Which Cultivator do I need for my Farmall H?

[eodcoduto]

We are expanding our truck garden in Muscle Shoals, AL and adding 2 acres for row crops, Bloody Butcher corn, purple hull peas and such and we need a cultivator. I have a 1948 H, distillate model, that runs great and I’d rather not buy another machine, but the lack of three point gives me two choices; add a three point and you can buy 2-4 row cultivators all day long for $500. Or find a complete mid mount setup and leave it on the tractor. In have an IH 184 2 row planter we pull with a Kubota M7060, but for cultivation the front tires are just a bit to wide for our double 30” rows.

Thats a long winded way of saying which mounted cultivator should I look for, or do I just put a three point on it? We do this for profit and not a hobby, with cornmeal and grits as our best sellers.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

We are expanding our truck garden in Muscle Shoals, AL and adding 2 acres for row crops, Bloody Butcher corn, purple hull peas and such and we need a cultivator. I have a 1948 H, distillate model, that runs great and I’d rather not buy another machine, but the lack of three point gives me two choices; add a three point and you can buy 2-4 row cultivators all day long for $500. Or find a complete mid mount setup and leave it on the tractor. In have an IH 184 2 row planter we pull with a Kubota M7060, but for cultivation the front tires are just a bit to wide for our double 30” rows.

Thats a long winded way of saying which mounted cultivator should I look for, or do I just put a three point on it? We do this for profit and not a hobby, with cornmeal and grits as our best sellers. View attachment 152963

Those H's are still a handy tractor for what you want. A mid-mount cultivator wouldn't be a bad way to go. The original ones for that tractor, HM-221, HM-238, HM-250, etc, are usually cheap & relatively easy to find. If you have a manual for it & a flat surface to work on, they go on & come off fairly easy, especially with help. The tool bars are a standard size & you can find lots of aftermarket tools for it, if you don't like or have a use for what was originally offered by IH. Tillmor comes to mind for a variety of workable aftermarket options.

Mike

 

[rrlund]

Those H's are still a handy tractor for what you want. A mid-mount cultivator wouldn't be a bad way to go. The original ones for that tractor, HM-221, HM-238, HM-250, etc, are usually cheap & relatively easy to find. If you have a manual for it & a flat surface to work on, they go on & come off fairly easy, especially with help. The tool bars are a standard size & you can find lots of aftermarket tools for it, if you don't like or have a use for what was originally offered by IH. Tillmor comes to mind for a variety of workable aftermarket options.

Mike

Can you even narrow up one of those IH front mounts that far?

 

[spacechem]

AMF has answered your question, but I doubt the owner of a cultivator that will fit will know what model it is. Best bet is look for a cultivator that has been on an H or M.

Do be aware that added weight on the front will make steering more difficult, so I wouldn't plan to leave it on. If you find a 4-row, it wouldn't be too hard to cut it down to two.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Can you even narrow up one of those IH front mounts that far?

Good question. I'll have to look to be certain. Think it's either 30" or 32".

Mike

 

[rrlund]

Good question. I'll have to look to be certain. Think it's either 30" or 32".

Mike

We planted 38s when we used one. That's been 50 years ago.

 

[ET]

I ran a JD front mounted cultivator and it was possible to narrow it down to 30" and even 28" rows. The difficulty was getting things narrow enough under the tractor. Some modifications were necessary but it's doable.