Cultivator sweeps

grandpa Love · May 30, 2021

What's the different sizes used for? Got a manual,it doesn't help much. As much as I love trial and error, I love getting experienced advice. This is on a cub

Corn is touching the cubs belly now!

centash · May 30, 2021

Wide sweeps are used more for broadleaf weeds in a light to moderate infestation, the sweep can get under the weed and the width of the sweep cuts off more weeds. The narrow sweep is used for heavy weed pressure and grassy weeds since it can penetrate the weed canopy and get under the weeds whereas a wide sweep would just skim on top, unable to cut through and get under the weed mass, and are more used for field cultivator. Yours looks like a job for wide teeth, and looks like you are doing a good job!

Ben

Gene Davis (Ga.) · May 30, 2021

Back in the dark ages when farmers around here cultivated their row crops,especially corn they used sweeps like you have on the rear rigs of this outfit. The sweeps on the front cultivator frames were usually set to run flat thus plowing as wide as they could and eliminating as many weeds as possible. The rear rig sweeps would be set slightly nose down to plow out the tire tracks and leave just a little furrow for the driver to follow next time they plowed through it.
Some used what were called fenders to keep the dirt from covering the small plants for the first couple of times they plowed. When they top dressed with nitrogen they would often use disk hillers to throw the dirt over the nitrogen and also the roots as this was usually when they laid it by for the season.

Round up and other weed control chemicals have made this mostly a thing of the past now.

Those narrow chisel looking plows were usually used fore ripping on the field cultivators where they were ran deep to break up the hard pan.
Your garden looks like it needs pulverizing with a rotary tiller to break up the clods and clumps. It must have been plowed too wet at some point.

jon f mn · May 30, 2021

The widest ones on the most rear shank on the main rank. The others on the middle shanks. The shanks next to the rows should have the medium wide shovels with the wing on the row side missing so the shank can get closer to the row without covering small plants. I haven't seen the shovels with one side missing for sale anywhere in a long time. My local salvage yard has some on a shelf still. You could just torch off one side too. Some just use a spike shovel on that shank too.

jon f mn · May 30, 2021

I just looked closer to your pics and you have spikes for next to the rows already. So just run the medium wide shovels on the middle shank.

Janicholson · May 30, 2021

In Indiana where I grew up we used 4 soil contact shovels wide (8 inch) sweeps for tire track tillage, medium (5 inch) sweeps for the rear center tillage of front tire tracks, Single sided 4 inch sweeps that were left and right mounted on the shanks close to the rows to prevent undercutting roots and limiting soil thrown on the crop. There was also a rake attachment that had 15 flat spring tines that (kinda) smoothed out the effects of the shovels. This was on two row mounted cultivators on H and Super H Farmalls. Left and right medium, and 8 sweeps were used on tool bar 4 row cultivators for rear mount Fast hitch implements. Jim

Traditional Farmer · May 30, 2021

I used the half sweeps closet to the row for the first cultivation so the small plants don't get covered up, wide sweeps on the shanks farther out.I'd rather use a narrow sweep or straight
shovel on the back to scratch out the tire track but not leave a ditch for water to run in.I like for the sweeps to be running about 1 1/2 inch deep that will cut of the weeds but won't disturb the corn roots.Now with my Hines I put round rolling hillers closet to the row,turn them out first time around can get right up to the plants with no damage as it throws the dirt away,2nd time around turn the hillers in so they throw dirt between the rows and hill the corn.

buzzinduzzin · May 30, 2021

not a reply to your question but an observation ! I noticed the newer generation calls a field cultivator a cultivator & the sweeps are called points. Grandpa & dad plowed corn !

ESVADuke · May 30, 2021

2x on half sweeps on either side of the row, three wide sweeps following on the back for the row centers. Sometime hard to find half sweeps but you can cut them yourself with an acetylene torch, put a wet towel/rag over the half you want to keep to limit damage to the metal temper.

I have a separate set up on a 3pt cultivator for 2 ft wide strawberry and raspberry rows, two chisel teeth in front to cut the row sides and a wide sweep behind.

john in la · May 30, 2021

Someone put spikes on the front bar; most likely because half sweeps are so hard to find.
Those spikes are made for digging deep and are bad to use over and over while cultivating.
They bring up clods and disturb earthworms.

What you should have is a right and left half sweep on the front and a full sweep on the back.
Set them to where they sweep just below the soil surface cutting the weed off from the roots.

The way you have it set up now you are not cultivating.
You are plowing between the rows.
It works to keep weeds down but is not the best thing for the soil.
Ask some of these guys that use RU now how it has improved their soil conditions.

bc · May 30, 2021

Think I have a similar problem. Bot an 8' cultivator at a sale recently and tried to plow up the garden before tilling. Took the outside sweeps off so I was only going just over the width of the tractor. Used the wider sweeps thinking it turn more ground like a plow but sounds like I should use the narrow ones as it didn't go as deep as I want. Came back with the front tine tiller and still doesn't break up the clods well.

After planting potatoes, tomatoes, etc., now I want to break some new sod to extend the garden when it quits raining. Afraid I will have the same problem with too many clods and for this part I need fine soil for planting things like radishes, lettuce, etc.

Any ideas here with our clay/loam soil? Thinking about bolting on some kind of vertical ripper blade. Then thinking about making some kind of a spiked harrow to drag over it. I also have a 10' spring tooth but the teeth are spread to far to break much up.

2SteveWI · May 30, 2021

Don't have an answer to your post, but just looked at an Online Estate Auction near me in North Central Wisconsin. They have a Farmall Cub, and a Cub Loboy, plus rear weights and replacement Hood chrome emblems. Auction ends in 8 days. Would be willing to check them out if your interested. Wisconsin Estate Solutions is listing the Auction. Steve.

IAfarmguy · May 30, 2021

Back in the day... dad and I used both a front mount four row and a rear mount four row in either 36 or 38 inch rows. The front mount had the flat shields with half mounted to the gang on either side of the row. The rear mount had rolling shields, I think made by Dakon, that mounted on the tool bar and had a light chain that held up the rear of the arm the shields were mounted to. Our cultivators had five sweeps between the rows with the half sweep closest to the row. Next was a whole sweep that was like a half sweep with both wings. The point of that sweep was just outside the wing of the half sweep. The fifth sweep was larger, perhaps 8 or 10 inches wide. The half sweeps were maybe 4-5 inches wide and the middle ones 6 or so. Its been too long. I believe some of the newer cultivators for 30 inch rows only use three sweeps per row but they are all fairly wide to overlap and run pretty flat to throw less soil.

IAfarmguy · May 30, 2021

Just had a flash back to those warm afternoons, the smell of the soil and the dust that hung with the tractor on a calm day. Around 2:00 it got really hard to keep my eyes open. If I stopped and walked around the tractor a couple times I was good for the rest of the day.

Jim in NC · May 30, 2021

Grandpa, I prefer homemade cultivators constructed from horsedrawn cultivators that are mounted on a Super A. It is easier for me to change cultivator points than changing the factory shanks and clamps and wedge bolts. I am certain thousands of sets were made by farmers and blacksmiths in tobacco country. If using them or the IH cultivators in our soil I prefer a narrow plow inside so I can get closer to the crop followed by wider points to the outside. I am not a fan of the half sweeps. We have lots of red clay to deal with. If I need to throw more dirt to the plants I'd use shovel points as in the pic below on the middle and even the outside shank. It was important to build a ridge in tobacco to protect from windy storms, and allowed for good drainage which reduced drowning. Thats good for corn also.
I also used the ridging discs and what we call buzzard wings to push dirt to the plants. My choice would be based on the soil conditions and stage of plant growth at the time. I would also use a rear sweep at least as wide or a couple of inches wider than the rear tires. I used Super As, a 140, and an IH 274 in my crops and garden. I have experience with Cubs but prefer the larger tractors. I am a fan of your Cub creations and rescuing projects.
I cannot seem to post 2 other pics here so I will post them below.

Jim in NC · May 30, 2021

I am unable to upload the pics grandpa. I will email them to you if you want. Email is open.

Hobo,NC · May 30, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0zaamsxcHw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cYlkoyTQbY

That clumpy dirt needs to be broken up...

Hobo,NC · May 30, 2021

Another what a nice job...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I640V5vWV9M

Hobo,NC · May 30, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj_SmKOczlw

grandpa Love · May 30, 2021

Ooooo, I'm jealous of those rolling
cultivators!

grandpa Love · May 30, 2021

Lots of good information in that one!
Thanks!

Hobo,NC · May 30, 2021

I googled rolling cultivators youtube lots of hits thats all I had time to look at..

Jim in NC · May 30, 2021

They work really nice, but not as well after a hard, beating rain on clay based soils.

Hobo,NC · May 30, 2021

I had to add those cleaner fingers to mine to keep them from clogging up... BTW I hate a cub but having a offset Farmall of any kind is the chit when it comes to small time cultivating ... Bar none : )

grandpa Love · May 30, 2021

We had a Massey Harris Pony. I about
tore up some corn..... Not as easy to
see what you are cultivating. Love our
cubs!

paul · May 30, 2021

Narrow ones go deep to till up ground, compaction, doesnt weed well they wiggle past. Never really used those.

Wide V ones go shallow and clip off weeds. Wider work better in light soil, but throw more dirt on small crop. Skinnier V throw less dirt, but need more to cover the width of the row to get the weeds.

Paul

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