New Pipe Layer Lets You Tile Your Own Fields

New Pipe Layer Lets You Tile Your Own Fields TILING MACHINES Tiling Machines 6-6-16 If you've been looking for an economical way to drain those potholes and smaller fields that always seem to be wet, here's a new do-it-yourself machine that makes tiling nearly as easy as digging a ditch. "Finding a contractor to tile small jobs ù say 1 to 3 acres ù can be difficult, if not impossible, because most contractors can't afford to take on jobs that involve less than 2,500 ft. of pipe," says Caroll Lifer, of Knox Equipment Co., Belleville, Ohio, designers and builders of the new pipe layer, and operators of a custom tiling business. Lifer says the company developed the "Pull-A-Long" pipe layer in order to do jobs that don't justify use of expensive tilers. Now, the company is building and selling the machine and renting it to do-it-yourselfers. The pipe layer is 4-ft. high, 8 ft. long, 21 in. wide and weighs about 1,000 lbs. Here's how it works: You start digging a ditch ù 24-in. wide works best ù with a backhoe. The pipe layer, which can be carried easily by a tractor loader, is then set into the bottom of the ditch. Grade controls are set up in the unit and you thread the tubing through the pipe layer as you pull it in the ditch behind the backhoe. It cuts the grade, and lays the tubing. A built-in wheel holds the tubing in place while trailing rippers cover it with dirt. Grade is controlled by pressure placed on the front cutting lip on the pipe layer. A spring-loaded bail hitch lets you pull the pipe layer with the teeth on the backhoe bucket. It swings down so the pipe layer pulls straight and level. At the end of the pull, you just lift the backhoe bucket up and the bail will unhook from the bucket and swing up out of the way for the next cut. "The pipe layer has proved its success after 18 months in the field, laying over 100,000 ft. of tubing. It has laid tubing with 2 ft. of water standing in the ditch; in sand and gravel soils where the banks cave in; and in 12-ft. deep cuts that tiling machines and plows would have difficulty reaching," says Lifer. He notes that farmers can either rent the unit or buy one to do their own work, and then contract out to neighbors. The pipe layer sells for $2,100 equipped with grade control. A unit without grade controls sells for $1,800. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Carroll D. Lifer, Knox Equipment Co., P.O. Box 308, Bellville, Ohio 44813 (ph 419 886-2548, or 886-2549).

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