Ride-On Garden Cultivator

Ride-On Garden Cultivator CULTIVATORS Cultivators (58C) 28-3-4 Glen Woodside of Thorndale, Ontario needed a cultivating tractor for the family's market garden. He built a good one out of an old Waterloo brand walk-behind. "We found that having the teeth in front of the drive wheels worked much better, so we moved the motor to the back and put a frame out front that is supported by a steering axle we pulled off an old trailer," he explains. "You have excellent visibility. The 5.5 hp Honda engine drives a small riding lawnmower transmission." The unit has a foot clutch and steers with a lever. Another lever raises and lowers the cultivator. The cultivator shovels (on homemade shanks) are on a V-shaped frame made from tubular steel, and their positions on the frame can be adjusted as needed to fit row width. Because the original axle wheels at the back have ratchet hubs, Woodside welded one of them solid to give him a reverse gear. He saved money on the project by using scrap steel, and only purchased a new engine and tires. He says it took about 25 hours to build, and the unit cost him only about $700. Woodside says the tractor is easy to run, and that his 11-year-old and 9-year-old sons operate it. "It works well for shallow cultivation of small vegetables. For hot, sunny days, we also added an umbrella," he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glen Woodside, R.R. 3, Thorndale, Ontario, Canada N0M 2P0 (ph 519 284-3509).

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