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wjohn 
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 Topic: Cultivating 20" Rows
Posted: 16 Jan 2024 at 10:10pm |
If you were going to cultivate 20" (or close to that) rows with a letter series tractor, what would you use? I am thinking a CA with 11.2 rear tires.
Most of the mounted cultivators I see for these tractors are 2 row that only narrow down to maybe 28" or so rows. Has anyone rigged something up for cultivating as narrow as 20" rows?
The easier option is likely to just run a rear toolbar, but you lose the advantage of being able to see so well on these tractors that were designed for front-mount cultivators.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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SteveM C/IL
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Posted: 16 Jan 2024 at 10:20pm |
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I think you should stick to a rear tool bar and concentrate on your driving. The rest will take care of itself. If you must see what kind of job you're doing,I suggest stopping before looking back. Front mount narrowed that much will likely have clearance issues under tractor.
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Unit3
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 1:07am |
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I just saw the post. Believe it or not, I cultivated 23R18’s beans with a 7045 and a Noble cultivator. We ran 1 - 10” sweep in between the rows. We sat the wheel track at 90” with 18.4R38 bias tires. It was easier to cultivate 18” row beans than it would be to cultivate 30”. If you were driving on them, you were taking them out. It really did work well.
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dkattau
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 7:01am |
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How many rows are you thinking? A ‘G’ was made for narrow spacing like that.
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PaulB
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 7:24am |
If you plan to cultivate 20" rows you need a wheel tread spacing of 40", 60",80" or at least some multiple of 20" The narrowest a CA will go is 52" and the 2 row cultivators are said to only go to the narrowest at 28" rows. Now of you have a wide front CA and set the wheels at 60" and reset the shanks for 3 rows under the tractor, that can work, however you won't have much for crop clearance as the crop grows taller. Now a B will go down to 40-1/2" and a B will go to 42" and with those two you will need to reset the shanks to allow for 2 row cultivation as opposed to a single row as the B/D10 cultivators are designed for. There probably isn't and factory produce front mounted cultivator of any color for 20" rows. For crop clearance, a rear mounted one is all you will find. Nothing wrong with them, you just have to have a guide point out front and train yourself not to look back or mount a mirror to watch a row.
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AC7060IL
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 10:25am |
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what crop are you cultivating? corn? soybeans? tomatoes?
Edited by AC7060IL - 17 Jan 2024 at 10:26am
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WF owner
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 11:17am |
 SteveM C/IL wrote:
I think you should stick to a rear tool bar and concentrate on your driving. The rest will take care of itself. If you must see what kind of job you're doing,I suggest stopping before looking back. Front mount narrowed that much will likely have clearance issues under tractor. |
LOL This guy has done some cultivating, which is probably the only "tractor job" I disliked as a kid. I remember looking back while cultivating. Dad knew that I did it, because there were spots of corn missing.
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wjohn
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 6:41pm |
Unit3 wrote:
I just saw the post. Believe it or not, I cultivated 23R18’s beans with a 7045 and a Noble cultivator. We ran 1 - 10” sweep in between the rows. We sat the wheel track at 90” with 18.4R38 bias tires. It was easier to cultivate 18” row beans than it would be to cultivate 30”. If you were driving on them, you were taking them out. It really did work well. |
Interesting. How late in the season were you able to cultivate like that? I would've figured the tire width would limit you pretty quickly.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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wjohn
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 6:44pm |
dkattau wrote:
How many rows are you thinking? A ‘G’ was made for narrow spacing like that. |
2-4 rows. A G would be neat, but getting one and a cultivator doesn't seem to be cheap, and I think a slightly bigger tractor is probably best in my case (row crops - no veggies).
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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wjohn
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 7:32pm |
PaulB wrote:
If you plan to cultivate 20" rows you need a wheel tread spacing of 40", 60",80" or at least some multiple of 20" The narrowest a CA will go is 52" and the 2 row cultivators are said to only go to the narrowest at 28" rows. Now of you have a wide front CA and set the wheels at 60" and reset the shanks for 3 rows under the tractor, that can work, however you won't have much for crop clearance as the crop grows taller. Now a B will go down to 40-1/2" and a B will go to 42" and with those two you will need to reset the shanks to allow for 2 row cultivation as opposed to a single row as the B/D10 cultivators are designed for. There probably isn't and factory produce front mounted cultivator of any color for 20" rows. For crop clearance, a rear mounted one is all you will find. Nothing wrong with them, you just have to have a guide point out front and train yourself not to look back or mount a mirror to watch a row. |
Very good points. My dilapidated CA has a decent WFE on it. Unfortunately my planter does 4 rows, so cultivating 3 would be tough. Do you know the tread range of the WFE? Guess I could also consider getting a NFE and put the rears at 80".
No CA cultivator manuals here, but I do have a manual for the 80-series C cultivators and it states that the #86 4-row cultivator can do 18", 20", or 24" rows. The layout shows a NFE tractor with the rear wheels set to straddle two rows, and then two more rows being cultivated are just outside the rear wheels. It says it's for beets, beans, and other vegetables. I've definitely never seen one in the Midwest. I'd probably have to just rig up the rear toolbar to do 4 rows which would be easy enough. They show the rears set at what would probably be minimum width (52"). They're not centered in the space between the rows.
I do have 2 standard front end Bs. One of them has the 1-row cultivator on it... I'd have to check to see if the bars have enough width/flexibility to do 2 rows. The B also might be better off with a rear toolbar based on the feedback from everyone on here. There are a couple of versions of the 60-series cultivator shown in my manual for 2- and 4-row setups. Again, probably not found in my area.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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wjohn
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 7:34pm |
AC7060IL wrote:
what crop are you cultivating? corn? soybeans? tomatoes? |
It'll probably be milo and soybeans as far as row crops go.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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AC7060IL
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 8:15pm |
wjohn wrote:
AC7060IL wrote:
what crop are you cultivating? corn? soybeans? tomatoes? |
It'll probably be milo and soybeans as far as row crops go. |
For what it’s worth ~ AC built a rotary cultivator like this link shows. https://amp.purplewave.com/auction/140625/item/F8287.html
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jvin248
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Posted: 17 Jan 2024 at 11:36pm |
.
I have been set up for 30in corn but this spring I'm going for 15in, slightly higher density yet more root room. I grow heirloom landrace varieties and they like more space.
I'm running with a Ferguson 35 and matching era 3pt cultivator. Although my WF WD might fit. Using the same cultivator, no front mount cultivator around here.
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Dirt Farmer
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Posted: 18 Jan 2024 at 12:31am |
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Since you are planting and wanting to cultivate 4 rows, most planter rows are somewhat adaptable on the toolbar. Could you fuge the row spacing a bit to accommodate your wheel spacing and line up the cultivator sweeps to follow, just have to be sure you are on the correct pass going the same way it was planted. Since you are probably not harvesting with a row type head the row spacing shouldn't matter cept you may have to make an extra round at the end of the day. Spraying won't matter cause you would probably go at an angle to the row or use the planting tractor. As farmers, we learn to adapt and with the cost of equipment encourages us work with what you have.
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Unit3
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Posted: 18 Jan 2024 at 12:32am |
wjohn wrote:
Unit3 wrote:
I just saw the post. Believe it or not, I cultivated 23R18’s beans with a 7045 and a Noble cultivator. We ran 1 - 10” sweep in between the rows. We sat the wheel track at 90” with 18.4R38 bias tires. It was easier to cultivate 18” row beans than it would be to cultivate 30”. If you were driving on them, you were taking them out. It really did work well. |
Interesting. How late in the season were you able to cultivate like that? I would've figured the tire width would limit you pretty quickly. |
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Unit3
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Posted: 18 Jan 2024 at 12:40am |
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Not long. We banded our post spray and let the cult clean out between the rows. We started with the 18” in 1994. Maybe we cultivated until 2000 when we went to broadcast spraying. Then somewhere after 2010, we switch to 30 inch row. I will always miss the 18 inch rows for the quick canopy. They were beautiful and ever so easy to combine them on an angle.
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wjohn
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Posted: 18 Jan 2024 at 7:53pm |
Dirt Farmer wrote:
Since you are planting and wanting to cultivate 4 rows, most planter rows are somewhat adaptable on the toolbar. Could you fuge the row spacing a bit to accommodate your wheel spacing and line up the cultivator sweeps to follow, just have to be sure you are on the correct pass going the same way it was planted. Since you are probably not harvesting with a row type head the row spacing shouldn't matter cept you may have to make an extra round at the end of the day. Spraying won't matter cause you would probably go at an angle to the row or use the planting tractor. As farmers, we learn to adapt and with the cost of equipment encourages us work with what you have. |
I probably should've clarified that I'm using a drill, so no adjustment on spacing. It has the rows on 7" so technically I will be doing 21" rows when I shut off 2/3 rows. I very much agree with your statement about working with what you have.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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wjohn
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Posted: 18 Jan 2024 at 9:40pm |
Unit3 wrote:
Not long. We banded our post spray and let the cult clean out between the rows. We started with the 18” in 1994. Maybe we cultivated until 2000 when we went to broadcast spraying. Then somewhere after 2010, we switch to 30 inch row. I will always miss the 18 inch rows for the quick canopy. They were beautiful and ever so easy to combine them on an angle. |
That makes sense. I am hoping to keep cultivating later if needed in my case. Dryland soybeans are a big gamble here due to the heat, crazy wind, and typical lack of rain in July and August... Even lack of rain in June lately. I am curious to try them in narrow rows and see if the canopy will shade the ground enough to keep the sun from baking the soil so bad.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 18 Jan 2024 at 9:46pm |
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We cultivate 20" rows with a 3 pt cultivator on a JD 7800 12 rows of pintos at a pass. Its pretty easy put the single rib tires on keep them in the middle and always look foward if you look back your watching were youve been and trying to correct looking backyour hona take out a lot of plants. We plant soys and canola with a drill every other hole blocked. Dont cultivate them though. We do roll the field when thier about 3" so we can direct combine with a flex head. Pintos are cut winrowed and harvested with a edible bean combine
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Unit3
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Posted: 19 Jan 2024 at 12:06am |
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Back when I was at ISU, they told to use a beans with long narrow leafs in narrow rows to let sunlight in the canopy and wide leafs for wider rows. ?????? Sounds good.
If I did it again, I would plant them and roll them. Forget the cultivating and spray them twice with Liberty. The less you disturb the ground, the less weeds that grow and the rocks get pressed into the dirt and they’ll combine better.
Edited by Unit3 - 19 Jan 2024 at 12:12am
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Bill Long
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Posted: 21 Jan 2024 at 9:28am |
I just read through this post and remember cultivating 6 rows of spinach with a G and an independent gang cultivator At that time we set up beds as wide as the g would go planted 6 rows and set to cultivate it with a parallel independent gang cultivator. This was around 50's. We sold a lot of G's in the vegetable planting section of Baltimore County Maryland. Age and development has wiped out that section Wish I had taken more pictures I'm sure that doesn't help this discussion but getting on the forum really brings back some old memories.
Good Luck! Bill Long
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im4racin
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Posted: 21 Jan 2024 at 7:56pm |
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Bill I don't care what you have to say. If you feel the need to post something I will read every word with a smile. We NEED to hear what you are thinking. You have the best stories!
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sparky
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Posted: 21 Jan 2024 at 9:05pm |
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Ditto
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It's the color tractor my grandpa had!
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wjohn
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Posted: 21 Jan 2024 at 9:32pm |
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I always like hearing about anything outside the normal row crops. Neat to hear about edible beans and spinach.
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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wjohn
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Posted: 24 Jan 2024 at 9:08pm |
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I swear I saw that a member (I want to say the user name was Brian something? Not sure on that) had last posted on here about looking at his 80-series C cultivator and doing 2 out of 4 rows at a time with the cultivator rows offset. Did his post disappear?
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1939 B, 1940 B, 1941 WC, 1951 WD, 1952 CA, 1956 WD-45
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