[westonhunter]

Food plotting can be fun and additive but I think everyone will agree it can be costly.I think of all the money I have spent on doing it and implements, from a small hand spreader to a 45 HP. Kubota.This isn't counting the seed,trees,lime and fertilizer I have purchased over the years.I thought I would try and share with you some of the things I have made that may have help keep the expence down.

first atree spade I made years ago a must for planting the 1,000's of trees that I have and will continue to plant.

This is a cultipacker I built out of 16" X 5 1/2' culvert,1 1/2" steel rod through poured concrete.(added steel to the rod to keep the rod centered when pouring in the concrete.)Milled out a piece of steel to fit over center rod and tapped with grease fitting,attached to frame.
IMG]http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu167/madilldw/2007_091220060108.jpg[/IMG]

Next thing I built is a weed wiper that I attach to my 4 wheeler.This is a 4" X 5' PVC pipe that I drilled and tapped the wicking fittings too.Attached to some unistrut and fasten to my 4 wheeler.I got my parts from-
http://www.grnleafinc.com

The last thing is a nozzle sprayer.I wanted a boom sprayer for my 15 gal. sprayer.I knew I could rig up a hose and a valve to redirect my pump pressure to a nozzle on a boom.
So I needed to make a nozzle, I took a 1/4" pipe plug and cut it half way through the square end.Drilled an 1/8" hole dead center from the threaded end untill I came to the cut out on the square end.This makes approximetly a 5'fan at 3' high and I probably use this piece of equipment the most.I hope this isn't to long and maybe useful to someone.

 

[Barneyhunts]

Thanks for sharing these. I'll bet you have "happy critters" on your place!
Barney

 

[Farflung]

Weston Hunter- great posts. I've made a homeade spray rig for a ATV (poor performence, cost more than buying a Fimco), a couple of tree planting bars (worked well), a weed swiper out of 4 inch PVC (worked pretty good). My best one was a scarifier/drag harrow to break up roundup deadened sod.

One thing I find useful is using a part of a old horse drag behind my ATV or truck. Lots of them used to be in 3 sections. Just use one section and it works great. If breaking up old sod thats been herbicide killed, its better to have mowed it or burned it first, or it tends to ball up.

 

[CROW MASTER]

Ok Mcguiver.

 

[westonhunter]

I had built box culverts out of locust some 18-20 yrs. ago and they lasted well but needed cleaned out all the time and now need to be replaced.Had a State forrester on our property last month and he mentioned about some one using conveyor belts cut down and sandwiched in between treated 2x6 lumber. With the conveyor belt being wider and sticking out more on one side.Bury the 2x6X? and leave the side that is longer sticking out of the ground to cath the water and angle it away.But be able to drive a tractor or 4 wheeler over it.I had the perfect material I had gotten from work stuff theuy use for pond liners.So I bought some 2"x6"x10' and sanndwhiched 2-9 1/2" pieces of these material between them and belive this will work good for some of my steeper roads.

 

[Squeaks]

Creating & adapting the equipment is sometimes the best part. I would like to see more pics of what some of you guys have created. I'll have to get a pic of my homemade harrow up on here.

 

[westonhunter]

Here is something I have built and added to my tool list.This is a hand held wick wiper made out of 1 1/4" pvc pipe I plan on using this around some of the many white spruce and bushes I have planted,Holds about a half Gal.

 

[CROW MASTER]

NIce

 

[jayjaysin]

Please explain it's use? wick wiper????

 

[Guest]

The wick is saturated with Roundup and you simply wipe it on a specific plant and it will kill the plant.

If you have milkweed in your clover plot or something similar, you can use one to treat the individual weeds and not affect the clover.

Some are mounted on the front of an atv. If the grass in a clover plot is tall, you set the height of the wick, drive thru the plot, wiping Roundup on the grasses, but not the clover.

 

[RB]

I need one of those...

 

[westonhunter]

The bigger wick wiper I use as dutch has stated.The small handheld I will use is in an area that I have planted many small tree seedlings and shrubs.Until I get them above where the weeds will not choke them out I need to apply roundup.A handheld sprayer will work but have lost seedlings to overspray.Also the wipers cut down on the amount of round up used.

 

[KingRon]

Anyone have plans for any of the Wick Wipers?
Thanks

 

[westonhunter]

Just pictures and material
http://www.grnleafinc.com/CATALOG/ROPEWICK_Fittings/Green_SW_WT.asp