Raised bed equipment

[Robert MoonShadow]

Is there any HD equipment for making raised beds? I’ve only seen some that might attach to a forecart, but seemed pretty large for a couple of donks to handle.

[Anonymous]

We have been using a single horse cultivator with hillers to make our raised beds. It takes a couple passes on either side of the new bed to form the new bed and a quick bit of raking to levle the top… but a single row cultivator is a cheap and handy impement to have around.

Tristan

[jen judkins]

I watched David Fisher doing raised beds at the 2011 Field Days, using a cultivator and aboard dragging behind to level the top. It was pretty slick. There is a photo of it in our 2011 NEAPFDs photo gallery… http://www.draftanimalpowernetwork.org/photo_gallery.html

[Ann]

Hi, We are using Anny’s All-In-One with the hiller discs and a drag bar very successfully for making raised beds. One pass in most dirt we have tried.

[jen judkins]

You really need to post pictures, Ann.

[Vicki]

Our Amish commercial growers have equipment that forms the beds and lays plastic mulch in one pass. Some are rigged to lay the drip lines at the same time too. I’ll find out who manufactures it. Check the Horse Progress Days vendors because that kind of equipment is displayed and demo-ed there.

[Anonymous]

You can find info for anny’s all in one at http://www.farmhack.net/tools/multi-purpose-cultivation-implement. There are also t-tube videos there.

[Ann]

Dear Roxburyfarm the stuff on farm hack was put up by someone not so, Before the implement was but a rudimentery prototype and had never been seen by anyone,so be carefull. The U tubes are o.k. but are also old versions. I am working on a website for horse tooling only and a 3 up to date videos. I hope by the end of next month. I am happy to send anyone pictures and information if they let me know. Thanks Ann

[Ann]

[blue80]

Robert, we purchased a Nolts raised bed layer, they have distribution points in Iowa and Pennsylvania.

Iowa 641-228-4496
PA 717-656-9764

They don’t have a website that I know of, but answer the phone and will send you a catalog, including a large variety of produce supplies.
We bought the 3 pt version to go on the White Horse 3pt hitch which doesn’t work at the 4 ft. bed width due to the wings sticking out too far forward….I’ll try to get some pics and will try to do a product review of the produce mulch layer one of these days…
I believe a tongue, HD version is also available at higher cost.

[Ann]

I believe all these Amish commercial machines are fabulous for what they are made but a lot of people do not have the horse power or location for such big or heavy machines, or don’t want to wear themselves and their horses out working with them. Two donks I don’t think will do it.

[Robert MoonShadow]

@Dobbin Forestry 35608 wrote:

We have been using a single horse cultivator with hillers to make our raised beds. It takes a couple passes on either side of the new bed to form the new bed and a quick bit of raking to levle the top… but a single row cultivator is a cheap and handy impement to have around.

Tristan

Tristan: Is this a walk-behind cultivator? ‘Cuz I’ve got one of those. Is there a hiller disc for a w-b cultivator? Jen: That looks cool (thanks for the link!), but I’m hoping not to have to buy a rider, when I’ve got a w-b. But I’m always watching the fence-rows. 😉 Ann’s stuff looks good to me…but the price = ouch! Maybe someday…
Blue80: Is this a rider or a w-b, that you’re talking about? If a rider, any idea how heavy?
I’ve seen the catalog of the stuff that Hogback puts out, but it looks to be to big/heavy for my donks to pull it (and my own sorry carcass). Shipping costs to out West here can be more than the purchase price on some things. I’d love to see a dealership of new/used HD equipment – they’d see my shadow on their lot, that’s for sure!

[Anonymous]

Heres a couple of vids of our cultivator hilling and stiking out rows of potatoes. We make the raised beds the same way just wider spacing.I made a jig to mark the width of the beds on the new ground to aim for with the horse. .Its just a few old implements pulled off stone walls but it works ok. I’m going to be using it this weekend I’ll try and get a better shot of the implement it’s self and the modifacations I’v done to it.http://youtu.be/uinCUFLSYRk http://youtu.be/iHLTy6heiPQ I would love to have a one pass implement that I could put a pair on and really go to work but there is something to be said for” using what ya got ” and making up whats lacking with a bit of “get er done”.

Tristan

[dominiquer60]

Robert,

The brand name mulch layers are slick, I am at HPD and can’t wait to see them go tomorrow, but they are certainly too much for a pair of donks. Tristan and Ann’s methods are probably a much better bet for you. For anyone else interested Nolts and E-Z Trail manufacture raised bed plastic mulch layers and they are happy to call you back and talk about them. Others carry raised bed plastic mulch layers, but to my knowledge they are generally dealers of one of these two brands.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Thank you, Erica, for the info.
Tristan: I’ve got the same set up – haven’t used it yet…didn’t know that it’d raise it up that well – I got it for the cultivator, more than the potato plow on it. If it works that well in my soil, then the 1/2-cord of red fir I traded for it is an even better deal than I thought! Mine’s all metal – including the handles…gonna wrap leather around the grips before I use it in the triple-digits we’ll be getting soon – I also tend to leave my truck door open all day for that same reason!

[Author]

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