rotary hoe question

somesortafarmer · Apr 28, 2014

I have a neighbor who offered to sell a pull type 2 row wide JD rotary hoe (old but in good shape). I am planting 2 acres of conventional corn and will be cultivating. I plan to grow 2 acres of corn a year for the forseeable future. I understand their use, but am unsure of the benefit of spending the cash. Any thoughts one way or the other?

rrlund · Apr 28, 2014

They were a good unit to have if the ground gets crusted after you plant and the corn isn't coming up. You could break the crust with them. Other than that,I doubt you'd ever find much use for it.

JMS/.MN · Apr 28, 2014

They"re handy to kill small weeds when they are about to sprout, and shortly after. Better if used on a sunny day, when the corn plants are more flexible, and the hoe causes less damage.

somesortafarmer · Apr 28, 2014

Thank you I appreciate the advice

Mac AR · Apr 28, 2014

JD rotary hoes can be pulled one way to bust crust in corn and cotton, but you can turn it around and pull it the other way and use it (weighted down, of course) as a packer/ leveler. Just remember if you do buy it, you have to run it pretty fast to break the crust. I use mine behind my 2000 Ford in 3rd gear (on a 4spd), and that's almost not fast enough to suit me. As far as the packer goes, I throw about 5 or 600 lbs on it and run it in 2nd wide open. HTH

Mac

JMS/.MN · Apr 29, 2014

Your comment reflects usage in recent decades......I remember years when emergence on heavy soil was a problem due to crusting after rains, and many hoes were sold for that reason. Same reason why I bought a cheap used one a few years ago. $200 and haven"t used it yet- just insurance! In the 50s, before common herbicide use, the hoes were touted as a weed killer....could remove/kill a lot of weeds within the row, without causing significant damage to the corn/beans.

rrlund · Apr 29, 2014

Ya,my uncle and cousin used to grow about 1000 acres of edible beans every year. They always ran one through those.
I've got an old one here (I think I still have it anyway) that I bought one year when the ground was crusted real bad. The corn was trying to unroll right under the ground that year.

John A. · Apr 30, 2014

Somesorta, In areas of Particular Sandy Soils IE the High Plains after one has planted corn and a Really hard rain has come and a "Crust" has farmed usually the top 1/2 to 3/4 inch, it drys out and becomes to hard for the little corn shoot to push through!
A Rotary Hoe is NEEDED to break up an loosen the crust area of the soil so the corn or what ever you are growing,...So the little plant shoot will come on through and stick it little head up out of the soil an take off and grow!
If the plant shoot pushes up and hits that "Crust" and "Turns Down" You have basically lost your crop! Hope this helps.
Later,
John A.

Jim CIn. · May 1, 2014

Rotary hoe your corn when it is starting to emerge and don't look back only to make sure all the hoe wheels are turning!

rotary hoe question

somesortafarmer

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rrlund

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JMS/.MN

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somesortafarmer

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Mac AR

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JMS/.MN

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rrlund

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John A.

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Jim CIn.

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