[AT] Potato diggers - Slight variation

Wed Jan 18 20:32:48 PST 2006

I appreciate the offer and I looked at the picture of the chopper.  I have 
had access for the last three years to my brother's stalk chopper which 
chops three rows.  This year the stalks just shattered into small pieces 
and I was able to plow 26 acres with my roll-over plow only plugging 5 
times.  Two years ago it plugged slightly more but was still 
tolerable.  Last year, for some reason, the stalks did not chop up and in a 
1/3 mile long field the plow would (literally) plug up to 20 times per 
round.  The field was a nightmare.  I told peole I had a beaver village 
with beaver lodges all over the place!  (Piles of cornstalks all over the 
field.)  In fact, this past year I had to field cultivate two extra times 
just to scatter out the piles of stalks and level the unevenness just to 
plant my edible beans.  What I was looking for (I'm not sure they were used 
in Indiana.) is a flail chopper nine feet wide which cuts the crop and 
throws it into an auger, which in turn throws it into a second set of 
knives which chop it some more and then the crop is blown into a 
wagon.  However, in my case I would just chop the stalks and blow them back 
into the field instead of into a wagon.  It's not a machine I would use 
every year, only in years when my brother's machine failed to adequately 
chop the stalks.  It would be much slower two rows at a time compared to my 
brother's machine which does six rows at once.  It would, however, still be 
better than a plow that plugs every fifty feet.  I do appreciate your offer 
on the machines but they do not appear to be what I am looking for.

I use a 3-bottom, 18-in. roll-over plow that is 30+ years old.  (Does a 
great job of plowing, but doesn't have the clearance of some of the newer 
plows.)  Thanks again for the offers.

Greg Hass
from the icy, snowy tip of Michigan's Thumb
Bad Axe

At 11:45 AM 1/1/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>On 1 Jan 2006 at 3:46, Greg Hass wrote:
>
> > First of all, Happy New Year to everyone.  Grant's post reminded me of
> > something that has been on my mind quite a bit recently. I have some
> > problems quite similar to his, one being limited funds
>and the other
> > farming only a little over a hundred acres.  I have no
>idea how many on
> > this list farm at all, particularly how many farm small
>acreages.  As I
> > have mentioned in previous posts, all of the machinery I
>own except for the
> > corn planter and skid steer is 30+ years old.
> >
> > I am generally on the lookout for various machines, but
>the problem
> > is:  where I can I find them?  I used to be able to find
>some at auctions,
> > however the auctions that have the equipment I need have
>pretty much run
> > their course and auctions now are mostly large farm
>auctions.  Our local
> > machinery dealers have refused for quite a while to take
>any of this small
> > type of equipment on trade.  It is now rumored that our
>local John Deere
> > dealer (whom I do not patronize and who bought the
>dealership from the
> > previous owner 2 years ago) will not take any equipment
>over 5 years old on
> > trade.  Three miles from me is a local machinery jockey
>in his mid-30s who
> > handles just the type of equipment I need.  However, he
>is so crooked that
> > not even a flame wrench can straighten him out, which is
>sad because our
> > area could really use this type of dealer.
> >
> > My only alternative seems to be fence row hunting, which
>is difficult
> > because many of the fence rows are not visible from the
>road.  For
> > instance, my field cultivator and crop sprayer I got from
>a cousin who had
> > them sitting in tall weeds out behind the barn for 15+
>years.  Both
> > required several hundred dollars in repairs to get them
>in working order
> > but at least now I have fairly decent, usable machines.
>My roll-over plow
> > I heard about by accident.  A guy a couple of miles away
>had purchased it
> > on a deal with a used tractor and never used it.  It had
>been sitting there
> > for over 10 years.  The problem with this type of
>acquisition is that in
> > all of these cases I had been looking for the equipment
>for 3 or more years
> > before I found it.  Should I need a machine in the near
>future they are
> > almost impossible to find quickly.
> >
> > At the present time I am looking for a flail chopper.
>For those not
> > familiar, they were a machine 5-ft. wide that cut hay
>with swinging flails,
> > threw it into an auger, which in turn augered it into a
>set of knives which
> > recut the hay then blew it into a wagon to feed the
>cattle on a daily
> > basis.  I do not have livestock, but on my limited
>acreage such a machine
> > would do a good job of cutting up the cornstalks so they
>wouldn't pug my
> > plow.  Twenty years ago there were hundreds of them in
>our area so the
> > problem now is to find one.  I have never heard of an
>online service with
> > listings of this type of equipment, although it would
>probably be handy.  I
> > know here's no magical anser to the problem.  I guess I
>just needed to vent
> > a little going into the new year.
> >
> > Greg Hass
>
>
>
>Hi Greg:
>
>         Son Scott bought a regular Brady stalk chopper (I think it
>was called a 4 row) at auction a year or so ago and started
>to fix it up but we are switching to all hay and horse
>pasture. Right now I don't plan to plant any corn this
>year. I think it is missing one half of the PTO shaft and
>it needs a smallish (famous last words) repair to one end
>of one shaft where a drive pully mounts on it (pulley loose
>on shaft). The chopper probably had paint on it at one
>time...   ;-)
>         Scott just walked in and I asked him if he wanted to sell
>it and how much. He shrugged and said $50.
>It is this type but not as wide and has less paint (copy
>and paste):
>http://www.agdealer.com/pages/view-
>listing.cfm?ID=238364&ClientID=124
>
>         He is also selling a Ford 4-16" semi-mounted plow but he
>has more in it. Wants $250. He is getting rid of some of
>the stuff he bought a few years ago and generally looks to
>just get his money back. We were thinking of renting some
>more ground together and were setting up to cover ground
>fast with two sets of equipment but his job has rapidly
>grown to the point that he has trouble coming up with
>enough time for such things now. I am not interested in
>more ground if he can't do it with me. His job pays a "lot"
>more than farming...   ;-)
>         I need to thin some stuff too but I haven't decided just
>what yet.
>
>
>--
>"farmer"
>
>Francis Robinson
>Central Indiana, USA
>robinson at svs.net
>
>         I have created a local Shopsmith users list for my area.
>It is described as follows:
>This is to be a list for Shopsmith owners and want to be
>owners in the general area of Indiana. If you are across
>the line in OH or IL that is fine too. I don't want to draw
>a hard line but I hope for all members to be within a
>reasonable driving distance of each other. This list is for
>sharing woodworking tips and stories and Shopsmith tips and
>stories but also is to be used for the buying, selling and
>swapping of Shopsmith tools, accessories and parts between
>members of this list.
>
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianaSSlist/
>_______________________________________________
>AT mailing list
>Remembering Our Friend Cecil Monson 11-4-2005
>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at