He Cultivates Corn With His Front-End Loader

2010 - Volume #34, Issue #4, Page #25

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Dan Scheele got tired of accidentally wiping out corn with his 3-pt. mounted row crop cultivator.
    "I couldn't see what I was doing without turning around all the time, and that gave me a stiff neck," says the Ingersoll, Ontario farmer.
    To improve the view, he mounted the 6-row, 30-in. cultivator on his Deere 60 hp tractor's front-end loader. A pair of forks quick-tach to the loader in place of the bucket. The forks simply slip into a pair of box tubes that Scheele welded onto the cultivator's toolbar. To compensate for the extra weight up front, he added weight to the back of the tractor.
    "It's a simple idea but it really works great. I like being able to see what I'm doing," says Scheele, who has used his loader-mounted cultivator for 4 years with no problems. "I got inspired for the idea one day after I accidentally wiped out 6 rows of corn. I'm an organic farmer and cultivate corn at least twice a year, so doing a good job of cultivating is very important.
    "The loader blocks my view of the 2 center rows. When cultivating I watch just the outside row on the left side, which is just outside the tractor's left front wheel. As long as I'm centered on that row I know I'm okay on all the other rows."
    There are other advantages to a loader-mounted cultivator, says Scheele. "Because I can see what I'm doing, it's easier to adjust the tractor's speed so that I can throw dirt closer to the rows. The loader is heavy enough that I have no trouble cultivating at the depth I want, whereas with a 3-pt. mounted cultivator sometimes it's hard to get enough downpressure. Also, the front-mounted cultivator frees up my 3-pt. hitch for other implements."
    To add forks to the loader he made a frame out of 2 by 4-in. tubing. A 1 1/4-in. dia. horizontal shaft supports the forks. A pair of box tubes welded on front of the frame ensures adequate clearance between the cultivator and the tractor's front wheels.
    He removed the cultivator's 3-pt. hitch, then welded a pair of 5-in. wide by 2-in. high box beams on top of the toolbar to match the forks. "I made sure I got a good bead when making the welds. They haven't cracked yet," says Scheele.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dan Scheele, 353948 Jordan Line, S-W Oxford Township, RR 4, Ingersoll, Ontario N5C 3J7 (ph 519 485-3644; manus252@295.ca).

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He Cultivates Corn With His Front-End Loader CULTIVATORS Cultivators (58C) 34-4-25 Dan Scheele got tired of accidentally wiping out corn with his 3-pt. mounted row crop cultivator. "I couldn't see what I was doing without turning around all the time, and that gave me a stiff neck," says the Ingersoll, Ontario farmer. To improve the view, he mounted the 6-row, 30-in. cultivator on his Deere 60 hp tractor's front-end loader. A pair of forks quick-tach to the loader in place of the bucket. The forks simply slip into a pair of box tubes that Scheele welded onto the cultivator's toolbar. To compensate for the extra weight up front, he added weight to the back of the tractor. "It's a simple idea but it really works great. I like being able to see what I'm doing," says Scheele, who has used his loader-mounted cultivator for 4 years with no problems. "I got inspired for the idea one day after I accidentally wiped out 6 rows of corn. I'm an organic farmer and cultivate corn at least twice a year, so doing a good job of cultivating is very important. "The loader blocks my view of the 2 center rows. When cultivating I watch just the outside row on the left side, which is just outside the tractor's left front wheel. As long as I'm centered on that row I know I'm okay on all the other rows." There are other advantages to a loader-mounted cultivator, says Scheele. "Because I can see what I'm doing, it's easier to adjust the tractor's speed so that I can throw dirt closer to the rows. The loader is heavy enough that I have no trouble cultivating at the depth I want, whereas with a 3-pt. mounted cultivator sometimes it's hard to get enough downpressure. Also, the front-mounted cultivator frees up my 3-pt. hitch for other implements." To add forks to the loader he made a frame out of 2 by 4-in. tubing. A 1 1/4-in. dia. horizontal shaft supports the forks. A pair of box tubes welded on front of the frame ensures adequate clearance between the cultivator and the tractor's front wheels. He removed the cultivator's 3-pt. hitch, then welded a pair of 5-in. wide by 2-in. high box beams on top of the toolbar to match the forks. "I made sure I got a good bead when making the welds. They haven't cracked yet," says Scheele. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dan Scheele, 353948 Jordan Line, S-W Oxford Township, RR 4, Ingersoll, Ontario N5C 3J7 (ph 519 485-3644; manus252@295.ca).

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