Market Garden/3 point hitch tools

[Anthony]

I have a 3 acre market garden and currently use a 2 way IH plow, 8′ single gang disc, and 6′ spring tooth for field prep. I have used riding straddle row cultivators elsewhere and tried it here a couple years with difficulty (rocks and some minor slopes) for making beds and cultivating. I used a single horse and adjustable walk behind cultivator last year which worked pretty well, but does not allow for raised beds which are a near necessity in our one field that has some pockets and slopes where water can sit after heavy rains. This year I used the Annies All in one for bed making and attempting to cultivate. The rocks pushed it around a bit much given it’s light weight,and without a solid wheelbase frame to hold the cultivator I could not get it to work to my satisfaction.

I am looking at re-envisioning my market garden setup with 2-3 horses and using already familiar, functional, and available 3ph tools is enticing.

Does anyone have experience with horses and 3 point hitch tools?

I and J has a manual lever lift setup and a hydraulic lift setup on a pull behind cart – anyone seen these in action, particularly the hydraulic lift?

Any other options out there?

I am looking at a 60″ wheelbase forecart for 60″ beds with attachment for the following

– bed shaper(http://www.marketfarm.com/cfms/lesche_bed_shaper.cfm)
– Kress cultivation setup, 2 rows (some crops would be 1 per bed)
– Perfecta? Available used, though I am curious to hear folks with culitmulchers and how they compare if I would have a means to lift the 3ph tool.

Any other tools you would use if you had 3ph capabilities? No PTO.

Side question – any suggestions for dealing with many fist sized rocks when cultivating or tilling? Besides picking. I have heard the meeker harrow on the lesche bed shaper will push down the rocks a bit for shallow cultivation, any thoughts?

[Crabapple Farm]

I have an I&J 3ph cart. It is a forecart with the lever-lift 3ph mechanism attached to it. It can only handle a very light tool – both the physical limits of what you can lift with the lever and the balance of the cart. I have a Cat 0 Brinly-Hardy 4′ disk (double gang, but very small) that pretty well maxes out its capacity. Basically, if you can’t move it by yourself, it’s too heavy for that 3ph setup. I might be able to bring it over to the Field Days if anyone wants to look at it.
I haven’t seen their hydraulic option, so don’t know what it is capable of. For what you want, you need something with four wheels, to handle that weight. For field prep, that would be fine, but I don’t think you would want to try to cultivate with a rig that big.
-Tevis

[ethalernull]

hey anthony,

what kind of sweep setup do you use with the riding cultivator? with my slopes and channery soil up here I can have some challenges too. i’ve found the best strategy to be very thorough bed forming/leveling (post-springtooth, with riding cultivator and homemade smoothing device) combined with very frequent cultivation to maintain tilth and allow those rocks to easily float/slide around the cultivator tines. I use 1ft V-sweeps from agrisupply, they’ve withstood some pretty big rock moving. still I don’t believe I have the size and quantity of rocks as you do and I wonder what you might think of renting a rock picker to come through. Little seed gardens in chatham is selling their picker as they don’t have ANY rocks anymore after 2 years of use. I bet you could rent/pick your fields in a day or two. here’s a photo, it’s a PTO powered picker…

https://www.facebook.com/LittleSeedGardens/photos/a.501332903267808.1073741829.500832536651178/932528786814882/?type=1&theater

[dominiquer60]

Little Seed Garden also has/had a horse drawn 4 wheel 3pt. hitch cart for working beds in a market garden. It originally came from Slack Hollow Farm in Argyle, NY and was featured in SFJ in the 90’s. It is worth the trip to see it and I did post pictures somewhere hear on the forum at one point.

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