[AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion

[Al Jones]

When I was growing up in the '80s, everybody laid out tobacco patches with truck/fifth middles--usually the field started with two rows, then a truck middle (in other words they didn't plant that row as John mentions) then four rows, then a truck middle, etc.  The last rows are a truck middle and a set of two rows again.  With high clearance sprayers and larger equipment a lot of tobacco farmers (what few are left) are planting the tobacco solid with no skips--or they are planting as many as 8 rows between truck middles.

Al


-----Original Message-----
>From: john hall <jtchall at nc.rr.com>
>Sent: Apr 22, 2011 7:21 PM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>
>Grant, do any of the vegetable crops use "sled rows"? Basically for tobacco 
>you don't plant the fifth, seventh, or ninth row---usually determined by the 
>width of your sprayer. The reason behind this is tobacco is too tall to 
>straddle the rows. With the equipment. The harvest trailers, sprayers and 
>irrigation equipment all use the sled row.
>
>Now that I think of it, self propelled sprayers should be able to fit down 
>the crop rows. I've never been around a harvester to know what they do with 
>the crop trailer. Some of the old ones used to carry the trailer I think, 
>the new ones may hold the crop and dump at the end of the row. I think all 
>irrigation would still require a sled row--either for the trailer or for the 
>gun on a reel system.
>
>By the way, do you guys have any ride-on harvesters? We used to have a four 
>row model for tobacco. Everything was hand harvested and when the storage 
>racks were full we packed them onto a trailer.
>
>John
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Grant Brians" <sales at heirloom-organic.com>
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 4:01 PM
>Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>
>
>> We use tractors for harvest two ways. Either with a three point hitch
>> mounted box or with a welded platform mounted to the tractor on all four
>> sides. The 100's have the platform mounted and the other tractors have the
>> three point hitch boxes. The platforms are an item that is pretty much a
>> California vegetable area exclusive as they actually were designed for
>> carrying the 30' long portable aluminum sprinkler pipe on either side of 
>> the
>> operator. I have four tractors set up with what are locally referred to as
>> "pipe racks". While many different types of tractors were converted for 
>> pipe
>> racks, the preferred models are ones like the Farmall 100 or 240, AC model 
>> C
>> and JD2010. The reason for these being preferred is that they are two 
>> wheel
>> drive (less weight and cheaper), narrow wheels, wide front end to match 
>> 60"
>> to 80" wheel spacing and straddle the vegetable or strawberry beds and low
>> height wheels to make it easier to place the pipe on the tractor and 
>> remove
>> it. Typically the weight is balanced on the rear wheels with just enough
>> weight on the front wheels to make for easy control of the tractor - no
>> power steering needed.
>>     For the harvest boxes, then you need a heavy enough front end of the
>> tractor to counter-balance the box, either with weights or inherent
>> construction.
>>          Grant Brians
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of john hall
>> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 3:09 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>>
>>
>> I can't stand the larger steering wheels on the number series. Not certain
>> when they changed it, may have been with the 100. We've always had Super 
>> A's
>> and they are pretty easy to off and on.
>>
>> What exactly do you mean by "harvest configuration". Is this something 
>> like
>> the Asparagus A's I read about one time?
>>
>> John
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Grant Brians" <sales at heirloom-organic.com>
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
>> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 7:30 AM
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Actual antique tractor vegetable discussion
>>
>>
>>> John, I actually have a 240 with cultivating bars. The issue with the 100
>>> and 200 series tractors is that they were made for a light amount of
>>> weight.
>>> They have small wheels and the wide front ends wear out the kingpins and
>>> wheel bearings when loaded down in a harvest tractor configuration. The
>>> parts are appropriately sized to the rest of the tractor, but are not 
>>> made
>>> to haul rutabagas, turnips, watermelons etc.... There is one other 100
>>> issue
>>> that I mentioned before - I am 6'6" tall and cannot fit into the seat
>>> area!
>>> It would be even worse for my son, he is almost 6'8" tall and has quite a
>>> bit longer legs.
>>>     The harvest tractor issues are becoming exacerbated as we will have
>>> well over 300 acres planted of vegetables this year on the current 185
>>> acres
>>> I am farming and if the new 100 acres gets added as planned to my
>>> operation
>>> this season then it will be even more of an issue clearly.
>>>          Grant Brians
>>>          Hollister,California Vegetable, Nuts and Fruit farmer
>>>
>> at
>>
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