«Previous    Next»
He Likes Kunz ATV-Mounted Chisel Plow
When I prepped an 8 1/2-acre field last fall that I intended to plant with hardwoods, my neighbors probably thought I was crazy. First I hit the stubble with an AcrEase 57-in. rough-cut mower from Kunz Engineering (www.Kunzeng.com; ph 815 539-6954) pulled by my Honda Foreman 4-wheeler. It chewed up the stalks and cleaned up the field edges, too. In fact, it chewed up anything it could climb over, including 3-in. saplings if I hit them hard enough to bend them over. It is built rugged. A couple of times the Honda was stopped in its tracks, but the heavy frame on the mower was untouched.
The next step was the one that really had the neighbors scratching their heads. I pulled into the field with the Kunz Till-Ease, a 43-in. chisel plow, mounted behind my trusty Honda. I keep a Groundhog loader on the 4-wheeler all year, so I knew weight and traction would be no problem. Power was more of a question, but proved to be no problem either. The Honda's 500 cc engine and continuously variable transmission gave me more than enough power.
Since I didn't need a terribly smooth field, two of the five sweeps were removed. I also wanted to avoid trash buildup, and even with the cutting coulters in front of the sweeps, heavy corn residue might've been a problem.
I hit the field at an angle with the chisel plow at about 4 to 6 in. deep and traveling at 6 to 8 mph. It was like riding a wild mustang. I had one hand on the steering and the other behind me on the switch for the electronic depth control. Every time I hit the combine tracks, the Honda bucked as the sweeps broke through the compaction zones. Then I would leap forward again. It was the most fun I've had in a long time and, at an acre an hour, the job got done fairly quickly.
The Kunz chisel plow turned over the soil well. The dirt really flew. The electric actuator reacted fast enough to let me feather the depth through the compaction zones or when I hit heavier bottom ground.
I wouldn't recommend chiseling an 8-acre field with an ATV every day, but it did show what could be done. I do think that 43-in. chisel would be great for tilling wildlife plots and even large gardens. "


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2008 - Volume #32, Issue #1