Cultivation 30" Rows

[highland512]

I plan on setting my SA for working 30" rows. The owners manual rear wheel tread width section shows the setup for 60" spacing "Tread Lug Outside". Am I correct in my thinking that this would be the correct spacing for 30"?

[Jim Becker]

Yes, well maybe. You get a 60 inch tread (center to center) with the center disk turned out, the rim turned in, and the rim lugs bolted to the outside of the disk.

Whether this will work for you depends on what is in your rows and what you have for a cultivator. The main question is how tall are your plants? The pans on the bottom of the final drive housings are barely over 30 inches apart. Clearance under the pans is only about 10 inches. Beets or carrots will be fine. Corn will quickly grow to a height problem.

[highland512]

I plan on working everything untill I cant get over it anymore. Sweet corn, beans, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, etc. In the next couple years we plan on starting commercial pumkins.......still working on how I want to do that.

My SA has what I think the book calls No. 616 tools. I have #16 spring style trips and spring tooth tools

[Jim Becker]

How you set things up has a big effect on how soon you can't get over it anymore. Have you thought about possible different row widths for different crops? Back when potato farmers used cultivators, I don't think any of them used a 30-inch row spacing. Pumpkins will need wider rows too, as would any other squash-related vines.

If you have 616 tool equipment (tool bars on diagonal), you should be able to set it up for rows like you are considering. If you have 616 deluxe tool equipment (tool bars essentially front to back), it probably will be more difficult.

[Super A]

IMO those crops will be fine on 44" rows. You should be able to go down to 36" without issues. Cultivate one row at a time. Another issue when you start cultivating multiple rows, your row spacing at planting has to be pretty close to perfect. Cultivating a row at a time gives you more wiggle room.

Al

[highland512]

Update:

While the SA can be set up on 60" I have discovered that cultivation wont work. A modern 30" planter row units are 30" O.C. starting 15" left and right on the tool bar centerline. With the farmall mounted planter being based off center line of the tractor the tires land on the planted rows. After much measuring I think setting the tractor up for 40" will be the way to go.

[SONNY]

even on 40" rows you wont be able to cultivate vine crops more than a couple times!! On 30" --tractor too wide to straddle 1 row I would think.

[highland512]

I reset my tractor to 40" last weekend. It will cultivate the 30" rows, dont sneeze while running down the rows but it can be done. I planted some more corn on 36" center and should help resolve the issue.

[SONNY]

plants will get damaged real soon if that close! Dont ask how I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Super A]

plants will get damaged real soon if that close! Dont ask how I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Careful” is the key

In the 80s before we had decent soybean herbicides, we ran a JD 2940 set for 36” rows down 30” soybean rows to cultivate. With the width of the tires, that was a lot harder than a Cub on 30s.

Al