The European Tool Carrier

[Jeroen]

To add: some photos I took in the Netherlands of the tool (and the same farmer):

[Carl Russell]

I have yet to view the pdf…. even through the google doc.

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[dominiquer60]

I was able to open the pdf. Some great photos and diagrams, looking forward to reading it.

[Donn Hewes]

Jelmer, I think that is a great cultivator. I don’t even grow many vegetables and I want one! The article and photos are great. Thanks, Donn

[ethalernull]

Hi Jelmer,

Do you have an email address I can contact?

Thanks,
Evan

[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]

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

The Hak link:Hak

[Jelmer]

Steketee

[Anthony]

Thanks for the document and the links Jelmer.

Do you know of anyone in the US that sells Hak or Steketee products, or ways to get a catalog and order?

I think I remember David Fisher having a set of cultivator sweeps that were very nicely spring loaded and would ‘float’ a little bit if they hit an obstruction, which would be very useful with my rocky soil here. Essex farm was also using finger weeder attachments as well, I didn’t make note of what type of adaptation was needed to fit the 2 horse riding cultivator gangs.

Anyone know of folks with 2 horse riding cultivators using these type or other modified sweeps as shown on the pages linked?

[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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[dominiquer60]

I had an interesting talk today with the USA rep of K.U.L.T. or Kress for short. http://www.kress-landtechnik.de/wEnglisch/produkte/gemuesebau/hacktechnik/hacktechnik.shtml?navid=6
They make some great tractor tools, especially tool bars set up with a combination of sweeps, tines, discs and combs for cultivating. After I showed him a couple straddle row cultivators we took some time to brainstorm how a couple of the components could be adapted to my McCormick Deering. Of course these tool bar systems would be great to have, but in reality I might only be able to afford a pair of finger weeders and combs. The finger weeders are ground driven and need to float independently so we would need to fabricate a way to mount as such.

Kress already imports the units and parts to a warehouse in NY, when I get a price list I will share it.

One of the sessions this morning was about mechanical cultivation, it was great to see draft power represented. Jody from Roxbury Farm (where Jelmer works) gave a great slide show explaining how the farm tackles weeds, it was inspiring to see that amongst the big equipment and fancy front mounted tractor cultivators, there is still a very effective use of a single horse and an old cultivator.

It will be interesting to see what innovations and new equipment becomes of this influx of European technology.

[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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[dominiquer60]

Here are some Kress documents for anyone interested in prices. They are high, but when I think about how much these tools can reduce hand weeding at $10/hour labor cost, they could pay for themselves relatively fast.

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[daniel grover]

Ah! L’Atalier Paysan (a French, Farm Hack-similar org) are working on resurrecting a Swiss European Tool Carrier called the Bucher. They’re calling their project the Neo Bucher.

Check it out here: http://forum.latelierpaysan.org/viewtopic.php?f=147&t=2915&sid=2b878c28c4a66191c8caf6320f546745

• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by daniel grover.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 4 months ago by daniel grover.

[daniel grover]

Here’s another one based on the same general design, this one made out of bikes.

[Author]

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