Homemade Mini-Packer

[Derek Reese 29]

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to share a project that is (almost) completed. I used just over a 2' wide piece of 16" culvert pipe, 2" PVC, 1.5" metal pipe and 4.5 80 lb bags of concrete to create these mini packers.
The original plan was to do 2-2' sections then combine them into 1 packer, but I don't think the wheelers I have access to can pull 720 pounds around the hills here in Northern PA.
I got the frame put together last night and just have to drill and add some pins to the ends of the metal pipe and figure out a way to attach the tongue to the wheeler (thinking a chain through a clevis but I'm open to suggestions).
Total cost (after finding the wood for the frame in the garage and being given the culvert pipe) was ~75$.
Also, I will get 2 packers out of this. I figured I can just use it to cover the space in between the wheelers tires when planting.

Want to give credit where it's due, so here's what I used as an example:

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Will be using it this weekend so I hope to add some videos or additional pictures.

 

[PatinPA]

Let us know how it works out. I'm interested to hear how the wood frame holds up. I made a sort of rake to pull behind an atv the other year and it didn't last more than a couple passes, but it kept getting caught on stuff.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Let us know how it works out. I'm interested to hear how the wood frame holds up. I made a sort of rake to pull behind an atv the other year and it didn't last more than a couple passes, but it kept getting caught on stuff.

hoping it holds up at least a little for the 2ish acres I want to run it over

 

[PatinPA]

hoping it holds up at least a little for the 2ish acres I want to run it over

With it being so narrow, it might twist a little going over bumps. Especially the tongue. I hope it works well for you. I definitely will be copying it, if it does. I've been trying to find a small one for sale on craigslist but they are few and far between.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

With it being so narrow, it might twist a little going over bumps. Especially the tongue. I hope it works well for you. I definitely will be copying it, if it does. I've been trying to find a small one for sale on craigslist but they are few and far between.

yeah price was my main concern as well...even if I get a year or two out of it...that's still cheaper than the $400 packer I found on craigslist..
tried to alleviate the twisting by making the tongue kinda free floating but that's remains to be seen
the place i will be using it on saturday has some hills....

 

[PatinPA]

yeah price was my main concern as well...even if I get a year or two out of it...that's still cheaper than the $400 packer I found on craigslist..
tried to alleviate the twisting by making the tongue kinda free floating but that's remains to be seen
the place i will be using it on saturday has some hills....

that will be a good first test then

 

[PatinPA]

Good luck

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Good luck

Thanks Pat! So the packer survived for a total of 0.75 acres of work before the chain that we used to attach the packer to the wheeler with a clevis snapped the tongue off from the frame hitting too hard while going down a steep hill....
Then we "re-engineered" the tongue and added some more supports and that seems to be lasting a bit longer.
It really did a nice job, as it fit right between the wheeler tires and made nice grooves even in the dry PA soil.
Attached is a picture of a field mid-packing (post seeding). You can really tell where the packer had been used and we could not find any seeds just laying around in the packed areas.
In my mind it was mission accomplished...
Also attached is a picture of the updated tongue set up (which will work for now but further modifications will probably be needed).

 

[River-X]

Nice job on your project! I have thought about making my own for the past three years. Saw some similar designs as yours.
I applaud all the land managers here for thinking outside the box and applying mechanical skills to save money where possible.
In the long run, I broke down and bought one. Between the yearly cost of seed for multiple acres, and seeing plantings fail from not prepping my plots correctly, I figured it was a worthwhile investment. Add to that the ability to go in quickly before predicted rains ( just had this scenario 3 days ago), and it may be my best purchase ever for my land.

looking forward to seeing more of your pics, again, great job!
Chris

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Nice job on your project! I have thought about making my own for the past three years. Saw some similar designs as yours.
I applaud all the land managers here for thinking outside the box and applying mechanical skills to save money where possible.
In the long run, I broke down and bought one. Between the yearly cost of seed for multiple acres, and seeing plantings fail from not prepping my plots correctly, I figured it was a worthwhile investment. Add to that the ability to go in quickly before predicted rains ( just had this scenario 3 days ago), and it may be my best purchase ever for my land.

looking forward to seeing more of your pics, again, great job!
Chris

Thank you! I had always heard that a packer made for much better seed to soil contact, but didnt really believe it....after walking around a plot trying to see any seed after packing..I may be starting to believe....In hindsight, I had the opportunity to buy a small packer this spring (albeit at 4X the cost of this packer) and kinda wish I had done that....
this project has taken alot of time and lots of brute force to finish and get rolling...but it was certainly worthwhile to do something like this on my own...
Now I know how long something like this will take and also to make sure I have a trailer available (far easier than lifting such a compact and heavy thing)...

 

[River-X]

Good seed to soil is a MUST. Very much a game changer. There were numerous times I had walked away after seeding and using a drag only to see less than impressive results later in the growing season. Coming from a family that is a large cash crop grain farm, I knew better but tried to cut corners. Lesson learned. Packing is NOT the step to skip, that’s for sure.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Good seed to soil is a MUST. Very much a game changer. There were numerous times I had walked away after seeding and using a drag only to see less than impressive results later in the growing season. Coming from a family that is a large cash crop grain farm, I knew better but tried to cut corners. Lesson learned. Packing is NOT the step to skip, that’s for sure.

That's good to hear...I just never had access to a packer before...we used to drag an old bed spring with some rocks on top over the top after seeding, but stopped doing that when we started doing more frost seeding and the results from that have been mixed.....
so as a grain farmer...should I run the packer over the newly (~1 month previously) seeded clover fields when I add the rye here in a few weeks.....I'm torn between not hurting the clover and not getting good soil contact with the winter rye/wheat....

 

[River-X]

Go ahead and roll it. That clover will bounce right back up.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Go ahead and roll it. That clover will bounce right back up.

that's what I thought but I've only ever mowed or dragged really established clover, not this new stuff...thanks for your help!

 

[ChadHable]

Nice work! My FIL and I built this one last spring. Same concept as you. Only difference is It's 4 ft wide, used a 20ft stick of angle iron and 2 wheel bearings. My total cost was about $150-$175. My 325 ATV pulls this just find, even in our sandy soil.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Nice work! My FIL and I built this one last spring. Same concept as you. Only difference is It's 4 ft wide, used a 20ft stick of angle iron and 2 wheel bearings. My total cost was about $150-$175. My 325 ATV pulls this just find, even in our sandy soil.

yours looks far more professional than mine (and probably didn't have to be rebuilt the first time you used it)....I have a friend who's a professional welder but just didn't want to bug him at the moment...

 

[35-acre]

Just wondering if you couldn't just put a hitch on this and use a ball on the back to the ATV?

My thought would be to head over to harbor Freight or Tractor Supply and buy the hitch. It's going to run you another $20 or so.
Add some wood on both sides of the 2 x 4 "tongue" and then use some 6" lag bolts in the 4 holes on the hitch (2 on each side) and 1 in the top.

I would think that this would prevent it from twisting because the ball and hitch will only give you so much play (but it's a lot of play). I did something very similar with a field mower that I just built. It worked well in the hills of southern NY.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Just wondering if you couldn't just put a hitch on this and use a ball on the back to the ATV?

My thought would be to head over to harbor Freight or Tractor Supply and buy the hitch. It's going to run you another $20 or so.
Add some wood on both sides of the 2 x 4 "tongue" and then use some 6" lag bolts in the 4 holes on the hitch (2 on each side) and 1 in the top.

I would think that this would prevent it from twisting because the ball and hitch will only give you so much play (but it's a lot of play). I did something very similar with a field mower that I just built. It worked well in the hills of southern NY.

thats a great suggestion! i will definitely look into that,...would definitely help with the stability and ease of movement..
found this one after about 10 seconds of searching....

1-7/8 in. x 2 in. Ball Coupler

Amazing deals on this 1-7/8In X 2In Ball Coupler at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[35-acre]

thats a great suggestion! i will definitely look into that,...would definitely help with the stability and ease of movement..
found this one after about 10 seconds of searching....

1-7/8 in. x 2 in. Ball Coupler

Amazing deals on this 1-7/8In X 2In Ball Coupler at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

That's the one I used. It's probably about 3" wide where the board will go in. So when I said use 6" lag bolts, I misjudged it. You'll have to shim some on both sides of your current tongue but it will be worth it. If you had some scrap steel, you could consider putting that inside the hitch on both sides of your 2 x 4 (more or less sandwiching the 2x4) and have it run any length beyond the hitch towards your cultipacker. That will add some strength. Even if it's just a little bit of bed frame or something that you can cut with a hack saw. Drill a couple of holes through it and pop in some bolts.

I built a cultipacker myself a few years ago. I've since really stopped planting and am just mowing my clover. I could never get anything to grow; given the size of my field and the number of deer it was a losing battle.

 

[PatinPA]

Found a 10" piece of corrugated 29" long on craigslist. Picking it up Saturday.