Anhydrous Rig Converted Into Subtiller

Anhydrous rig converted into subtiller TILLAGE EUIPMENT Fertilizer Application (25) 12-2-8 By adding subtiller shanks and coulters to a "beefed up" double toolbar ammonia applicator, Jerry Gilmore, Kingdom City, Mo., has discovered a cheap way to subtill between corn rows. Gilmore bought three 20-in. Yetter coulters, mounting them on the 3-pt. applicator's front toolbar, and three 24-in. shanks, mounting them on the rear toolbar. He figures his total cost for the subtiller at $1,859. Gilmore, who ridges or no-tills most of his corn, doesn't work the ground in the spring so it's often waterlogged and compacted. 'Without spending a lot of money, I wanted something to loosen and aerate the soil," he says. "I already had the ammonia rig. I thought if I could make it stouter and just buy the shanks and coulters, I'd come out cheaper than buying a commercial subtiller." Gilmore sub-tills between rows when corn is about 6 in. high - high enough that , the tillage tool won't throw clods over it. "As I drive, I can see the ground lifting up, but the topsoil isn't disturbed," says Gilmore. "With the ground loosened, mots go deeper, rain soaks in, and there's a lot less runoff." To "beef up" the rear 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. toolbar, Gilmore welded an identical bar on front. He also- added a 1 1/2 x 7 in. channel bar on the bottom, making it a 7 x 5 in. toolbar. Then, using 4 bolts, he clamped on each of the 24-in. long shanks. The 2 outside shanks are made by Strom Mfg.; the center shank, by Blu-Jet Mfg. The Strom shanks are equipped with pointed wings, 6 in. long and 3 in. wide; the Blu-Jet shank's point is shaped more like a foot. "I tried both types of shanks because I wasn't sure which type I'd like best," says Gilmore. "Both types work equally well." For protection against rocks, the shanks are equipped with shearpins. Contact: FARM SHOW Follow-up, Jerry Gilmore, Rt. 1, Box 36, Kingdom City, Mo., 65262 (ph 314 642-2364).

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