Planter Caddy Built From Semi Tractor Axle

Planter Caddy Built From Semi Tractor Axle PLANTERS Planters 24-1-37 To get weight off the back of his tractor, Julian Huffman of Toledo, Ill., mounted an IH 800 3-pt. planter on a "caddy" made out of a semi trailer axle. He got the idea after converting the planter to narrow row, no-till soybeans. The 12-row, 30-in. planter became a heavier 15-row, 15-in. model which he mounted on the caddy. "It works as well as commercial caddies that cost thousands of dollars," says Huffman. "I paid $100 for the semi axle. My total cost was less than $500." Machinist Gary Hatten of Neoga, Ill., did the work. He narrowed up the axle so each set of dual wheels straddles a row. He welded a steel frame on top of the axle and bolted the lower lift arms off an Allis-Chalmers D21 tractor onto it. A hydraulic cylinder on the lift arms is used to raise or lower the planter. He used sq. steel tubing to make a 10-ft. long hitch, which he welded to the front of the axle. He used sheet metal to make fenders for the wheels. "I use either my Ford 8700 2-WD tractor or my Deere 4040 2-WD tractor to pull it. They're both equipped with dual wheels to minimize compaction," says Huffman. "I built it five years ago and have used it to plant 300 to 1,000 acres of soybeans each year. I use an adjustable threaded center link to level the caddy. I tried using a Tye drill to plant soybeans, but I found that my planter has better metering and also better seed depth control. "Even with the long hitch I can turn right around at the end of the field and line right up with the rows for the next pass." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Hatten, Rt. 1, Box 370-4, Neoga, Ill. 62447 (ph 217 849-3352).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.