FARM IMPLEMENTS

The Versatile Cultivator

The sixteen tyne cultivator - Each tyne is made up of coiled spring steel with a thin arrowhead blade attached as a cutting point

The cultivator is able to easily remove canola plants from the field

Another use for the cultivator - With the aid of an old door, the platform is useful for carrying water containers.

Raked canola has been harvested and is being dragged to the required mulching site

Freshly cultivated soil - The cultivator is effective when controlling light weed growth

The spring tyne cultivator has become a very handy implement on the farm. It is lightweight, easy to attach/remove from the tractor linkage points and easy to clean after use. It is designed for the control of light weed infestations and is not greatly impeded by rocks or stumps imbedded in the soil.

Multipurpose Cultivator

I have found other uses for the cultivator and now it serves as a platform for carting small quantities of water and also as a rake for the collection of mulch. This saves me the bother to remove the cultivator when a trailer is needed and also saves on money and storage space needed to house a wider range of implements.

The Cultivator Tynes

Sixteen tynes made of spring steel allows great flexibility should a hard obstacle be encountered. The tynes are also relatively easy and inexpensive to replace when they lose their flexibility with age.

The cultivator is not equipped to deal with very hard soil or situations that have a large amount of weed growth, for these situations a disc cultivator or plough may be needed.

Cultivator For Mulching

I have found this cultivator to be most useful when raking canola vegetation to be used as a mulch around young trees. Canola plants have a relatively shallow root system and are easily scraped from the soil surface. Mounds of canola plants are dragged to the required location and then spread as a thick mulch layer. The mulch layer will need a dressing of nitrogenous fertilizer as well as an application of lime in order to allow the rotting vegetation to more easily broken down by microorganisms, insects and earthworms. Badly needed humus will eventually improve the health and water holding capacity of the soil.

One Of My Best Hobby Farm Investment

I believe there are significant advantages when using a tyne cultivator if compared to implements such as a rotary hoe, as the soil is not pounded causing it to lose its structure. The relatively gentle slicing action of the cultivator as tynes pass through soil allows good control of weeds while there is a decreased likelihood of death or injury to our friends, the earthworms. Plant roots are severed and if not completely killed, certainly their growth is restricted.

The cultivator has become one of my best investments on the farm, costing about $1000 new, it has payed for itself within a few short months.