Cultivator Row Spacing

[Ed Thayer]

I would like to space my rows correctly for the ride on cultivator in the garden. Could someone remind me of the measurements? I believe it has to do with the wheel spacing on my cultivator.

Ed

• This topic was modified 9 years ago by Ed Thayer.

[Crabapple Farm]

I think more critical than the wheel spacing is the horse spacing (neck yoke and evener). You want their feet centered between rows. Ideally, the wheel spacing matches. But you can get away with, say, 32″ rows even if the cultivator wheels can’t get closer than 36″ (if your horses are comfortable at the narrower spacing). In that instance, I would set the sweeps behind the wheels NOT in line with the wheels, but in line with where you want the feet to go, as that line is what you want the horses to follow on subsequent passes.

[Ed Thayer]

I run a 40″ neck yolk and evener so I guess I will use that measurement for spacing.

Ed

[dominiquer60]

With the McCormick Deering the narrower your wheel base, the less range of motion you have with foot pedals and width between the 2 frames for shank attachment. You can go 40 with the neck yoke, but where are the eveners set at? if they are 36″ and your neck yoke 40″ it may be rather awkward and you could have a hard time getting them to track well. Of course with 40″ rows there is more room for error. I run everything at 36″ but my wheels are 40″. I put the rear sweep where it runs 18″ from either row, (36″ center or “wheel track” to “wheel track”), it gives the horses a centered mark to follow vs. getting too close to the plants. It is not a big deal to have the wheels off center, but with 8 large hooves involved, I want them where they belong.

[mitchmaine]

i have an amish friend, daniel, who was cultivating corn with his two row cultivator. i said it looked tricky, and he told me they plant with a two row planter set up exactly to the cultivator, and he just watches the right hand row and the left row takes care of itself. unless you come back into the corn a half row off. you do good on that right hand row but the left hand side disappears. he said there have been some years when his corn was a little thin.

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