Hi-Boy Cart Saves Irrigated Corn

Hi-Boy Cart Saves Irrigated Corn IRRIGATION Acessories 21-1-29 "With corn at $3 per bu., I estimated my new approach would pay for itself in two years, and it has," says Larry Shrock about a system he developed to reduce the amount of corn he ran down every time he pulled his irrigation hose across his fields. The Middletown, Mo., farmer uses a German-built Hudig gun-type irrigator to irrigate 120 acres of corn on 36-in. rows. Until two years ago, he used a Deere 4020 to tow the system's gun cart. "Because there was only 3 ft. of ground clearance underneath the cart, we mashed down 2 acres of 150 bu. corn every time we used it, typically four or five times a season," he says. Shrock found a solution to the problem when he located a Hahn 770 hi-boy sprayer equipped with a 50 hp 4-cyl. Ford diesel engine. He bought it in June of 1995 for $2,000. He used 2 1/2-in. sq. tubing to extend the tricycle-shaped cart's rear legs from 3 ft. to 6 1/2 ft. off the ground. He used 6 in. sq. tubing to make a crossmember on top of the cart and welded the gun to it. He braced the cart in the rear and equipped it with a guard welded to the rear of the crossmember to keep corn bent over until the gun passes. He connects a chain and clevis to the front of the cart to pull it with the hi-boy. The additional 3 1/2 ft. of clearance prevents damage to corn, even when it reaches 12 or 13 ft. tall. "We don't mash any corn down any-more," says Shrock. "It works great." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Shrock, R.R. 2, Box 144, Middletown, Mo. 63359 (ph 573 549-2231).

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