Home-Built Side-Mount Tiller

Home-Built Side-Mount Tiller TRACTORS Accessories 32-6-34 Tom Houska wasn't satisfied with renting equipment a couple times a year to till his garden and around newly planted trees. So he built his own hydraulic unit to mount his shop-made attachments. He stripped an old tiller down to the tines and mounted a belt-driven hydraulic motor that connects to two hydraulic cylinders on his tractor. The belt-driven motor is important, he notes, as it can slip and protect the tiller's chain. One cylinder moves the tiller in and away from the tractor up to 3 ft. The other cylinder tilts the tiller sideways. "I turn it 90 degrees for doing little vegetables, so the dirt won't cover the plants," Houska says. "When the plants get bigger, I turn the tiller at a 45-degree angle and run it at a faster speed to hill the potatoes or cover the weeds in the corn row." He starts in the center of the garden and works his way out so he doesn't leave any tire tracks. Houska notes that even in narrow rows he has good control with his side tiller and can get close to the plants. To remove the tiller, he pulls a pin, unhooks the hoses, and is then ready to mount another tool. He made a weed eater that has four Deere disc mower knives and four 1/2-in. cables that are 2 in. longer that come in handy for cutting weeds around his buildings. He also made a wire brush out of four 3/4-in. cables that move vertically to clean sidewalks and concrete areas around his home. With the attachments, Houska has found plenty of uses to keep his shop-built version of a Weed Badger busy - all from the comfort of his tractor seat. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Houska, 2068 210th Ave., Mahnomen, Minn. 56557.

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