[Jelmer]

In addition to subject, here are two documents describing the two European tool carriers.

These two specific machines are not made anymore. Roxbury Farm NY owns these two machines in the documents.
There are several people trying to make it work to rebuild them. If that happens, I´m sure it will find its way to the forum.

Like Erika mentions in the post above. These “tools” that are on the tractor equipment, can be connected to a horse drawn tool carrier or cultivator too. It could make a farm very diverse in its methods for mechanical weed control.

Best,

Jelmer.

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[Jelmer]

You´re welcome Jay.
It amazes me where horses were used in history and how.

Thank you very much.

Jelmer.

[Jelmer]

Hello Erika,

It´s great you´re mentioning the fingerweeders, its a cool tool to be excited about! It works to lessen hand labour mechanicly.
And I agree; it fits in very well with the sustainable and innovative future of draft animal powered agriculture.

Its exciting to hear you are thinking of purchasing fingerweeders. The firmness by color like you say makes it indeed easier to pick the right one.
The other types of fingers (rubber coated on metal) sound very agressive to me too.

I´m sorry you couldn´t make it to the cultivator sessions. The Fields Days were a wonderfull full weekend, I´m still digesting on it with joy.
I think its great you bring this subjecto the forum. Its not covered enough. There is a lot more to say for these “mechanical weeding tools”.

I can inform you on that (link with) sweep with combined hiller and harrow. Kress buys those from another company called “HAK”.
I like the 3 actions combined in one: hoeing (or scuffling), hilling & harrowing. It works shallow, efficient and light.

And the sweep with hiller can be supplemental to the fingerweeder. When for example the brassica gets too big, a fingerweeder could grab its leaves and damage it or pull it out of the soil. After the “fingerweeding stage” the sweep and hiller could come. That hiller is low and designed to go underneath the leaves of the brassicas. Pushing the soil underneath the leaves smoothly in-row. Without breaking the brassica´s leaves. In-row the small weeds get covered with soil and suffocate.
To make sure the soil is pushed all the way in-row, the “wing” of the hillers can be adjusted in width.

Have you heard of the “torsion weeder”?
That company HAK writes on their website that when a fingerweeder is used it gets up to 60% of the in-row weeds. Using a fingerweeder combined with a “torsion weeder”, up to 90% of the in-row weeds are “caught”. Leaving 10% to do by hand. They base this info is on field tests from the Europe.

Here´s a link to HAK´s website informing on the “torsion weeder”:
HAK mechanical weed control

If you are interested, I can inform on the price of the sweep with hiller and harrow.
I know “HAK” and “Steketee” (both Dutch companies) also offer fingerweeders, I can inform you those prices too.
I´m curious about Kress their prices for fingerweeders.

[Jelmer]

That´s unfortunate, the message somehow doesn´t get modified when I edit it… nor can I delete it.
The link doesn´t work correct neither.

For the correct images of fingerweeders click the link and then on “cultivators” on that website.
There´s a one horse cultivator with fingerweeders where you can click on to see more.

From what I´ve read and heard about fingerweeders:

Pro´s:
– Removes weeds in-row and partly takes the soil from the weeds root.
– Gives little crop damage because it approaches the crop from the sides (underneath its
leaves).
– Useable in many different crops.
– Many options: for each soil and each crop the optimal fingerweeder type can be chosen.

Cons:
– The weeds quickly get too big.
– Many options: this can also be a disadvantage to make the right choice.
– Breaking of fingers, which happens when they get older on heavy (hard) clay soil.
– On a hardend and dry soil it can be hard sometimes for the fingers to enter in the soil.

All by all it would mean that Kress becomes available for probably a better price. The fingerweeders have good results when used the right way.

[Jelmer]

Kress just started in the US.

There have been people succesfull with the fingerweeders and draft animal power in France and Germany.
The linke here shows examples how to incorporate fingerweeders on draft animal machinery. Its not that difficult to do
Horse power with Kress

The picture is also from Germany.

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[Jelmer]

Kress just started in the US.

There have been people succesfull with the fingerweeders in France and Germany.
The linke here shows examples how to incorporate fingerweeders on draft animal machinery. Horse power with Kress

The picture is also from Germany.

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[Jelmer]

Allright, now I see.

You´e right Will.
The heavy frame and the possition of the hinge on the frame prevent the shafts/pole from lifting.
The link of the 3 wheeled dumbcart has a frame where a big beam is connected to the front wheel. That´s the counter balance.

I´ve worked with such a dumb cart on flat grounds (Netherlands). There it was often used with no shafts or pole. While dumbing the cart the the frame did not lift.
Ofcourse, I would suggests using shafts or a pole for safety on better braking and on slope grounds.

[Jelmer]

Hello Will,

I´m not sure that I understand your question. Do yo mean there is no weight of the load on the horse its shaft or pole?

The idea with this type of cart with three or four wheels, is that the weight of the wagon and load is on the wheels. And not on the horse it´s back, like it is with the two wheeled carts.
The draft animal only pulls the load. See link:

Drawing of tree wheeled dumb cart

[Jelmer]

Hello Reva,

Here are two examples of European dumpcarts:
– A four wheeler in the video
– A three wheeler in the link

Traditionally on the tree wheeler, “loose braces” or no shafts where used. I would suggest using shafts and pherhaps a brake. It makes a good turn.

They´re not made anymore, but could be inspirational for a custom made one.

Just an idea.
Three
wheeled dumpcart

Jelmer.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVLfLoAIS0A[/video]

[Jelmer]

Hello Anthony,

Your welcome.

Unfortunate the awnser to your question is no. Both brands don´t have dealers in the US.
I´ve helped with shiping between US farmers and “Hak”. But that can be expensive shipping wise and above that European products are pricy.

Speaking in numbers:
a basic parallel suspension of “Steketee” with a the set of 3 cultivators knives costs:
$ 360,- (without shipment costs)
I´m not aware of the exact weigt

The newly build parallel suspensions shown on the links are quite heavy in weight. This compared to the original ones that came with the horse drawn tool carrier.

But with an toolbar connected to the I&J riding cultivator it could work.
See the Pdf file, it shows a picture of an I&J in Germany converted to a tool carrier. The toolbar comes from a old “Fendt” tool carrier. But this could also be a metal bar. It depends on the brand of parallel supension you use.
Different knives can be attached to the paralel suspension like the cultivator type for. heavier soil.

Personaly I prefer the walk behind tool carrier because:
– The need for one horse. When one horse sways in a team, it pulls the other one along. One
horse is easier (for me)to focus on, so you can work closer with the knives to
the crop. Which means less hand work.
– For adjustments you don´t have to get up and of the seat to adjust the machine.
– More efficient (in the smaller details like: faster to harness, less soil compaction)

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[Jelmer]

An option might be the White Horse forecarts 620 or the 621

The 620:
317 Lbs.
Comes with a “axle shift” to balance the load of the forecart and have less pressure on the shafs or pole.
Price: $ 750,-

The 621:
226 Lbs.
Comes with a lever for steering
Price: $ 520,-

Prices are from the price book of 2012.
Both forecarts have options like fenders and more.

Added to this post is a quickly made pdf with pictures of both forecarts

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[Jelmer]

Steketee

[Jelmer]

Only one link at a time can be posted I think.

The Hak link:Hak

[Jelmer]

Hello everybody,

Great to see that the file is working now.

Jeroen, “Dankje wel” for the PDF hint. Those are great pictures you posted. That Dutch farm has a website now, a link is added.

Jean, thank you for your effort. I´m glad I wasn´t the only one trying and it working now.

Donn, thanks allot. Yes, a machine like this makes weed control in vegetable growing easier.

Evan, there were many different brands who build these tool carriers. For a heavier soil a heavier machine is needed. The Melotte is an example of that.
For a rocky soil heavier built parallel suspensions are needed. With more like a cultivator type “teeth”.
Companies that make these parallel suspension in the Netherlands are “Hak” and another one is “Steketee”. The Steketee link shows a parallel suspension with cultivators for a heavier soil. With cultivator knives or teeth fora rock soil.
The price of these quality products are quite expensive though.

My email: albadaj@gmail.com

I´m working on two other documents describing two different brands who made tool carriers. Those documents will go deeper in to detail about the machine. Those will be posted soon.

SteketeeHakBiodynamic Dutch Farm with horses

[Jelmer]

j

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