front mount cultivators

Anonymous-0 · Jan 26, 2009

If tying up the tractor was not an issue would you want a front mount cultivator.I know where there is a JD FM 6 row. It came off of a 4040 the same tractor it would go back onto.I would only have 15-30 acres of corn a year on my small dairy farm.

Thank you,
JLK in MN

JMS/.MN · Jan 26, 2009

Easier to minimize cultivator blight with a front mount. Much better visibility, and if plumbed for separate lift with each side, plugging is less of an issue.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 26, 2009

It wont tie up the tractor they arent that hard to put on and off.

Allan in NE · Jan 26, 2009

Just my 2 cents and sure don't wanna get in a screamin' match with my Buds here.

However, a front mount is about as "horse and buggy" as you can get compared to a rear mount cultivator. There's a reason they are sittin' in the fence row: they are clunky/outdated to the max.

Ever cultivate 3" corn or beans at 7 1/2 mph? Ya won't do that with a Model-T type front mount.

Allan

Anonymous-0 · Jan 26, 2009

I live in a corn area, and I have not seen or heard of a cultivator in a field for ten years or so. The claim I've heard is they are after yeilds, not entertainment. I sure wish as a child they would have thought of that, especialy when I got to the drinking age. Drinking the night before does not make the job any nicer.

It's to cold to work, so I will babble out a story. A farmer drove his tractor to another farm to cultivate corn, he had his wife pack a lunch in order to save alot of road time. He had made a couple rounds on the end rows. He pulled the tractor under some tree branches at noon to keep cool. Alot of fields bump against timbers in that area. He shut the tractor off, and relaxed while eating. He heard a faint whistle off and on, and decided the tractor must be running hot. After a half hr or so he decided hot or not he was removing the radiator cap to add water. He removed it and still the whistling noise. He walked over to the timber and a tatoed jesus looking dude was sitting naked on a log playing a flute.

He was happy the tractor was ok, but wondered how many of his buddies would believe his story.

We kid him alot and ask if the flute changed notes as the aunts bit his rear. We asked alot of other questions as to exactly what flute etc. but from there it gets down right bad.

brian(MN) · Jan 26, 2009

The main drawback is you can't use the tractor for anything else as long as a front mount is hanging on it.
I spent many years cultivating with a 4-38 front mount on an "M" and "560". I could do an excellent job with the front mount, once I switched over to 3pt, I never could do as good a job.
Yes, it might be old school, but if you want to stay away from relying on chemicals for weed control it will work. You must cultivate when the weeds and weather are right.
Brian(MN)

Anonymous-0 · Jan 26, 2009

I didn't want to start a war so I left this part out but our dairy farm is organic. Corn is over $10 a bushel and buying it is killing me.We are able to rent an other 30 acres and this could help us not to have to buy any feed.The JD fm is the same as the RM. They made these up into the 1970's. They mount in the middle of the tractor.I have just never operated one.The cultivator is owned by my land lord and sits in the shed here on the farm and he said we are welcome to use it.

Thank you
JLK in MN

brian(MN) · Jan 26, 2009

You are paying $10 for corn? I suppose you are buying organic corn. It is $3.50 today at the elevator here.
When I used a front mount, I would use a gradular herbicide over the row, quite often that didn't work because of no rain, acouple of passes with the cuiltivator took care of most of the grass. I always sprayed 2-4-D or banvel when the corn was short and that took care of the broadleaves. Broadleaves are going to come through no matter what cultivator you use. Since you are organic I don't know what you can do with weed escapes. Now, around here we have waterhemp, a nasty weed likes to germinate all summer long. I never had to contend with that when I used the front mount. That is one reason I have gone to all round-up corn and beans.
Timing is key for getting your planting and cultivating to work.
Brian(MN)

JMS/.MN · Jan 26, 2009

Since you"re organic- ever hear about LP flame cultivators? Another option is to replace the rear gangs with coil tine harrow sections-works fine whenthe sun is shining, easy on the crop, and gets a lot of weeds out of the row.

Lee in Iowa · Jan 26, 2009

Just run disc hillers throwing in and one big sweep in the middle and you can go 7 1/2 in small corn. Hate to argue, but I"ve wiped out a lot of weeds with a front mount that lived through a rear mount. I shouldn"t talk though my front mounts went to the iron man a long time ago. Lee

rrlund · Jan 26, 2009

I always prefered the front mount. My favorite was the newer style Oliver that mounted on the side frame pads on a Super 77. I couldn't FIND enough corn to cultivate for that to stop being fun.

paul · Jan 26, 2009

They are easier to operate, yes.

If you have wet ground, they are _much_ easier to get stuck. Basically if you get to a wet spot, stop early, puck up & back up. Once you start to feel it get wet it's too late, crack it open & head for the other side, if you push in the clutch the front wheels will sink in ^ you are done for. That's about the only bad part of operating them.

--->Paul

RN · Jan 26, 2009

Used front mounts on H and M, a couple times JD B. JD had a quick mount version, about 10 minutes to take off or remount after front brackets put on tractor. Nowadays the organic and sweet corn/ food bean growers still use them. A M was setup with slightly modified front mount rig that didn't have back chisels or shovels- regular drawbar used for other purposes.

GRJ · Jan 26, 2009

I agree!!! A front mount might be antiquated,but it sure does a better job than a rear mount without taking out near as much crop.Allan normally has excellent answers,but wrong on this one.

jd-tom · Jan 26, 2009

Myself, my dad, my uncle and his son still run front-mounts here in SW Minnesota. But there aren't very many people cultivating around here anymore either, and we are the only ones with the front mounts that I know of. We aren't running organic, just like to keep the chemical costs (and weed resistance issues) at bay here. My dad runs a 6-36" John Deere FM cultivator on his open-station 7210 tractor and I run a 6-36" 725 cultivator on my 7410 tractor with a cab. We had to do some modifications to the cultivator and mounts to fit them on these tractors but they work great (especially mine with the air-conditioned cab!)

Leroy · Jan 26, 2009

You cannot cultivate anny faster with a rear mount than a front mount with each having the same type shovels, danish tine on rear mount you can cultivate faster with but if you put those same tines on the front mount you could speed up with them as well and as for 7.5 MPH at those kind of speeds you could never keep either one on the row and front mount is easier to see where you are going with less crop damage. Have used both and prefer the front mount.

onefarmer · Jan 26, 2009

As a kid maybe 12yo I cultivated with both front and rear mount. Both 4 row 38". As a kid I was better at following the row with the front mount. I haven't used a cult since until two years ago and dug out the rear mounted and while I was working was wishing I had the front mount to compare again

greygoat · Jan 27, 2009

In 1956, got paid 50 cents an hour to cultivate
corn with a John Deere B and front mount, for
a neighbor. That was good money!

bur321 · Apr 20, 2010

(quoted from post at 08:00:58 01/26/09) If tying up the tractor was not an issue would you want a front mount cultivator.I know where there is a JD FM 6 row. It came off of a 4040 the same tractor it would go back onto.I would only have 15-30 acres of corn a year on my small dairy farm.

Thank you,
JLK in MN

I'm interested in the 6 row front mount cultivator. Please provide information. Many thanks

MAB (Ohio)

Tx Jim · Apr 21, 2010

(quoted from post at 19:57:28 01/26/09) I agree!!! A front mount might be antiquated,but it sure does a better job than a rear mount without taking out near as much crop.Allan normally has excellent answers,but wrong on this one.

I agree quick attach frt mount cultivators such as as the JD FM 6 will do a better job not plowing up crop especially in contour terraced land with point rows and are very easy to install/remove.

Reason frt mount cultivators are easier to control besides better visibility of crop as any movement of frt tires side to side affects frt cultivator much less than if cult is mounted on the rear. This may not be a factor in GPS straight rows but will be a factor in contour rows.

alfarmer76 · Mar 12, 2013

(quoted from post at 01:40:47 01/27/09) Myself, my dad, my uncle and his son still run front-mounts here in SW Minnesota. But there aren't very many people cultivating around here anymore either, and we are the only ones with the front mounts that I know of. We aren't running organic, just like to keep the chemical costs (and weed resistance issues) at bay here. My dad runs a 6-36" John Deere FM cultivator on his open-station 7210 tractor and I run a 6-36" 725 cultivator on my 7410 tractor with a cab. We had to do some modifications to the cultivator and mounts to fit them on these tractors but they work great (especially mine with the air-conditioned cab!)

Can you send me some pictures of your 7410 with the front cultivator hooked up
Al

Bret4207 · Mar 13, 2013

I don't do any big fields of corn, of course this isn't corn country anyways. But for me the front mount on my old VAC works just fine. I can tell you this, you can sure see the difference between cultivated corn and sprayed corn on our clay. Cultivated, done well, is always a little taller, a little greener.

front mount cultivators

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