Can you Garden with a Gravely!!??

8138 Views 26 Replies 12 Participants Last post by NBS, Feb 17, 2012

CADplans

Discussion Starter · Feb 12, 2012

I have a 50 X 300 garden. My method of gardening for the past few years has been to;
Every couple years (not every year!!) Gravely rotary plow the garden with the 566,
plant 36 inch spaced rows,
till early with a 20" wide Troy Bilt,
mulch heavily (up to 9 inches deep) as time and energy permits,
enjoy a relatively weed free garden!! :drunkie:

Recently I have been wondering about using the 566 for more than semi-seasonal plowing. Maybe the Gravely would be less work than the Troy Bilt.

Have you used the 2 wheel tractor for cultivating?

What attachment do you use?

Is there a "push cultivator"? Something like this;

Could I convert the above cultivator to attach to the 566?

How wide of row spacing do I have to go to?

I have lots of rocks, so the rotary cultivator is probably not an option due to breakage.

I am ready to get started laying out the garden, Please help!

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1 - 20 of 27 Posts

arcam8123

· #2 · Feb 12, 2012

How about a Gravely tool holder?

http://www.oldgravelys.net/pdf/Cultivator_Toolholder_Op_Man_0879.pdf

wjohn

· #3 · Feb 12, 2012

Yep, go with the toolholder... I don't know about the larger tractors, but the Ls were 24" wide. The Kohler powered models are probably a couple inches wider due to the larger tires. You can drive between rows, or with short crops, straddle them. And with GRWs on an L you have 9" of ground clearance (and have 14" or so rows instead of 26" rows).

With a 566 you could go narrower than 36" rows depending on the plants. I don't think you could straddle too many crops - at least not for too long - due to the lack of ground clearance.

canadian.gravelynut

· #4 · Feb 12, 2012

4

Tool holder and attachments.

On the 566 it will be a little light but you can add weight to help hold it down

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Gravely Model L Guy

· #5 · Feb 12, 2012

I did my whole 1 acre garden last year with my L-8 with the rotary cultivator, My 1951 L with GRW's and with a rotary plow, and my comm-12 with a bushhog to clear around the garden and they all did their work great! The 1951 did an especially good job plowing it. I highly recommend using any gravely TWT in your garden.

CADplans

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 13, 2012

Hopefully I can find a toolbar, or build one.

My current concern is how wide I will have to space the rows.

With these tires, the machine is 30" wide.

Do I need 40" wide rows? :dunno:

Or wider!!??

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wjohn

· #7 · Feb 13, 2012

CADplans said:
Hopefully I can find a toolbar, or build one.

My current concern is how wide I will have to space the rows.

With these tires, the machine is 30" wide.

Do I need 40" wide rows? :dunno:

Or wider!!??

It depends on how bushy your plants are. You could probably go with 34" rows with a crop like corn as long as they're nice and straight. Start out wide, see how the season goes, and adjust row spacing for the next year. Something bushier, like bush beans, will grow into the path more, so you want to account for that.

arcam8123

· #8 · Feb 13, 2012

CADplans said:
Hopefully I can find a toolbar, or build one.

My current concern is how wide I will have to space the rows.

With these tires, the machine is 30" wide.

Do I need 40" wide rows? :dunno:

Or wider!!??

I have a spare, what you got to trade?

Richard-tx

· #9 · Feb 13, 2012

What is wrong with the rotary cultivator?

Code:

                              [U]Current Inventory[/U]
   24G (Onan 24hp)    24GLX - was 16G  (Onan 24hp)   8249 - was 8129 (Onan 24hp)
        818T (Onan 18hp B48)       8163T - was 8123 (Onan CCKA) 
                              8183T (Onan B48)
   5665 w/brakes        5665        5660        Pro-8         Pro-16 w/brakes

For Gravely Manuals and more visit [url]http://GTCOA.com[/url]

helixhippie

· #10 · Feb 13, 2012

http://huntsville.craigslist.org/grd/2844252473.html

helixhippie

· #11 · Feb 13, 2012

My wife won't let me used the rotary cultivator between the rows once the plants are strong. She says it damages the root system. Her harvests are so good, I'm not going to disagree with her.

CADplans

Discussion Starter · #12 · Feb 13, 2012

2

Richard-tx said:
What is wrong with the rotary cultivator?

They tend to get broken due to rocks. I got this one from a neighbor already broken.

And I got rocks;

These are some of the rocks I have picked up on my place.

:dunno:

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Richard-tx

· #13 · Feb 13, 2012

It is hard to break the new style cultivator.

Code:

                              [U]Current Inventory[/U]
   24G (Onan 24hp)    24GLX - was 16G  (Onan 24hp)   8249 - was 8129 (Onan 24hp)
        818T (Onan 18hp B48)       8163T - was 8123 (Onan CCKA) 
                              8183T (Onan B48)
   5665 w/brakes        5665        5660        Pro-8         Pro-16 w/brakes

For Gravely Manuals and more visit [url]http://GTCOA.com[/url]

helixhippie

· #14 · Feb 13, 2012

Richard-tx said:
It is hard to break the new style cultivator.

It can be done.... I've snapped the chain & broken several tines in 2.

wjohn

· #15 · Feb 13, 2012

CADplans said:
These are some of the rocks I have picked up on my place.

:dunno:

I think the toolholder cultivator is what you want to go with. In the off chance that you break a shovel/sweep, they're easy to replace. Make sure you have a few on hand - something similar should be available at your local farm supply store. Breaking something on the rotary cultivator would be more of a pain, and probably more expensive.

I hadn't thought about it, but like candian.gravelynut said, you will need some weight on the front with a Kohler powered tractor. Too tail heavy compared to an L.

I still need to rig up something to ride behind the wheels to break up the tire tracks. That's one of the disadvantages with Gravely's "out front" attachment point. Or I could find a rear toolholder, if I'm really lucky...

DJ in WV

· #16 · Feb 13, 2012

You could always turn the plow points/sweeps/hoes, etc. backwards and run the tractor in reverse through the rows. That would eliminate the tire tracks.

canadian.gravelynut

· #17 · Feb 13, 2012

I have been looking for a rear tool holder for five years and have not come up with one yet.

CADplans

Discussion Starter · #18 · Feb 13, 2012

canadian.gravelynut said:
I have been looking for a rear tool holder for five years and have not come up with one yet.

I would think a rear tool holder would be easy to fabricate compared to a front one!!?? :dunno:

bookman

· #19 · Feb 14, 2012

A rear toolholder does eliminate the tire tracks, leaving only your footprints behind. Most of my gardening is done with a 5000 series, and the Gravely rear toolholder is not designed to fit. But a mounting bracket can be fabricated to attach to the 5000/Pro series rear hitch such that a toolholder bolts on backwards. I have one that I made (don't think there are any pictures, so I will have to shoot one). Unless you use the gauge wheels, the front needs significant counterweight.

arcam8123

· #20 · Feb 14, 2012

Gravely recomended filling a bag with sand and adding it to the tool bar if you needed more down pressure.

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