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3-Pt. Culti-Weeder Blade "Works Better Than Anything On The Market
"It does a better job of killing weeds and conserving soil moisture than any other tillage implement I've ever used," says Steve Dixon, Brant, Alberta, about his 3-pt. "culti-weeder" - a simple 3-pt. mounted blade that he runs just below the soil surface.
  The 7-ft. blade slopes at a 35 degree angle toward the front. Dixon, who grows small grain crops, built the unit after he became dissatisfied with the tillage implements he had been using. He pulls it behind his International 574 50 hp tractor.
  "The blade lifts the ground and loosens it so much that the weeds dry out right away. It leaves the soil very fine and also leaves trash on top to conserve moisture," says Dixon. "I built it two years ago and use it mainly during the spring and summer to control weed growth. I go at about 6 mph and work the ground 4 to 6 in. deep. Even though the blade is only 7 ft. wide I can do a lot of work in a day. I'm convinced that it could be made up to 12 ft. wide and work just as well. I built it because I think that field cultivators, disks, and rod weeders dry out the ground too much. It works somewhat like a rod weeder but it lifts the ground higher which results in a better weed kill. It also holds up to rocks better than a rod weeder.
  "In many cases the blade leaves the ground ready to plant so that I don't have to use my field cultivator at all. It really shines in dry weather. One year we had a bad drought which resulted in average barley yields in the area of only 6 to 8 bu. per acre. However, my barley averaged about 40 bu. per acre. My neighbors were amazed at how much moisture was in my ground.
  "I also made a smaller model for my garden tractor which I use in my big garden. I had been using a cultivator and then a rototiller before I planted. Now all I do is till with the blade and then plant."
  A local company is building units for sale at $1,250 (Canadian).
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, River City Welding, Rt. 1, High River, Alberta T1V 1N1 (ph 403 601-2040; fax 2433).


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2001 - Volume #25, Issue #2