. Or at least, I thought it was reasonable. This one is different from most because it has the four rippers in front of the wheels. Believe it or not, that works pretty well as they are set to be just below the wheels. This way, they only dig down no more than an inch or so, which really just scuffs up the dirt and covers up the seed very lightly, and then the wheels pack it down. One of the pic's was just after packing the seed down, the last pic is after the seed came up, but before the deer started hitting it hard.


Bringing the cultipacker home:





On the back of the tractor, this one actually measures 5 1/2 ft from wheel to wheel:





After packing it down:




Last years food plot (same food plot as above):

 

[Buty]

Kebo, that's a really nice score!