Low-Slung Cart Makes Harvest Fun

Low-Slung Cart Makes Harvest Fun 27-3-9 Junior Gurgel says harvest on his fruit and vegetable farm is a lot more enjoyable since he came up with this low-slung one-man cart. The 3-wheeled picker is 8 ft. long and has a chassis made from 2 1/2-in. sq. tubing. Two 26-in. bike-type wheels mount on back, and there's a single 12-in. lugged wheel on front. Power is provided by a 5 1/2 hp Honda gas engine. The engine belt-drives the front wheel, with a 12 1/2-in. dia. double pulley attached to the engine and a smaller double pulley attached to the wheel. Gurgel uses his left foot to push on a pedal that releases an idler pulley and allows the rig to go forward. He uses his right foot to activate the bicycle-type brakes on the rear wheels. The rig steers via a handle located in front of the driver's seat. The handle is connected by cable to a 1-in. dia. bolt that goes through a car wheel hub and yoke. Gurgel pushes the handle to turn left and pulls on it to turn right. "I use it to harvest asparagus and beans and to train strawberry runners to fill in the row instead of the walkway between rows," says Gurgel. "I can harvest three acres of asparagus in only 3 1/2 hours. I also use it to control weeds. I often take my picker to vegetable shows, where I tell people it's the only way a mom and pop operation like ours can increase acreage without having to hire more help. "The belt tightener allows me to just inch along, although I can also go at a brisk walking speed if I want. The steering handle mechanism has small notches cut into it 1 inch apart so the rig stays where I set it, so when I'm going straight down the row I don't even have to steer which leaves my hands free for harvesting." He says he built the picker heavy to hold up under heavy farm use. "The rear wheels are off a feed cart and have 1/4-in. rod spokes which are a lot heavier than bicycle wheel spokes. The front wheel is off a small manure spreader. The engine mounts low on front to keep a low center of gravity, which is important on side hills. I've driven it on 45 degree slopes with no problems. I used double pulleys to make sure that the belt won't slip on hills." He also designed a lot of adjustable features into the rig. For example, the rear wheels adjust from 32 to 40 in. rows. "The frame that goes over the rider can be slid all the way to the left or right so that the front and rear wheel follow the same track, with the other rear wheel on the other side of the row," says Gurgle. To make it easier to reach two rows, the seat swivels from side to side or adjusts up and down. "I can sit anywhere from 2 to 12 in. off the ground by changing the position of a pin. Also, the foot rest can be slid forward or backward for different size people by loosening a knob," he notes. Gurgel builds units for sale for about $2,900. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Junior R. Gurgel, E. 8597 Hwy. 136, Rock Springs, Wis. 53961 (ph 608 522-4212).

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