They Combined Tools For One Pass Tillage

They Combined Tools For One Pass Tillage TILLAGE EUIPMENT New Tools 29-3-43 Glen Christen and his father, Don, knew that deep rippers do a great job opening up compacted soil and that chisel plows do a good job breaking up chunks. They decided to combine the two tillage tools into one machine. "We had tried combining a harrow with our 3-shank DMI ripper, but it was too light to break up the chunks," explains Glen. "We had the ripper and a chisel plow sitting next to each other one day, and we just decided to marry them up." They started by cutting off the rear section of the 9-ft. Schwartz chisel plow. This left two steel arms extending out from the rear section. Steel pins with bushings that are used with 3-pt. hitch connections were welded to the ends of the arms. To prepare the ripper, they welded a length of 4-in. sq. steel tubing to the back frame of the ripper. At a width to match the chisel plow section arms, they welded 3-pt hitch couplers from an old Deere mounted moldboard plow. When connected, the 3-pt. hitch pin and coupler allow the chisel plow arms to pivot freely. Above both "ears," they welded a heavy steel bar at about a 45? angle to mount hydraulic cylinders. Matching mounts were welded in place just ahead of the main frame of the chisel plow. "We connected the hydraulics to the ripper hydraulics, so the chisel plow floats when in use," says Glen. "But when we raise the ripper, it picks up the chisel plow too." After using the unit last fall, the Christens modified the unit a little further. They added a rigid harrow on the back of the chisel unit to break up soil chunks even more. "It is basically a bar with teeth on it," says Glen. "We mounted it on the chisel plow, so it lifts with it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glen Christen, 65 Highway 4S, Melrose, Minn. 56352 (ph 320 987-2847).

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