Field Cultivator Converted To Portable Windbreak
Gary Barker, Pratt, Kansas, built a portable windbreak on the frame of a 60-ft. wide, 5-section Noble Crustbuster field cultivator. He uses it in harvested grain sorghum and milo fields where his cattle graze temporarily, and tows it behind his tractor from field to field. The tractor stays hitched to the windbreak at all times to keep high winds from tipping the windbreak over.
“It rides on wheels and folds up to only about 15 ft. wide as we drive it down the road from one field to another,” says Barker.
The cultivator came with a 14-ft. wide center section and a 23-ft. wide wing on each side, which fold behind the center when in transport. Barker unbolted all the cultivator shanks and then bolted a metal framework on top of the cultivator frame to make it 8 ft. tall. He then cut the corrugated tin sheets in pieces about 8 ft. high and bolted them on. There’s an 8-in. wide gap between the sections where they hinge together. Barker filled the gaps in with lengths of rubber inner tubing.
He installed hinges on the bottom part of the cultivator frame and used metal pins to attach the tin sections to them. “When I want to drive on the road I pull out the pins and then fold the bottom tin sections up out of the way. When I get to the next field I fold them back down again. They end up just a couple inches off the ground.”
Barker parks the windbreak out in the open for a week or two at a time before moving it to the next field. “If the wind shifts directions, we can easily start the tractor and reposition it,” explains Barker.
Barker also converted another 60-ft. field cultivator into a windbreak, and has a couple others that he may convert in the future. “My dad was a shortline dealer years ago and sold hundreds of these cultivators, until farmers started using heavier cultivators that could dig deeper,” notes Barker.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Barker, 10400 S.E. 60th Ave., Pratt, Kansas 67124 (ph 620 770-1227; ruthannbarker@yahoo.com).
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Field Cultivator Converted To Portable Windbreak CULTIVATORS Gary Barker Pratt Kansas built a portable windbreak on the frame of a 60-ft wide 5-section Noble Crustbuster field cultivator He uses it in harvested grain sorghum and milo fields where his cattle graze temporarily and tows it behind his tractor from field to field The tractor stays hitched to the windbreak at all times to keep high winds from tipping the windbreak over “It rides on wheels and folds up to only about 15 ft wide as we drive it down the road from one field to another ” says Barker The cultivator came with a 14-ft wide center section and a 23-ft wide wing on each side which fold behind the center when in transport Barker unbolted all the cultivator shanks and then bolted a metal framework on top of the cultivator frame to make it 8 ft tall He then cut the corrugated tin sheets in pieces about 8 ft high and bolted them on There’s an 8-in wide gap between the sections where they hinge together Barker filled the gaps in with lengths of rubber inner tubing He installed hinges on the bottom part of the cultivator frame and used metal pins to attach the tin sections to them “When I want to drive on the road I pull out the pins and then fold the bottom tin sections up out of the way When I get to the next field I fold them back down again They end up just a couple inches off the ground ” Barker parks the windbreak out in the open for a week or two at a time before moving it to the next field “If the wind shifts directions we can easily start the tractor and reposition it ” explains Barker Barker also converted another 60-ft field cultivator into a windbreak and has a couple others that he may convert in the future “My dad was a shortline dealer years ago and sold hundreds of these cultivators until farmers started using heavier cultivators that could dig deeper ” notes Barker Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gary Barker 10400 S E 60th Ave Pratt Kansas 67124 ph 620 770-1227; ruthannbarker@yahoo com
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