Roller Rig Levels Rough Pastures
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Livestock producers faced with rough and rocky pastures now have a new tool for leveling them out. Ag Shield, a Canadian equipment company, has devised a heavy duty blade system that mounts in front of an Ag Shield land roller. As the “Pasture Doctor” rig is pulled across a lumpy or rocky pasture or hayfield, the blade levels the soil mounds and the heavy duty roller pushes rocks into the soil. The rig can also be fitted with a small air seeder so pastures can be interseeded to improve stands.
Producer Morley Sparrow says that before he used the Ag Shield setup he rented a field leveler and followed that with a roller, requiring two passes across the field.
Ag Shield says the blade rides on gauge wheels spaced 18 in. apart. The hydraulically adjustable gauge wheels move blade height from 3/4 in. above the soil surface, which leaves alfalfa crowns intact on a hay field, to 2 1/2 in. for working in soft and fluffy conditions. In heavily grassed CRP fields, a controlled burn to remove the vegetation simplifies the smoothing operation.
The Pasture Doctor can be optioned with an air delivery system to place seeds behind the leveling blade so they’re packed into the fresh soil surface for better germination. The company says older pastures benefit from adding grass to fill in bare areas rather than completely tilling and reseeding the whole pasture. The Pasture Doctor also works well for seeding cover crops. Optional clamp on bars that cover the 42-in dia. rollers will beat down the cover crop before seeding.
Single section rollers are available in widths from 11 to 20 ft. Transport pivots reduce the road travel width of single section rollers to 8 1/2 ft. Threeplex units are available in sizes from 30 to 52 ft. Each size folds to a 12 1/2-ft. transport width. Wings lock in place with heavy duty bars that run from the center section to the outside of each wing.
Using the Pasture Doctor on a hay field provides other benefits. Small rocks are pushed into the soil and gopher mounds or other uneven surfaces are leveled, creating a smooth surface. Harvest equipment can be run closer to the ground without the fear of plugging sickles with dirt or picking up dirt and rocks and running it through a chopper or baler. Smooth fields allow an operator to run quicker with less stress on the equipment and the driver.
Ground pressure on the Pasture Doctor 42-in. rollers is about 4 lbs. per sq. in. Watertight drums can add another 500 lbs. of weight per foot of roller.
The 42-in. dia. rollers on the Pasture Doctor are 9/16 in. thick. A roller section has a high tensile 2 1/2-in. replaceable roller shaft. The rugged box frame has gussetted corners for improved strength.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ag Shield, Inc., Box 9, Benito, Manitoba, Canada R0L 0C0 (ph 888 562-0924; www.agshield.com).
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Roller Rig Levels Rough Pastures TILLAGE EUIPMENT Miscellaneous Livestock producers faced with rough and rocky pastures now have a new tool for leveling them out Ag Shield a Canadian equipment company has devised a heavy duty blade system that mounts in front of an Ag Shield land roller As the “Pasture Doctor” rig is pulled across a lumpy or rocky pasture or hayfield the blade levels the soil mounds and the heavy duty roller pushes rocks into the soil The rig can also be fitted with a small air seeder so pastures can be interseeded to improve stands Producer Morley Sparrow says that before he used the Ag Shield setup he rented a field leveler and followed that with a roller requiring two passes across the field Ag Shield says the blade rides on gauge wheels spaced 18 in apart The hydraulically adjustable gauge wheels move blade height from 3/4 in above the soil surface which leaves alfalfa crowns intact on a hay field to 2 1/2 in for working in soft and fluffy conditions In heavily grassed CRP fields a controlled burn to remove the vegetation simplifies the smoothing operation The Pasture Doctor can be optioned with an air delivery system to place seeds behind the leveling blade so they’re packed into the fresh soil surface for better germination The company says older pastures benefit from adding grass to fill in bare areas rather than completely tilling and reseeding the whole pasture The Pasture Doctor also works well for seeding cover crops Optional clamp on bars that cover the 42-in dia rollers will beat down the cover crop before seeding Single section rollers are available in widths from 11 to 20 ft Transport pivots reduce the road travel width of single section rollers to 8 1/2 ft Threeplex units are available in sizes from 30 to 52 ft Each size folds to a 12 1/2-ft transport width Wings lock in place with heavy duty bars that run from the center section to the outside of each wing Using the Pasture Doctor on a hay field provides other benefits Small rocks are pushed into the soil and gopher mounds or other uneven surfaces are leveled creating a smooth surface Harvest equipment can be run closer to the ground without the fear of plugging sickles with dirt or picking up dirt and rocks and running it through a chopper or baler Smooth fields allow an operator to run quicker with less stress on the equipment and the driver Ground pressure on the Pasture Doctor 42-in rollers is about 4 lbs per sq in Watertight drums can add another 500 lbs of weight per foot of roller The 42-in dia rollers on the Pasture Doctor are 9/16 in thick A roller section has a high tensile 2 1/2-in replaceable roller shaft The rugged box frame has gussetted corners for improved strength Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ag Shield Inc Box 9 Benito Manitoba Canada R0L 0C0 ph 888 562-0924; www agshield com
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