3 point Unverferth Rolling Basket Harrow

[WillyBill]

I have (2) 48” Unverferth rolling basket harrow sections (see picture that I borrowed off of the internet) that we had to remove from the ends of a much wider implement. I’d like to put them on a 3 point hitch tool bar to pull behind my M5660. Has anyone built something like this?

Thanks
Bill

 

[mcfarmall]

No, but it looks like a fun project!

 

[airbiscuit]

Why not just make a pull type frame for it. Use pillow block bearings if you need to.

 

[WillyBill]

Why not just make a pull type frame for it. Use pillow block bearings if you need to.

View attachment 153521

I’ve thought about that but I need to be able to lift the implement up. The sections have a toothed harrow bar in front of the baskets that will make it hard to roll backwards. I’ve got a cut- down JD 7000 planter toolbar on wheels that I might try to mount the sections on.

 

[airbiscuit]

Got it. If you do 3pt mount, you might want to build in some front to rear and side to side flex. I would love to have a rolling basket.

 

[BAP]

I take it that you don’t have rocks? The ones you show a picture of don’t like rocks because they get caught in the open spots between the bars on the roller. Some baskets are more closed and work better. We tried using them on our corn fields and quickly got rid of them because getting out with a sledgehammer over other round of the field to beat rocks out plain sucked.

 

[WillyBill]

I take it that you don’t have rocks? The ones you show a picture of don’t like rocks because they get caught in the open spots between the bars on the roller. Some baskets are more closed and work better. We tried using them on our corn fields and quickly got rid of them because getting out with a sledgehammer over other round of the field to beat rocks out plain sucked.

We don’t have rocks here in Northwest Tennessee, but I did spend several minutes breaking up a large limestone rock that got caught in a basket I was pulling last week. Sometimes there will be limestone rocks in the ag lime and the spreader truck will throw them out in the field. My son is the operations manager for the local Nutrein facility and he says those random limestone rocks are hard on the spreader truck fans.

 

[WillyBill]

Update on my 3 pt Unverferth rolling basket harrow project. I started with a 4 row Brillion cultivator, removed the cultivator gangs and 3 pt brackets and cut the tool bar in half then remounted the 3pt brackets and added the rolling basket sections. Still need to fab and mount the 2 stands.

Now that I see it’s going to work I need to replace the 8 bearings on the rolling baskets.

 

[Hoserman]

Very cool! Good job.

 

[bird dogger]

Many years ago, I turned 5 ft cultivator into a smaller version of yours to prepare seedbed for a 3 acre parcel of sweetcorn every year. 2+ ft. had to be added to the cultivator's width to match the pair of rolling baskets that were rescued from heading to the scrap dealer. I sure wish I would've saved more of those baskets!!
Does a fantastic job in our Red River Valley black topsoil.

 

[WillyBill]

Many years ago, I turned 5 ft cultivator into a smaller version of yours to prepare seedbed for a 3 acre parcel of sweetcorn every year. 2+ ft. had to be added to the cultivator's width to match the pair of rolling baskets that were rescued from heading to the scrap dealer. I sure wish I would've saved more of those baskets!!
Does a fantastic job in our Red River Valley black topsoil.
View attachment 159272

That looks great. I’ve got 21 “S” tines from the Brillion cultivator that I intend to put on a frame like that.

 

[Sawburner]

Interesting. So this is instead of plowing or after plowing? I have never seen such, probably would not work around here we have rock with a little dirt mixed in.

 

[WillyBill]

Interesting. So this is instead of plowing or after plowing? I have never seen such, probably would not work around here we have rock with a little dirt mixed in.

We don’t have rocks in the fields in West Tennessee. Most farmers here pull a seedbed prep tool like this behind a disk or field cultivator. I wanted a 3 pt version to pull behind my M5660 after disking to level and prep the soil before seeding with a Land Pride seeder.