2005 - Volume #29, Issue #3, Page #02
[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story
| Read this issue]
Wheel-Mounted Hole Puncher Helps Plant Trees
"It punches holes in the ground at exact 10-ft. intervals," says Zenz.
He used 3 by 3-in. angle iron to make a frame that bolts onto the tractor wheel using holes already in the wheel. He welded a metal pipe onto the frame, then inserted a 2-in. dia. solid steel shaft that's pointed at one end inside the pipe. The shaft is held secure by a steel pin.
As the tractor drives down the field, the pointed shaft makes a 2-in. dia., 8-in. deep hole every 10 ft. Tree seedlings are then inserted by hand.
"I can't use it on fields with a lot of stumps and rocks, but on open fields it works perfect," says Zenz, who operates a tree farm. "The wheel measures 37 in. in diameter and happened to be just the right size for spacing the holes 8 ft. apart. We had been stepping off the distance between holes and then using a shovel-like device to punch a hole in the ground. Using a wheel-mounted device is a lot faster and simpler and also more accurate. If the ground is in normal condition the device punches a hole without raising the tractor at all. However, if the wheel hits a rock or tree stump it can really vibrate the tractor.
"When I'm done using the device I just pull the pin out of the shaft and pull it out. The angle iron bracket stays on the tractor."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Zenz, HC 60, 5779 E. Hwy. 28, Parks, Ark. 72950 (ph 479 577-2677).
Click here to download page story appeared in.
Click here to read entire issue
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.