Packer or cultivator?

Dave H (MI) · Oct 28, 2014

I made an assumption this week that maybe I shouldn't have. I assumed a crow foot packer was something I needed. In my post yesterday the idea of a field cultivator was put out there but I don't know much about them. So given that I have pretty good topsoil with only a few low spots that get into clay and mostly I don't go into those spots. I can use either a chisel plow or a mold board plow, depending on conditions and the type of residue on the field. I follow that with a 25' disk that takes it down to a good enough bed in MOST places but does leave some clods in the heavier parts of the field. At this point it is good enough for my corn planter but I would like to break up some of those clods and make a finer seed bed for my older drill.

I have available to buy a crow foot packer or cultimulcher, field cultivator with spikes on bars or rolling baskets. Which is my best option do you think?

Leroy · Oct 28, 2014

Depending on how buch trash you leave on top the feild cultivator may be just all you need. When I was still farming at times that was all we used on either fall worked ground or unworked bean stubble. And I had them all, disg, cultimulcher, cultipacker, foot packer, field cultivator, spring tooth harrow, spike tooth harrow. And I wanted the second tool exactly the same width as the first. Pulled disk and cultimulcher, disk and cultipacker, disk and spike tooth harrow, feild cultivator and spring tooth harrow with the spike tooth harrow (2 section drag type.

Nick m · Oct 28, 2014

I read a little if your previous post. Don't think you'd have any trouble pulling a packer behind your disc. I have an old 21ft vibrashank and a crowfoot packer I pull behind it with a john deere 4320. Definitely wouldn't want anymore but gets the job done. I like the packer, but like others said, they don't mix with wet ground. Does leave a nice seed bed. They'll clog up with mud fast and ruin your day. My ground is a touch on the lighter side. I like a field cultivator over a disc just because of easier maintenance. We have rocks around here which beat a disc up bad. I do still run a disc once over chisel plowed corn stalks. The old vibrashank will plug up when they get thick.

notjustair · Oct 28, 2014

For me the only thing handier than a field cultivator would be a combination tool. Disk front beam and cultivator back beam. I haven't fould one to my liking yet.

I'm not a fan of the rolling baskets. Just aren't my preference. My cultivator has spring finger clod busters on the back. They have some down pressure but don't dig in really deep. They don't seem to pick up lots of trash, but then I always disk something like wheat stubble first. It's a Deere - I can't recall what model. A 35 foot I believe.

The thought of using a packer in my soil scares me. I grew up using one religiously, but that was much different soil. There won't be one on my farm.

Josh in Pa · Oct 28, 2014

What do your neighbors use? Soil in different areas works differently. Here most guys have a disc, cultipacker, and a field cultivator, and which one gets used depends on the weather and conditions. It sometimes takes a pretty good field cultivator (newer ones have more trash clearance) to go over last years corn ground, even if its plowed first. I prefer field cultivator if conditions allow.

Have you considered any no-till? Do your neighbors no-till, it doesn't work everywhere. Here it works well, and I try to do mostly no-till. I am like you, farming after my real job, and not a ton of extra time. No-tilling saves time, and I don't have to worry about things washing in a heavy rain. This weekend I was combining beans, and some fields had been chisel plowed and some no-tilled. Its wet here, and the no-till ground supported the combine better. Yields were about the same. Just something else to think about, as it sounds like you are getting ready to do some more farming.
Josh

Dave H (MI) · Oct 28, 2014

Yes, I am! I was thinking back to watching the tenant till in the Spring for soy. I was watching those rolling baskets on the back because I had never seen them before. Now that I think about it he was using a field cultivator with the baskets on the back. I didn't stay long that day but when I came back the fields were planted and fairly smooth. A lot better than mine that had only been chiseled and disked. I actually have given no-till a lot of thought. I can do it with my planter if I scare up some trash coulters. My drill is another story. An oldie but a good one...it's not gonna do no till.

RandyB(MI) · Oct 28, 2014

It's hard to beat a good heavy crowfoot packer for breaking up clods. Sounds like you may plan on just "spot working" the problem areas as apposed to using it everywhere so that's what I would use. Have you priced the cultimulchers? Seems they are either all worn out or $15-20,000.00. I've seen some fields around the Freeland area done with them and they don't impress me on heavier ground.
The BTO,s don't have time to "baby" their ground so with 3-500hp and 40' a pass they could care less if it is perfect everywhere.Guess it depends on your requirements but just because the BTO,s use it doesn't mean it's best for all.

Dave H (MI) · Oct 28, 2014

Most times I see one in the size I want it sells in the $3K range. Tonight was no exception but I let it go in favor of the danged field cultivator and then that went out of my range at the last minute. Oh well...live to bid another day.

Packer or cultivator?

Dave H (MI)

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Leroy

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Nick m

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notjustair

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Josh in Pa

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Dave H (MI)

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RandyB(MI)

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Dave H (MI)

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