Bigger Implement Needs

[foggy]

Funny how much stuff I've accumulated to operate my land. Some are "Must Have's", Some are "Good to Have" and some are "Occasionally Nice". These can vary for different land needs and because of your physical condition. But I thought it may be useful for others to show "my list".....for me...and my timber property. The list doesn't include many smaller tools.

Must Have's
Compact Utility Tractor With FEL, 25+ PTO HP
Grapple -fits on the FEL to handle timber and brush
Tiller
Rotary Cutter
Stump Grinder for tractor (could rent this if fewer stumps)
Flex Tooth Drag - ATV
ATV - 400 CID
Cone Fertilizer Spreader
Seeder
Cultipacker
Tank Sprayer (4 wheeler or UTV use)
Drop Spreader for Lime
ATV Snow plow
Car Trailer to Haul this stuff

Good to Have
3 Point Disk Harrow
3 Point Landscape Rake
Dirt Bucket for Loader
Box Blade
Electric Golf Cart and UTV
Utility trailer for projects (ATV UTV)
Snow Plow for Tractor FEL

Occasionally Nice
Sub Soiler Shank / Wire Puller
Clamp-on Bucket Forks
Post Hole Digger & Bits
Back Pack Sprayer

Two things I yet consider....are a field cultivator (digger) and a small grain drill (at a low price). Nots sure the drill would be that useful for me...but I would like to try one. A plow has no place on my land.....may be for others.

Strange how I had to move things "up the list".....because I could not accomplish my needs or they would be hard not to have anymore.....especially as you get a bit older. (kinda like power windows) I started out thinking I could "get by" with a wheeler and a few ATV implements. (WRONG!)

Seems like allot of equipment for 110 acres and 8 acres of plots and trails. Ideas for you and your property??

 

[foggy]

Holy Crap Foggy, that is almost more stuff than I needed to farm 1,000 acres! Hahahaha!

I wish I had all that stuff!

Grin. Yeah....well list all your stuff.....I bet you would be surprised what you all have over there!! (and I am a implement junkie :D)

 

[foggy]

I will when we have our retirement auction soon! It will be on a flyer the Auctioneer hands out! Lets just say he hays a job ahead of him!;)

The thing is....regardless if you have 100 acres or 1000 acres......it's all too much to do without some implements to help along. They just come in all different sizes. :)

 

[foggy]

Understood!

Example, Skid steer attachments I have collected so far: Dirt Bucket, Debris Bucket, 8' Snow Bucket, 5' Rock Bucket, 4' Pallet Forks, 12" Auger and power head, 20 foot Jib pole.

Yep......I can see you needing that Jib Pole to load 55 gal Drums of Round-Up into Customers car trunks....or maybe the back seat? lol ;)

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Funny how much stuff I've accumulated to operate my land. Some are "Must Have's", Some are "Good to Have" and some are "Occasionally Nice". These can vary for different land needs and because of your physical condition. But I thought it may be useful for others to show "my list".....for me...and my timber property. The list doesn't include many smaller tools.

Must Have's
Compact Utility Tractor With FEL, 25+ PTO HP
Grapple -fits on the FEL to handle timber and brush
Tiller
Rotary Cutter
Stump Grinder for tractor (could rent this if fewer stumps)
Flex Tooth Drag - ATV
ATV - 400 CID
Cone Fertilizer Spreader
Seeder
Cultipacker
Tank Sprayer (4 wheeler or UTV use)
Drop Spreader for Lime
ATV Snow plow
Car Trailer to Haul this stuff

Good to Have
3 Point Disk Harrow
3 Point Landscape Rake
Dirt Bucket for Loader
Box Blade
Electric Golf Cart and UTV
Utility trailer for projects (ATV UTV)
Snow Plow for Tractor FEL

Occasionally Nice
Sub Soiler Shank / Wire Puller
Clamp-on Bucket Forks
Post Hole Digger & Bits
Back Pack Sprayer

Two things I yet consider....are a field cultivator (digger) and a small grain drill (at a low price). Nots sure the drill would be that useful for me...but I would like to try one. A plow has no place on my land.....may be for others.

Strange how I had to move things "up the list".....because I could not accomplish my needs or they would be hard not to have anymore.....especially as you get a bit older. (kinda like power windows) I started out thinking I could "get by" with a wheeler and a few ATV implements. (WRONG!)

Seems like allot of equipment for 110 acres and 8 acres of plots and trails. Ideas for you and your property??

That's an impressive list. I picked up a 6 or 7' wide John Deere 3 point cultivator/digger and that's a really nice piece of equipment for cutting through sod in hard to reach areas. I also bought a 3 point disc and it works pretty well but it can't dig up sod like the digger can. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the old farming equipment that you can find on craigslist and it's a fraction of the cost of the new equipment that is marketed to food plotters. I also would like a small grain drill, but I've had pretty good luck broadcasting and cultipacking small grains. So the grain drill might not be needed, but it sure would be nice. I just don't know enough about grain drills to even know what to look for, but I guess that's never stopped me before.

 

[foggy]

That's an impressive list. I picked up a 6 or 7' wide John Deere 3 point cultivator/digger and that's a really nice piece of equipment for cutting through sod in hard to reach areas. I also bought a 3 point disc and it works pretty well but it can't dig up sod like the digger can. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the old farming equipment that you can find on craigslist and it's a fraction of the cost of the new equipment that is marketed to food plotters. I also would like a small grain drill, but I've had pretty good luck broadcasting and cultipacking small grains. So the grain drill might not be needed, but it sure would be nice. I just don't know enough about grain drills to even know what to look for, but I guess that's never stopped me before.

Yep....a disk seems to do little good in sod for me too. I wish for a digger at times....but my landscape rake kinda/sorta fills that bill. It likes to plug with trash tho.....and I have considered removing every-other tooth. My LS Rake is an old Ford Industrial model.....and it's tough as nails.

I do fine with the stuff I have.....but it seems there is always another means of attack to consider. Lately on new ground, I have just nuked the sod....give it some time.....and gone directly to my tiller. Seems to work fine.

 

[j-bird]

Foggy - I hope to borrow a tiller this fall (why buy when I can borrow). I have never used one before, what should I be aware of? Ground has been worked for years so I don't see any real potential for hidden surprises I am just trying to avoid consuming an entire weekend running a plow and disc. I hope Iwill get a good enough bed so I can broadcast AWP and soybeans and run a packer or drag and get them covered. If not I have a row planter.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Yep....a disk seems to do little good in sod for me too. I wish for a digger at times....but my landscape rake kinda/sorta fills that bill. It likes to plug with trash tho.....and I have considered removing every-other tooth. My LS Rake is an old Ford Industrial model.....and it's tough as nails.

I do fine with the stuff I have.....but it seems there is always another means of attack to consider. Lately on new ground, I have just nuked the sod....give it some time.....and gone directly to my tiller. Seems to work fine.

I agree with you on using round-up on the sod prior to breaking it. I was able to use my 3 point disc to easily break through sod after round-up had killed it off. There were areas where the grass was alive and growing and I think my digger would have done a better job there. I only used the disc since I just bought it and I wanted to see what it could do and that was a good test. The ground I'm working was pasture for decades and there seems to be a pretty nice rock population. The digger really does a nice job of popping up the rocks so I can collect them easily. The disc seems to roll over them which I'm worried will damage the disc and limit my ability to dig up the dirt.

I dug up a section of sumac shrubs with my digger and I've never seen roots like that. The sumac "colony" must be joined together by their roots and the roots actually are somewhat flexible and act like a rope almost. They really would get stuck in the digger, but all I had to do was it up and they would fall off in a giant pile.

 

[foggy]

Foggy - I hope to borrow a tiller this fall (why buy when I can borrow). I have never used one before, what should I be aware of? Ground has been worked for years so I don't see any real potential for hidden surprises I am just trying to avoid consuming an entire weekend running a plow and disc. I hope Iwill get a good enough bed so I can broadcast AWP and soybeans and run a packer or drag and get them covered. If not I have a row planter.

There is so much difference in soil-types....it really becomes hard to give advice to your part of the country. Here....I have sandy-loam. I'm gonna bet you have some clay and loam. Clay is going to work much harder than sand. Maybe slower going for you. Still.....I think you can do a better job in one pass with a tiller than in multiple passes with a plow and disk.

You will need to determine how fine you want to work your soils and adjust your ground-speed to suit your needs. I do allot of 3 mph tilling at about 3" in depth. I hate to get too deep or I just dry my soil out. A little trial and error is in order as you learn your tillage needs.

 

[j-bird]

Thanks Foggy - I actually have a course soil as well with very little clay if any. Not really sandy just more of a loam. I figured one pass and I would expect a better seedbed than my traditional tillage methods. I wasn't sure how deep would be deep enough, but I will try your 3" suggestion as well. I will be planting beans and peas (not sure if broadcast or actual row planted) and then broadcasting cereal grains and brassica as well. I have already mowed the corn stalks several weeks ago and applied fist gly 2 weeks ago. More than likely target planting mid Aug.