Staggered Cultivator Shanks Improve Performance
Wisconsin organic crop farmer Curt Forde built an 8-row 3-pt. mounted row crop cultivator with a single shank between each row. Forde initially had all 9 shanks in a straight line, but that configuration was throwing too much soil onto the growing crops in the rows. He modified the implement and added 8-in. extensions to the shanks on rows 2, 4, 6 and 8.
“Now instead of soil hitting the corn from both sides at the same time, the flow is staggered, which easily knocks the weeds or the oats away from the corn plants,” Forde says.
Forde uses a Flow Shield on each shank, a device that he invented, which Farm Show wrote about in 2014 (Vol. 38, No. 2). Each Flow Shield is a 6 in. by 6 in. flat metal plate that bolts onto a shank to deflect soil and break up chunks coming up from the shovel. Forde says having staggered shanks with the Flow Shield mounted on every other row forward and back does a better job of covering the oats or just plain weeds in grass. A 4-row wide or 6-row 30-in. cultivator can be set up the same way.
Forde says farmers who’ve already purchased a Flow Shield for their 30-in. or 40-in. cultivators can improve the cultivating performance and weed covering ability by moving one of the shanks forward or back to get the same effect he’s had with his 20-in. row setup.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Curt Forde, Profit Organics, P.O. Box 141, Viroqua, Wisc. 54665. (ph 608 606-0810; cjforde53@hotmail.com).
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Staggered Cultivator Shanks Improve Performance CULTIVATORS Wisconsin organic crop farmer Curt Forde built an 8-row 3-pt mounted row crop cultivator with a single shank between each row Forde initially had all 9 shanks in a straight line but that configuration was throwing too much soil onto the growing crops in the rows He modified the implement and added 8-in extensions to the shanks on rows 2 4 6 and 8 “Now instead of soil hitting the corn from both sides at the same time the flow is staggered which easily knocks the weeds or the oats away from the corn plants ” Forde says Forde uses a Flow Shield on each shank a device that he invented which Farm Show wrote about in 2014 Vol 38 No 2 Each Flow Shield is a 6 in by 6 in flat metal plate that bolts onto a shank to deflect soil and break up chunks coming up from the shovel Forde says having staggered shanks with the Flow Shield mounted on every other row forward and back does a better job of covering the oats or just plain weeds in grass A 4-row wide or 6-row 30-in cultivator can be set up the same way Forde says farmers who’ve already purchased a Flow Shield for their 30-in or 40-in cultivators can improve the cultivating performance and weed covering ability by moving one of the shanks forward or back to get the same effect he’s had with his 20-in row setup Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Curt Forde Profit Organics P O Box 141 Viroqua Wisc 54665 ph 608 606-0810; cjforde53@hotmail com
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