Auction Find Fills Ruts Fast

Auction Find Fills Ruts Fast CROPS New Crops Robert Pearson fills wheel ruts in his 10-acre blueberry field with what he calls a “Rut Row” It was made out of an old Bannerman sand spreader he bought at auction for $150 “My rows are on 9-ft centers and the fields hold a lot of water ” says Pearson “They were really rutted up and I needed a way to fill them ” With its conveyer belt floor and hydraulic drive motor the Bannerman was almost ideal However the wheel span was too wide and the hydraulic connectors didn’t fit his tractor “The axle stuck out an extra 12 in That was easy to take care of ” says Pearson “I just cut down the solid steel shaft The hydraulic fittings were tougher as they were German made Luckily a local hydraulic shop had some ” Pearson removed a second hydraulic motor mounted to the rear of the spreader It powered a bed-wide brush that feathered sand out the back which he also removed The mechanical rear gate is mounted to an all thread rod making it easy to adjust the opening He mounted a hitch receiver to the spreader frame and attached deflectors to a matching hitch mount The deflectors were fashioned from an old aluminum shelf As he drives down the row the sand hits the deflectors and falls to either side filling the ruts “The receiver hitch makes it easy to remove the deflectors ” says Pearson “With them out of the way I’ll be able to use the spreader to layer my driveway with asphalt crumbs I’ll set the gate at 1 1/2 in and lay 9-ft strips up and down the lane ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Robert Pearson 9540 Alturas Babson Park Cut-Off Rd Bartow Fla 33830 ph 863 241-1148