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New Trencher Hooks To Your Tractor
"With this new trencher, a farmer with his own tractor can get into the custom tiling business for less investment. Or, several farmers can team up to do their own tiling with a jointly-owned machine," explains Lowell Kraft, president of Kraft, Inc., U.S. distributes for the new Radahl trencher manufactured in Norway.
Basically, it mounts on any tractor that has either a 540 to 1,000 rpm pto. In less than five minutes, the tractor used to power the trencher can be unhooked and freed up for other jobs.
The most popular tractors being used with the Radahl trencher are International Harvester's hydrostaticdrive models. Other tractors used on some of the first machines sold in the U.S. include Muir Hill (model 111 and 121); Ford County Six, 5000 and 7000; and several models of Deutz tractors.
Kraft notes that tractors equipped with 1,000 pto's are less costly to mount. "The 540 rpm pto speed requires an offset speed increase drive. Another important consideration in tractor selection is forward speed. It should be infinitely variable, as with hydrostatic drive, or have speed ranges as low as .2, .3, .4 and .5 mph," says Kraft.
Simplicity and low maintenance are key features of the new-style trencher. There is just one working part - the exclusive digging wheel which carries 10 replaceable cutting teeth. Action of the wheel is similar to a chain digger in that the soil is not cut and lifted in a bucket but is brought to the surface by the saw-like action of the teeth, Kraft explains. "Because soil is carried only a short distance, the power requirement is extremely low when compared to other ditching equipment. A tractor with upwards of 80 hp is more than adequate to power it. The Radahl cuts a trench 8 in. wide (10 or 12 in. wide with optional cutters on the wheel) and up to 5 ft. deep. Diameter of the wheel, which rotates at 28 rpm, is 7 ft., 3 in.
The trencher handles corrugated plastic or clay tile up to 8 in. in dia. In average soil conditions, and tiling at a depth of 3.5 ft., it lays 30 to 50 ft. of tile per min.
The tractor used on the trencher can be equipped with a blade to fill in the trench coming back. The blade can also be used to shave off the top of knolls, allowing the trencher to go deeper, if necessary, to maintain grade.
Cost of the trencher is $28,000. An optional lasar automatic grade control attachment sells for about $12,000.
For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kraft, Inc., Lowell Kraft, Pres., 135 N. Caseville Rd., Pigeon, Mich. 48755 (ph. 517 453-3641).


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1977 - Volume #1, Issue #2