New attachments for food plots

[Slickheadhunter]

Should be able to do a fine job installing food plots this spring,the only thing missing is a brush hog. Once I get one of those it should be complete.



Agrex XA250 spreader

Fred Cain ripper/field tillage

Everything attachments landscape rake 3.0

Everything attachments 60in. Cultipacker

 

[jeff9366]

Excellent choices. Do you still have time to put in Fall plots there in New Hampshire?

 

[smstonypoint]

Very nice!!

Did you order your spreader and ripper from EveryThing Attchments, too?

Steve

 

[Slickheadhunter]

Very nice!!

Did you order your spreader and ripper from EveryThing Attchments, too?

Steve

Yes I bought it all through ETA.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

Excellent choices. Do you still have time to put in Fall plots there in New Hampshire?

No, far too late for this year!

 

[roostercreek]

How do you like the ratchet rake? Any problems with the straps breaking - that's what happened to my friends tool.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

I have had very good luck with the ratchet rake! I used it to install a clover field(1/2 acre) it was a lot of work with just that piece but I made due.

That landscape rake is seriously over built! It looked like it was from there videos, but in person it's a beast!
I went back and fourth on whether or not to buy the cultipacker,glad I did! It's also a tank! I have to say a cultipacker is one of the most important tools for a food plot. Very well made!

The agrex spreader is very nice with a cast gearbox, also got the shield for sand application.

The Fred Cain ripper is sinister looking, it will breakup the ground nicely for clover. My tractor with loader and filled tires is around 2900lbs and I may have to drop the outside two rippers on this 5 shank ripper,time will tell.

 

[longrangelarry]

I want to hear about the effectiveness of the rock rake- been thinking about getting one. Do you rake from scratch (excuse the pun) or till or rip first to bring up rocks? Lets say it's next spring and my fall plot is done for time to start over for the year. Would you run that ripper or a cultivator- something like that- and then rake, or just rake? I am thinking not to run the tiller until after raking because after all, the point of raking is to save the tiller tines. In that light, a cultivator or something would work best for exposing rocks. But does the rake work without some prep?

Also, you said the cultipacker seems to help a lot. Mine seems to make no difference in germination rate. But I have been using it without the weight- it seems plenty heavy, all cast iron and such. It seems to pack soil, but does it really? Recall, my soil is rocky. I have nothing to compare to. You use it to prepare the bed or set seed or both? Thanks. Interesting topic.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

I want to hear about the effectiveness of the rock rake- been thinking about getting one. Do you rake from scratch (excuse the pun) or till or rip first to bring up rocks? Lets say it's next spring and my fall plot is done for time to start over for the year. Would you run that ripper or a cultivator- something like that- and then rake, or just rake? I am thinking not to run the tiller until after raking because after all, the point of raking is to save the tiller tines. In that light, a cultivator or something would work best for exposing rocks. But does the rake work without some prep?

Also, you said the cultipacker seems to help a lot. Mine seems to make no difference in germination rate. But I have been using it without the weight- it seems plenty heavy, all cast iron and such. It seems to pack soil, but does it really? Recall, my soil is rocky. I have nothing to compare to. You use it to prepare the bed or set seed or both? Thanks. Interesting topic.

In my case my neighbor used his excavator to remove all the stumps and boulders, what's left are roots and small rocks. So in my case I would rake first then used the ripper and rake again. After raking I would roll it with the cultipacker then seed and hit it again with the roller. In your case without all the junk in the field I would rip it up, expose any junk then rake and cultipack.

After raking I will spread the lime and fertilizer then mix it in some with the ripper, rake,cultipack, seed then roll the seed in.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

I love building food plots! I guess I'm a white tail farmer

 

[longrangelarry]

Thanks. That is exactly what I would instinctively do, but as we all know, experience often teaches us otherwise! I was thinking a ripper or cultivator would pull up rocks without the damage to the implement that a tiller would get. I bet the rake levels the ground to some extent as well- always good to get it a little more even when you can. I am not sure why I plant these plots except I like seeing wildlife use them. The big bucks never come down to the bottom, not even at night, which is the only level land I have. I have planted small spots on the ridges with a walk-behind tiller. Seems to work really well, with minimal prep, at least for wheat and turnips. I don't dare take the tractor on most of the place- way too steep for comfort.

I am sure the packer weighs several hundred pounds- it's 6 foot I think. But I have a weight in the 200 lb range that I never use. Think that would help? I got terrible germinaton this fall, but it could have been standing water, or something else. I am not there much so I don't see what's going on.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

Thanks. That is exactly what I would instinctively do, but as we all know, experience often teaches us otherwise! I was thinking a ripper or cultivator would pull up rocks without the damage to the implement that a tiller would get. I bet the rake levels the ground to some extent as well- always good to get it a little more even when you can. I am not sure why I plant these plots except I like seeing wildlife use them. The big bucks never come down to the bottom, not even at night, which is the only level land I have. I have planted small spots on the ridges with a walk-behind tiller. Seems to work really well, with minimal prep, at least for wheat and turnips. I don't dare take the tractor on most of the place- way too steep for comfort.

I am sure the packer weighs several hundred pounds- it's 6 foot I think. But I have a weight in the 200 lb range that I never use. Think that would help? I got terrible germinaton this fall, but it could have been standing water, or something else. I am not there much so I don't see what's going on.

The ETA cultipacker weighs 700lbs, perhaps you need to add some weight if possible.
It's the same thing here in NH, big bucks will only use my clover in the dead of night, but for the most part I'm a meat hunter so it works out for me. I also enjoy planting these plots , all sorts of critters caught on my camera!

 

[C4Ranch]

How many acres you planting? Been thinking about a spreader. Last couple plots I spread by hand.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

There's a total of 420 acres.
So far just three plots of about 1/2 acre each.

We're going to place food plot through out the property ranging in size between 1/4 to 1 acre each, there will be many of them. We already see a huge increase in deer numbers on this property and they seem to be staying. There are swamps and thickets that will be avoided for sanctuary areas. We have a network of atv trails through the entire property.

 

[longrangelarry]

Mine are small as well and I find a sack type spreader works as well as anything. However, in these parts a used pull behind is so cheap it's a better buy than a brand new shoulder-carry spreader, plus it handles lime and fertilizer much better, needless to say! When broadcasting 100-200 lb per acre, the tow behind can do it in one load for anything less than a full acre. Mine is the 150 lb capacity Agri-Fab but they are all similar. Towed behind the quad it makes short work of my 1/4 acre plots. I can also mix seed with fert and it dilutes fine seed adequately so you get better coverage. Or maker another pass with hand spreader. I paid about $100 but smaller ones are even cheaper. So I also bought a used lawn type drop spreader for quick lime or more precise application, for something like $25. When plots are small, you have many options.

It's a lot of fun and satisfying to see the wildlife use it.
Next time I will put the weight on the packer! We will be doing some larger plots specifically for turkey and song birds- mostly millet- and those will be in long strips where I can really get the implements lined up rather than having to turn every 50 yards! You will see an immediate increase in birds and some millets come up very quickly.

 

[Slickheadhunter]

Mine are small as well and I find a sack type spreader works as well as anything. However, in these parts a used pull behind is so cheap it's a better buy than a brand new shoulder-carry spreader, plus it handles lime and fertilizer much better, needless to say! When broadcasting 100-200 lb per acre, the tow behind can do it in one load for anything less than a full acre. Mine is the 150 lb capacity Agri-Fab but they are all similar. Towed behind the quad it makes short work of my 1/4 acre plots. I can also mix seed with fert and it dilutes fine seed adequately so you get better coverage. Or maker another pass with hand spreader. I paid about $100 but smaller ones are even cheaper. So I also bought a used lawn type drop spreader for quick lime or more precise application, for something like $25. When plots are small, you have many options.

It's a lot of fun and satisfying to see the wildlife use it.
Next time I will put the weight on the packer! We will be doing some larger plots specifically for turkey and song birds- mostly millet- and those will be in long strips where I can really get the implements lined up rather than having to turn every 50 yards! You will see an immediate increase in birds and some millets come up very quickly.

I want to do a few long strip food plots as well, if located correctly they are usually deer magnets! I have a couple places in mind that border some of the swamps on this property,excellent spots for clover being in heavy damp soil. Speaking of turkeys, I have more time lapse video of turkeys than I do deer using the clover. I think they are eating the bugs, not sure.

 

[Knight9]

Sure wish Alberta allowed food plots. I'd enjoy making them almost as much as using them! :thumbsup:

 

[cmhyland]

Plant pumpkins.... Deer love to eat them....

Regards,
Chris