Ragweed Cutter Clears Fields Fast

Ragweed Cutter Clears Fields Fast CROPS Weed Control 32-5-2 "Giant ragweed is no joke when it takes over a field. This summer the 6 to 8-ft. weed took over a good part of an 8-acre field I planted to trees last fall. Overseeding with oats had helped with most of the weeds, but not the ragweed. "The tree-tolerant herbicide the state forester recommended runs about $500/gal. That assumed I could find someone who had it and would apply it. "Always looking for another way to use my Honda four-wheeler, I recalled knocking over trash trees the winter before with its mounted loader. After talking it over with Sheldon Kinneberg at Preston Iron Works, we came up with a simple cutterbar. "He overlapped an 8-ft. length of 1 1/4-in. sq. steel tubing with a length of 2-in. wide, 1/4-in. steel strap, spot-welding it in place. I centered it on my ATV's 44-in. wide loader bucket and drilled two holes through the cutterbar and the bucket's reinforced cutting edge. I bolted the bar in place, locking it down tight so it wouldn't wear on the holes. "Once in the field, the bar proved itself about 60 percent effective. When I hit the giant ragweed at speeds of 15 to 20 mph, the bar took them out. However, as often as not, it pulled them out of the ground and they piled up on the loader bar. After many trips to the edge of the field to unload, I headed back to the shop to grind a cutting edge on the steel strap. "That change made all the difference. Though I still pulled the occasional ragweed out of the ground, most were snapped off about 12 to 15 inches above the ground. That left their stubble well above the 5 to 6-in. tree seedlings that had emerged this spring. "The $30 for the steel and couple gallons of gas were a steal compared to what it would have cost for an herbicide application." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Ruen, 26007 Gladiola Lane, Lanesboro, Minn. 55949 (ph 507 467-7770; jim@farmshow.com).

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