I would like to see some talk specifically about what tractor implements people have had success with and how they use them. I think it is nice to see what exists and what works. I took a while to imagine and then find some machines. I have some things i wont go into like a tractor with front loader, dump trailer, plow, pasture rake, some old things laying around that don’t get used etc.
I have a self loading mulch spreader, I use it a lot to spread or even transport woodchip, I wish it worked better with horse manure but it mainly works with compost and woodchips and holds 1 cubic meter (3feet). cost about 5k
I have a side discharge mower, I was trying to get this Nobili sds but cost is about 10k for that and local dealers were not willing to help me get it so i went with a 3 blade horizontal deck mower. cost about 3k
similar to this
And Jagoda makes some nice products like the berry harvesters and this organic tillage finger weeder I am looking at cautiously.
could be nice to finger weed and toss clover seed for ground maintenance. $3k
and the flair mower is pretty nice as a mower and small branch mulcher. $1.5k
That self-loading compost spreader is awesome! I had never even considered that someone might have created something so novel. Thank you very much for sharing that with us.
Flair / Flail mowers are pretty cool, we have one at work for the mini excavator for removal of woody vegetation on embankments. It will eat 3-4 inch trees if you give it enough time.
The brush hog on the skid loader is way faster but both are good for different applications.
I would estimate both use about twice the fuel compared to normal operation with using a bucket.
I’ve been dreaming of getting some land to do a bigger orchard and trying to figure out how to go from something like an overgrown hay field to cover crops in rows and came across some videos showing these harrowing type tool. Expensive, particularly since you would only need it occasionally, but I think you might be able to rent them.
I think there is a version that comes with seeder built in as well.
This is what i have, except mine is a bit cheaper, just cost $2k and was well worth it. It also hase the compaction wheel. is 6 foot wide. I have run over metal fence posts before and it just wrapped them up around the blades, sucked to remove it all afternoon but it’s strong enough to eat metal fence posts! I lost them in the grass… I put horse manure, charcoal etc. on the garden and till it in with this machine 1+ months prior to planting.
Interesting that they use it for building foundations it seems.
I remove the compactor wheel because I prefer the smaller size for maneuverability. I just go over typical pasture with it 2 times and it sets back the grass pretty well, the grass will still come back up through, I see they remove the grass with a front loader in the video, That would help.
I use a jang seeder to plant seeds after wards for garden and sometimes clover… or a broadcast seeder for rye and clover.
It would be nice to have a seeder for sowing cover crops but I think i can just broadcast rye and clover until i justify that expense. Unless i see a cheap efficient one buying tractor tools is the next best thing after buying fruit trees! Same issues arise though with space to put them all.
I consider getting a disc harrow for the job of cultivating larger areas because it would be used at a faster speed.
Millcreek makes some nice side discharge mulch spreaders. We don’t have one, but it would be the perfect tool to spread bark mulch on a couple acres of Blueberries
We do have a flail mower with hammer blades that we use to mulch the prunnings from the Apples, Peaches, Blueberries and Blackberries. Much faster than push and burn and we don’t have to worry about the fire getting out of control or the pollution.
Air blast sprayer is perfect tool for spraying a few acres of tree fruit but $$
Tractor mount spin spreader is very useful for spreading pelletized lime, fertilizer or seed.
Jang makes a 3 point mount for their planters. You can mount multiple units to the toolbar or just move a single planter unit across the toolbar and make multiple passes.
Forgot the shank tiller, sometimes called a field cultivator. Easy to find something used. We use ours to break the soil before we till.
I got a flail mower with hammer blades for general mowing and light mulching, and a single bottom plow. I use the plow for making raised beds; going up and back gives you a nice, busted up strip of dirt with furrows for holding on to rain in the drier months.
I did a similar method to build a raised bed for tree planting, my goal was to make a small trench as described by Mark Shepard, a Mini swale to harvest water.
I ran the plow both ways and then used the reverse tiller to break up the clumps nicely. Then planted, put down cardboard, woodchips, and plant tubes.
Beautiful farm and location! What is in the grow tubes?
I see lots of video of cultivators like that but have never used one
Here is a pretty good one on grapes where the cultivation was aggressive
We get good weed control early season with herbicides on about 8 acres of fruit but always loose control by the end of the season. We are not organic but use as few chemicals as possible
That is intense to watch the grapes bounce around. But it does the job well and does it pretty fast.
The view is pretty nice when I remember to appreciate it. I plan to try something similar with a U-pick, Also I am happy to spend my time and money on it as a hobby as I have for 10 years but recently I have expanded more with commercial intentions. I have 100 Pears, 300 Persimmons, 100 Hazelnut and 600 Honeyberry going down that field out of view. The pears and hazelnuts were planted after this photo was taken. Honeyberries are in the ground since a few years. Other areas we have apples and black currants in similar amounts.
I understand the reasons to transition from a hobby size enterprise to something commercial.
We worked up to growing and selling about 8 acres of fruit over a long period of time. Now takes just two 5 hour days to sell what we grow but it was a big struggle before local fruit became cool.
You have an interesting assortment of fruit and nuts that I expect customers will drive a long way to purchase…
That is a pretty narrow window, sounds similar hours to a Solawi or in america they are… CSA.
Our customer vicinity… It is OK not ideal, about 1.2 hrs from like 10M Germans. I think we will sell out to local small towns within 20 min radius mostly friends. Maybe even doing a registered members where people pre pay for a year and then have access to pick at set times. I am also considering just getting a $20k berry picker from “Jagoda” and just selling all the fruit and berries bulk fire wine, cider, juice, jams. I like the idea of finding a factory to send it in bulk they make it into Jam and then they send it back in jars and we are marketing jams… and fruit Juice… but that is basically the scope of options I see. Socializing at U picks would be real fun and people always say they love the view and i love to see people enjoying fruit trees.
If we can make 20-50k annually I am pretty happy. We’ll see how it starts out in about 2 years. If it all fails, I’ll just roll around in fruits and tears. lol
buying tractor tools is the next best thing after buying fruit trees! Same issues arise though with space to put them all.
