2021 - Volume #45, Issue #1, Page #25
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They Specialize In Market Garden Implements
“We are the exclusive dealer for Rusty’s Ag Equipment,” says Tim Roeters. “It’s simple, well-built equipment that works for smaller operators.”
He points to Rusty’s potato digger as a good example. The simple, one-row, 3-pt. digger has a shoe that can go deep ($3,800). A slightly extended frame version is equipped with coulters ($4,250) for cutting weeds and vines. Both feature a pto-powered, 25-in. wide chain roller to shake the dirt from the potatoes. They can be used on a variety of in-ground vegetables, including sweet potatoes.
Roeters says it is ideal for market gardeners, particularly those who market through the season.
“They can dig half a row, pick it out of the ground, and leave the rest for another day,” says Roeters.
Other specialty tools from Rusty’s include a demulching brush, a demulching rake, a pedal-powered harvest cart, and a Tiny Till multi tool ($1,050) with a 5-ft. frame and 9 hi-clearance shanks.
“Rusty’s rakes and brushes are a mechanical alternative to hand labor clearing straw mulch from strawberry beds,” explains Roeters. “You don’t need a $100,000 tractor to run them. A subcompact will do it. Most buyers average around 4 acres of strawberries.”
The frame ($3,000) with a hydraulic drive can accommodate either a rake ($500) or hard and soft brushes ($900). The brushes work great for removing debris from plastic mulch, according to Roeters.
Rusty’s pedal-powered harvest cart ($2,000) has proven very popular with its buyers, notes Roeters. First introduced by Rusty’s founder (Vol. 18, No. 6) more than 26 years ago, it had been discontinued for a time. The rear wheel track adjusts from 54 to 104 in. centers. The cart has a 16 by 24-in. tray on each side and a 24 by 32-in. tray in front.
“We just reintroduced them,” says Roeters. “The specially contoured seat gives you support when sitting, but doesn’t get in the way when you bend over to pick. Compression springs on either side let you lean easily to either side.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roeters Farm Equipment, 565 East 120th St., Grant, Mich. 49327 (ph 231 834-7888; roeters.eq@att.net; www.roetersfarmequip.com).
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