Tillage Equipment

[Plant 175]

Hello Again Experts
I have been him hawing for about a year on a new piece of tillage equipment for my food plots. I play in a big sand box in Central Wisconsin. Right now I’m pulling a disc sometimes that was used originally on my ATV. I’m trying to keep or make some OM and only do this procedure maybe every other year. I have a old grain drill that I pull behind the tractor and I’m using it as a no till because of the sandy soil. I’m looking at a 3 point field cultivator just to get down 2 or 3 inches like the one in the picture. Not sure if I need the basket behind to level the sand out or not. I’m only planting a acre and a half.

Or would this be over kill even if I plant some Milo and cut it up in the spring with a flail mower. I looked at a Woods planter and thought that was overkill and more money

I can use any practical advise you may have

Thanks

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Good day.

To me it’s about your goals and how much you want (or are willing) to spend to achieve them.

What problem are you trying to solve? (I read food plots and imagine deer or turkeys)

the description indicates atv and the pics suggest implement with 3 pt. Are you looking for something for tractor?

I don’t do food plots myself, put I do plant small patches of potential food. For grains, honestly, broadcast spreader does just fine so long as not a wash out rain right after throwing the seed.

honestly an atv with a harrow or some type of fence just to rough up the surface and broadcast spreader do a pretty decent job if low budget.

You can take that up a notch disc or till and then use a cultipacker which will press the seed into the soil and give a nice firm seed bed. (Brillion if you can afford it)

in terms of the prep, I think it depends on what you are planting and how nice and even you want it. If you are inviting the critters to a 5 star meal, then I’d recommend take a look at a Firminator….those are pretty slick.

for aeration action and soil health, I think the chisel plow you are looking probably would do fine. IMO a cultipacker will help you waste less seed and give you better seed:soil contact. (IMO that’s a lot of money to worry about a few dollars of seed for food plots…but I. Think the same about brillion and firminator…nice stuff, lot of money to feed deer turkeys when you can get decent result broadcast and driving over a few times to pack)

I think need to determine you are after soil health / soil prep, best condition for seed, or effeciency of your activities.

Or try some buckwheat…just throw that down on concrete and it will grow just fine. I am not really familiar with your soil or how chose your seed, but buckwheat really will grow anywhere and the deer and turkeys and bees love…it’s cheap too

Just my opinion. Not sure that helps or not.

 

[Plant 175]

I need to update what I have sorry, I have a Kubota B2601 tractor. I really don’t want to use the Sidekick and the guy that makes that equipment would be making me a 5’ model.

 

[bird dogger]

Back in 2013 I picked up two rolling baskets that were heading for the scrap yard. Then modded my little 5 foot 3 pt cultivator to tow the baskets and match their width with a few extra shovels. Roughly 7 foot of coverage now. At that time, it was used behind my JD750 MFWD (20HP) to prepare the seed bed for 2-3 acres of sweet corn here in the Red River Valley (nice black loam). It does a great job of busting up and leveling the ground for my old Cockshutt corn planter. I'm sure it would do as well or better in your sandier soil.