Adapting a straddle-row cultivator for oxen

[Noah Kellerman]

Hi
I’m looking for advice on using implements designed to be pulled by horses with oxen. I restored a McCormick Deering riding cultivator last year, and we used it a few times pulling it by the pole with our team of shorthorns. All went well, but a horse farming friend pointed out that the cultivator is designed to be pulled by two single trees attached about a foot off the ground directly in front of the cultivator gangs, not from the pole. I now am concerned that I will damage the cultivator by continuing to use it this way. With an implement that uses a doubletree that hitches below the pole, a chain would be easy to add from the yoke ring to the intended point of draft. However, doing this with the cultivator would mean that the crop being cultivated could no longer pass under the implement undamaged.
Am I over thinking this? Does anyone else use a cultivator with oxen?
Any help is appreciated greatly.
-Noah

• This topic was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Noah Kellerman.

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[JaredWoodcock]

I dont have oxen experience, but I have seen this done as simply as running a chain back from the ring like you said. It shouldn’t effect the crop much under draft because the chain is tight. If you look at the video of tom’s oxen that was just posted on here you can see how he uses the same rigging for his logging arch.

I just looked at my crossroads cultivator catalog and I think you may need to build some sort of evener to connect to the two points of draft and one chain. It may make foot steering a little harder but not much.

Crossroad’s phone number is 717-927-1697, I am sure Jonathan would have a simple solution for you.

Keep us posted!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by JaredWoodcock.

[dominiquer60]

I used this type of cultivator with my steers. Chaining back works for regular light cultivation, but I don’t have long term experience using it that way. I had planned on rigging something up for proper line of draft, but never got around to it.

erika

[Noah Kellerman]

Hi Jared and Erika
Thanks for your responses! Erika, if you have a photo of how you rigged up the chain/tongue on your cultivator, it might help me not reinvent too many wheels. I have not used a chain and tongue together before.
I spoke with Jonathan at Crossroads Cultivators yesterday. What a knowledgable guy! His major concern with just pulling from the pole was that the gangs might not bite into the soil properly. I have not found this to be a problem. However, for heavier draft situations, like using a furrower or hilling potatoes, he agreed that getting the right line of draft would be good for the machine in the long run. I have some ideas, and will post back when I’ve built something. In the meantime, happy mud season to you all, and thanks again for your help.
-Noah

[Noah Kellerman]

Hi All
Using the cultivator with just the pole worked fine. For using a middlebuster, heavy disc hilling, or any time I was more harrowing than lightly stirring the soil surface, we just ran a chain from the yoke ring to the center shank on the cultivator. The only downside was that lifting the cultivator out of the ground tightens the chain, so we had to unhook the chain from the ring every time we got to the end of a row. I wonder if I could rig up something using a chain binder as a way to quickly tension or release the chain.
Anyway, thanks for the help. I will post again if I come up with anything creative.
-Noah

[dominiquer60]

I don’t have pics and my oxen are in the freezer so no chance anytime soon. An idea that I did have was to make a triangular bar that attached to the 2 hitch points where the single trees connect. The obtuse triangle would act as a reverse evener and you can attach your chain to the center as a hitch point. It could be simple to make if you can picture it and weld.

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