Looking for Row Crop Cultivating Advice
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Category: Allis Chalmers
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=208263
Printed Date: 29 Nov 2025 at 6:31am
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Topic: Looking for Row Crop Cultivating Advice
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Subject: Looking for Row Crop Cultivating Advice
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 7:04am
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Going to look at and probably buy an Allis Row cultivator today. I played around with AI and it thinks its likely a 6000 or 8000 cultivator, but I don't know much about them or any cultivating in general. Grandpa went no-till in the early 2000s, and I'm not sure the last time any cultivating was done in the family. They (great grandpa) used to use my Farmall H with a mounted cultivator way back. Dad and I are back to turning dirt, and in in effort to get some cost savings on chemicals and such I plan to give this a try. We chisel plow in the fall, and run an AC 1200 FC in the spring with a harrowgator behind it. Then plant with a 6 row 7000 JD. Hoping to cultivate Corn and soybeans. Ill get pics of this thing when i get it home, From the pics I can see it has rolling shields on it. Im looking for advice on how to set it, how to run it, stories from days gone by, anything. Likely to run it on it on our Massey 2607H (MFWD) or the 6080(2wd). Our 8010 is also on 30 inch centers ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Replies:
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 8:23am
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For starters, how many acres do you plan on cultivating? ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 8:27am
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We farm about 50 acres of corn and beans right now. Ill have 5 acres of beans that I will for sure try to cultivate. The rest will be up to Dad. The following year I will have 30 acres of corn plus dads 50 acres of corn/beans. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 9:27am
Gotcha, in my opinion, with those acres, a 6 row narrow cultivator would be more than enough. If possible, do you have access to a narrow front end tractor w/3 pt hitch? The last time I cultivated, used a JI Case 830 Comfort King(diesel) narrow front. As the old saying goes; handier than a shirt pocket. ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Rhoadesy_65 wrote:Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 9:46am
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I should have specified, the one Im looking at is a 6 row currently set on 30s. We have 7010, 6080, 8010, and the Massey 2607H. Only narrow front is the H, and it doesnt have 3pt. The massey works decent for sidedressing, doesnt turn real tight, but we use a 7 row side dress rig in the past and it gets the job done. If this works out my next tractor purchase might be something better suited. Im not real big on narrow front but understand the advantage. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Posted By: DanWi
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 9:59am
| Look straight forward . Don't look back at the cultivator and when the crop is small be prepared to go slow. Not a job you can rush thru. For 6 row 30s a wide front tractor will turn just fine as long as it isn't a front wheel drive. |
Posted By: PaulB
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 10:37am
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When trying to return to conventional till and cultivation for weed control, remember that the more weeds you eliminate with tillage prior to planting the less you'll have after emergence. However the first few years you will have to rely on herbicides maybe more than you'd like. Fall plowing and multiple passes after weeds germinate will be the needed plan. Also with beans any cultivating done after flower setting will knock off flowers and lower yield. ------------- If it was fun to pull in LOW gear, I could have a John Deere. Real pullers don't have speed limits. If you can't make it GO... make it SHINY |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 11:32am
Dad and I have been running a mix of no-till, minimum and conventional tillage the last few years. I tend to lean conventional. Chisel in fall, one to two passes with cultivator/harrowgater combo, and then plant corn and drill beans. I have been spraying by myself the last two years with Grandpas rig, and have had rough results with weeds. We are also looking for ways to cut some production costs. Next year I want to try 30 inch beans with the planter. Dad did some this year and they look decent considering the rain shut two months ago. Im thinking as a plan going forward maybe a pass of herbicide by either myself or the Co-op right after planting, and then cultivate once the plants are ~6 inches tall. This will cut the second herbicide pass out on all the stuff the co-op sprays and clean up my bad spraying job if I do it. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Posted By: KJCHRIS
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 5:59pm
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My personal opinion. I'd try to find a Buffalo 6 x 30" 3 pt cultivator. The older ones with a center "pizza cutter wheel" in center and a concave disc on each side w large shovel at rear will cut thru almost any weed but not trees. At 1 auction they bring $250 and next they bring $3000+. We ran 2 of them on 70 hp AC180/185 tractors in Loess Hills of western Iowa. In traditional tillage or reduced till, a good discing 3-4" just days before planting will cut down on a lot of small weeds. ------------- AC 200, CAH, AC185D bareback, AC 180D bareback, D17 III, WF. D17 Blackbar grill, NF. D15 SFW. Case 1175 CAH, Bobcat 543B, |
Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 6:32pm
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Cultivator setup. 0. Carry appropriate wrenches,hammer,extra shovels, extra bolts/nuts/lock washers, etc in tractor toolbox. Or if no toolbox & no cab, place all tools, shovels, hardware, inside a sturdy plastic 5 gal bucket with lid. Bungie bucket onto operators platform. When doing adjustments, bucket doubles as a seat to save bending your back. Good catch all for worn parts too. 1. Replace dull shovels with new sharp ones. 2. Set tractor’s 3 pt’s lower arms sway bars so cultivator has allowance to trail, center itself, & follow around contour/curved rows. 3. Level cultivator with 3pt’s upper link. Set so all shovels enter soil simultaneously. 4. Adjust individual shovels as required. (Depth? Side to side? Spring tension?) 5. Adjust gang depth wheels if available. 6. Rotary fenders can be nicer than fixed fenders. Both may need relaxed adjustment? Take necessary breaks for operator. Pee breaks are good time to scan whole cultivator for any issues. Stop if fatigued. Cultivating is not a race. Quality over quantity. Look into a “tine weeder.” It offers somewhat better weed control when crop is smaller & probably more effective than a rotary hoe? If a tine weeder is utilized, then taller crop could benefit from a shovel type row cultivator that can throw more soil inward/around crop row plants, covering in row weeds? Probably a bigger challenge is later emerging weeds (morning glory, waterhemp, etc)? In 30” Soybeans, consider using gramoxone in a weed wiper once the weeds grow past soybeans. Don’t prune corn roots by trying to cultivate it too late ~ stop at 5-6 leaf stage? Sidedress N on last cultivator pass. Dribble 32% UAN & water (1/3N~2/3water) behind one of gangs small front shovels that allow rear shovel to cover N mixture. Water helps bind N during droughty conditions. |
Posted By: bigal121892
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 6:38pm
| I would second, the Buffalo cultivator, https://www.apacheequipment.com/henkebuffalo/cultivators.asp#10" rel="nofollow - https://www.apacheequipment.com/henkebuffalo/cultivators.asp#10 . Either the 6600, or the 6300. The Culti-Vision, ( https://bluestemag.com/culti-vision/" rel="nofollow - https://bluestemag.com/culti-vision/ ) makes it easy to stay on the row. Or the Buffalo guidance system, (more money) then you just drive. |
Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2025 at 6:39pm
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Here’s a 4 minute video about a tine weeder. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=22G879_WpFg&pp=ygULdGluZSB3ZWVkZXI%3D" rel="nofollow - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=22G879_WpFg&pp=ygULdGluZSB3ZWVkZXI%3D |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 6:50am
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Ill have to get a picture of it once I get it unloaded and washed off, but it is a Model 90 according to the sticker on the frame. Cant seem to find much about it, even on the Agco Parts book. Mine has the rubber mounted shanks like our 1200 FC has on it. I did read about the Buffalo Cultivators I think yesterday, as a cultivator set up for heavier residue. Im hoping this cultivator will work good for most of our used assuming we chisel in the fall and bury most of the residue. I havent seen one of those for sale locally, cultivating is not a common practice around here anymore. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 7:28am
| Being as you are buying something I'd look hard for some front mounted cultivators on something |
Posted By: NEVER green
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 8:08am
I second the front mount. The weather is the key, rotary hoeing before the weeds emerge is huge. When its too wet to cultivate or hoe... what a mess. ------------- 2-8050 1-7080 6080 D-19 modelE & A 7040 R50 |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 8:28am
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I have thought about that, we had a wet start to the summer, and likely wouldnt have had much chance to cultivate. Im hoping in that case I will be able to fall back on chemical control. I do want to say I appreciate the advice on buying a front mount cultivator or another brand of cultivator; however, I have $500 into buying this model 90(or possibly 93 or 95?). Front mount cultivator would likely require me to both find a 6 row front mount 30 inch and also a tractor to mount it to. I guess at this point Im looking for advice/experience with either this cultivator or the process of cultivating in general. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 10:22am
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Back in the day(late 70’ to mid 80’s), of the corn varieties that were on the market at that time, acres that were ‘cultivated’ irregardless if weeds were a challenge, always produced better yields. ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 10:36am
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Rhoadesy_65, AC coined their 1000s series FC (1200s-1300s) rubber mounted cultivator shanks as the "quiet ones," or "silent weed killers". They were introduced around the 1968 era & produced thru the 1980s. Shanks usually had a clearance of 19" from its rubber mounts. During in-field use, AC claimed that the shanks vibrated in all directions, thus better uprooting of weeds? Overall they proved to be very durable & low maintenance. Shanks can be sprang/bent out of shape if mistreated(tree roots/stones/etc). A quick look across the ganges & you'd notice one bent out of shape. If bent, torch heat it cherry red, re-shape it, & let it cool on its own. With this AC row cultivator's constant height Silent Weed Killer shanks, leveling it is everything. To level it, check your tractor's rear tire pressures to make them equal heights. Then check - adjust tractor's lower 3 pt hitch arms to keep them same heights(level). That should level your row cultivator's left to right & visa-versa. Keep gange shovels new/sharp. Also keep gangs level from front to back by using 3pt's top link for adjustments. If gange's parallel linkage becomes excessively worn, it might dig more on one side than the other? If thats the case, you could try mounting older/duller shovels on problem side to discourage excessive digging on that side?? Thats only a temporary fix though. Eventually, just rebuild worn parallel linkages.
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Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2025 at 10:49am
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I know a lot of guys found cultivating corn(or beans) incredibly boring, and they hated it with a passion. Some have even gone as far as claiming “if I have to go back to cultivating, I will sell the farm”. I never felt that way about cultivating, to me the most boring ‘field work’ job on the farm was ‘discing’, I loved to moldboard plow, loved planting corn and sowing oats, hated discing, but that’s me. ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Posted By: jvin248
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2025 at 5:53am
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. Cultivating tips: https://youtu.be/r0kSuMQTtc4" rel="nofollow - https://youtu.be/r0kSuMQTtc4 I think this guy has or is in a few other good setup videos. Worth searching for. We only had rear 3pt cultivators when I was growing up (and what I have now), and so I often heard the story that my uncle as a teenager was set up to cultivate the corn. About mid day his neck got a crick in it from watching the front axle indicator wire. So he moved the indicator to the other side of the tractor. Didn't spend enough time adjusting and did the other half of the field "without ever checking". He spent the 4th of July in the field uncovering corn with a hoe by hand instead of at the family party. Wider headlands makes it easier to turn with whatever tractor you use. We were also warned about tricycle tractors due to their ease of flipping. One of my experiments this year: after V6 corn I broadcast buckwheat under the corn. The corn raced ahead but the buckwheat blocked most of the weeds and grass in the test strips. Buckwheat makes Phos bioavailable for later corn and brings pollinators plus predators that eat Japanese beetles on the silks. Next year I'm expanding my coverage. Years past I used buckwheat in pollinator strips between the corn and trees that don't grow much corn anyway. . |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2025 at 9:39pm
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Interesting about the Buckwheat. We havent tried that yet, we have done some cover crops, problem has been that we cant rely on the Coop or the weather to get out and get them sprayed in timely fashion, so we end up planting beans into 3 or 4 foot high oats and cant see the markers. Then the last year we tried it (two years ago) we were planting the field and the Coop showed up to spray. We moved out of the way and they hit my truck with the boom, backed up, drove around me, sprayed the rest of the field, and left without a word. So one of my future investments will be a sprayer and I plan to get the proper licensing to put out the good stuff as well Researching Buckwheat I see its not a cereal like rye or a legume like clover, very interesting. We frost seed clover into our wheat in the spring, and make hay off it once the wheat comes off. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |
Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2025 at 12:21pm
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Coop sprayer operator probably never knew their boom hit your truck? Maybe drive your truck into their office & try explaining occurrence to manager? Glad to hear that you’re using cover crops. Congratulations. In utilizing them, you’re a decade or more ahead of most. Initially, cover crops can present challenges? Their benefits although immediate, can take 2-3 yrs before we begin to see their positive affects. Immediate benefits include winter soil nutrient capture. Cereal rye can germinate at 35F & still have root growth at temps around 32F. Which means every T-storm’s Lightning’s free nitrogen release could be captured by its growing roots. In much of the Midwest, T-storms occur 11-12 months of the year. In addition & still on the climate changes, cover crops roots could offer a significant water management benefit, especially in event(s) of 3-6” precipitation. In most soils, their roots could rival or even surpass a pattern field tile layout. If allowed to grow to anthesis, cover crops greatly Increase soil OM, which begins to allow bio organisms better functionality which means more readily available nutrients to the crop. Then there is weed suppression. Below I copied a weblink about that. Tillage is an option. It may assist the here & now for your situation? But ask, what do barren tilled soils have to capture late fall, winter, & early spring climatic nutrients?? How do barren tilled soils fare during big rain events? They erode, loosing precious OM, nutrients, etc to water shed(streams, lakes, rivers, delta, gulf, etc….) And how do tilled barren soils handle drought conditions? https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/will-cereal-rye-cover-crop-suppress-your-weeds" rel="nofollow - https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/will-cereal-rye-cover-crop-suppress-your-weeds |
Posted By: jvin248
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2025 at 2:14pm
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. This is my practical cover crop cycle, given zone 5b-6 and existing equipment: 4-6 weeks before first fall frost broadcast winter rye. Which overlaps corn harvest so I broadcast it under the corn before harvest (this hides it from birds). 2-3bu broadcast. Harrow if open field. If using a drill you can put less down. Spring I strip till (currently working on a no-till planter project) and plant into the standing rye. Early spring oats can work too, but rye has more power. Once corn emerges and up to V1, I flatten the rye with a (for now) smooth roller. Down the field and then return and any rye trying to stand back up gets bent over the other way and stays down. Cultipacker down and back could work too. Ideally a one pass with a roller-crimper is best but those run $$$. Then at corn V6+ I broadcast buckwheat under the corn. Soybeans perform really well with that same rye cover process. Beans are easier than corn, so if first time test then do beans too or beans then corn. You can learn a lot with a small test plot of both. Other shenanigans I do with my corn: I'm growing heirloom corn, Reid's yellow and Jimmy Red peppered with others to boost genetics this year. Reid's gets to 13ft and Jimmy to 10ft tall. Ears are generally higher than deer can reach. Stalks are tougher for racoons. I use no fertilizer nor chemicals. Buckwheat is my insecticide program, brings in the pollinators and the predators. Saw a 7in praying mantis hanging out on an ear yesterday. Orb weavers and wolf spiders bigger than my thumb are running around. Heirlooms need more plant space, like 9-12in which is typically 22-24k pop on 30in rows. I went to 20in rows and 34k pop, about nine inches between plants, I may back off to 32k next year given the height of the corn variety. If you run heirlooms at modern hybrid 6-7in you'll get no few ears/silage corn. Other large ear high producer heirlooms are bloody butcher, Ohio blue (claridge?), green Oxuacan, Boone county white. The option with heirlooms is you can keep your own seed to replant. And even if you leave the seed work to others, it's often only 1/3rd the price of commercial. Heirlooms have 3x-5x more protein and vitamins than modern GMO/hybrids. Great if you are feeding animals. . |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2025 at 8:42am
Interesting. One question, well lots actually, how do you broadcast under corn that tall? |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2025 at 1:35pm
Finally remembered to take a picture of this thing to post on here. I think Ive narrowed it down to a model 93. Appears to be in good condition except for I need to find a replacement "tire" for one of the gauge wheels. I need to take a measurement of the wheel, hopefully its a 4in x 12in wheel. I can find several sources of tires for those. There's no Agco parts book listing for the 93 so that makes things a little harder to figure out. In fact I have not had much luck finding any information on this thing., I have bought an original op manual off ebay, need to read through it yet.  ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, 1983 6080, 1983 8010, Gleaner R42 in Darke County OH |