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40-Ft. Wide Custom-Built Wick Wiper Mounts On ATV
"It lets us go over wet ground without leaving ruts, and we can cover a lot of acres fast," says Monte Kretchmar, Medford, Ark., who converted a 4-wheeler Polaris ATV into a 40-ft. wick wiping rig.
Kretchmar uses the ATV-mounted wick wiper to do custom work in a five-state region that includes Oklahoma, Kansas,
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40-Ft. Wide Custom-Built Wick Wiper Mounts On ATV ATV'S ATV'S 25-3-10 "It lets us go over wet ground without leaving ruts, and we can cover a lot of acres fast," says Monte Kretchmar, Medford, Ark., who converted a 4-wheeler Polaris ATV into a 40-ft. wick wiping rig.
Kretchmar uses the ATV-mounted wick wiper to do custom work in a five-state region that includes Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. "We wipe Roundup onto wild rye and weeds in wheat and pastures and onto Johnsongrass in ditches," he says.
The wick wiper is built in two 20-ft. sections that each ride on a pair of in-line castor wheels. The sections are built as an integral part of a steel frame that bolts onto the front and back of the ATV with six bolts. Each wiper is attached to the bottom of a poly frame. The two sections are joined together at the middle, and are raised or lowered by a hydraulic cylinder that mounts on front of the ATV. Telescoping rods connect the top part of the frame with the wiper at the bottom. As a result, the wiper can be lowered to within 3 in. of the ground or raised as high as 6 ft. Crop dividers keep crop damage from the ATV wheels at a minimum.
Hydraulics are powered by a 12-volt motor that operates off the ATV's battery.
"We built it because there wasn't anything big enough on the market," says Kretchmar. "We built three of the units. We also built a 20-ft. model that has a roof over the ATV. On a good day each rig can cover up to 600 acres apiece. We mount narrow wheels on the ATV's to reduce crop damage. In three or four days the crop comes back and you can hardly tell we were ever in the field. We don't have a lot of money invested in these rigs. We chose the Polaris model because it's equipped with an automatic transmission. It also has an air ride seat so it's comfortable to operate. We mounted a plastic windshield and lights on front.
"We haul the ATV's and booms in an enclosed trailer. We drive the ATV's into the center of the trailer and hang the booms on the walls." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Monte Kretchmar, Rt. 3, Box 154, Medford, Ark. 73759 (ph 580 395-2606)
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