A selection of cultivating hoes. These are all light hoes designed to cut just below the surface of the soil, removing small weeds.
An example of the swan neck hoe slicing small weeds just below the soil surface.
I try to avoid short handled tools but these two do a good job in tight quarters.
A heavy hoe for chopping large weeds, or removing sod. The handle extends through the head and is held tight with a steel wedge.
The most basic tractor cultivation tools are sweeps, which are basically V shaped knives that cut through the soil. They also tend to throw a bit of soil to the side, leaving a slight furrow in their wake.
A larger version of the sweep is a shovel, or furrower. These can be used to dig furrows, or to create hills and bury weeds.
It's common to gang lots of different types of knives, disks and other cultivating tools together on tool bars. Different tools do different things and depending on the crop one tool might work well close to the crop, or following another tool, whereas another works well to clear big sections between crops, or preceding other tools. These large frames frequently also incorporate some sort of guidance to keep them working straight on the bed.
A close up of an Alloway cultivator. This tool is very adjustable and has two disks to cut along side the crop and then knives that follow to clean up weeds that are between the rows.
Here is a set of Alloways incorporated into a larger tool bar that also has side knives rollers and furrowers.
A Buddingh basket weeder. The front set of baskets is connected to the baskets in the rear with a chain and sprockets. The rear set is driven slightly faster which tosses loosened weeds backwards, removing soil from their roots and leaving them on top to dry out.
Buddingh basket weeders are popular on older cultivating tractors with belly mounts for tools like this International.
A close up of the baskets and sprockets. This basket is clogged with mud.
Spyder wheels are one of several tools made by Bezzerides Brothers. They cut into the soil and toss material to the side, including small weeds. They are mounted behind these cultivating tractor wheels to clean up the pathways.
This is a European version of a finger weeder. This particular version is set up for three rows and is pulled by a tractor. Someone also sits on the cultivator and uses the handlebars to steer the cultivator so that it misses the plants. The fingers scrub weeds out and can be set up to weed in row on established plants with sturdy stems.
Here is another finger weeder set up on the belly of an Farmall.
Lilliston rolling cultivators are very adjustable. Gangs of toothed disks can be set to throw soil up towards crops, or away from crops and work on the flat, or on ridge shoulders. They are available in many sizes but work best in widely spaced crops like corn, beans, and potatoes. The large coulter wheel in front is there to keep the tool running straight.
Here's a view of the spring loaded arms that the gangs of rolling cultivators hang on on the Lilliston cultivators.
Lely tines are a flexible tool for weeding out small weeds. They are designed for grains and field crops but can be used in vegetables. This one is mounted on the belly of and Allis Chalmers G.
Using a Lely tine weeder to cultivate beans.
Lely tines are set up here behind a tractor in a configuration called a Williams Tool which is sold by Market Farm Implement in PA. Other tools can be mounted on the tool bars. Each tine is individually adjustable with the Lely tines.
This is another one weeder made by Kovar. The tines are in the same configuration as the Lely tines but they are heavier and they adjust together and not individually.
An electric conversion for the motor on an Allis Chalmers G tractor. This adds weight to the tractor and more torque at lower speeds. It is relatively quiet.
A small electric hydraulic pump for lifting implements on an Allis Chalmers G tractor. The hydraulics with this configuration can be used whether the tractor is on or off.
This cultivator uses spring steel to scrape the surface of the soil and move a bit of soil into the row to bury weeds. Just behind the scrapers are sweeps to work the shoulders of the bed.
A brush weeder for close cultivation of high density seedings. The tool is pulled by a tractor and the tractor PTO spins the brushes. An operator rides on the cultivator to steer it and make sure it stays centered over the crop rows.
A close up of the brushes and the guards. The crop travels between the guards to keep the brushes from kicking up soil and burying the crop inadvertently.
A small ganged flame weeder. The operator carries a propane canister on their back and pushes the flamer. This can be used pre plant to clean up weeds or just before germination of direct seeded crops.
A tractor mounted flame with the torches in the raised position. This is carried behind a tractor and the torches are lowered once they are lit.
A flame weeder on a trailer with torches on booms. This is for weeding in the rows in an orchard or vineyard situation.
A Kubota offset cultivating tractor with belly mounted tools. The motor is set to one side to allow the operator a clear view of the center row and the tools working in the soil.
The back end of the tractor with sweeps to clean up the tire tracks and rollers to break any clods between the rows.
A close up of the belly mounted knives on the tractor.
A cultivating knife for vineyard use in the rows of vines. The wire in front is a trip that signals the knife to retract when it reaches a vine.
An example of parallelogram followers for sweeps or knives. These allow each knife or sweep to follow any variation in the ground and to stay just below the surface. This set is from an old Planet Jr. cultivator.
A newer European version of parallelogram followers.
Single disks for hilling. These can also be used to open furrows.
Double hilling disks move more soil than single disks.
Triple disks move even more soil.
Furrowers and other cultivating tools can also be set up behind two wheel tractors.
Wheel hoes are used on a smaller scale and in tight spaces to carry tools like small furrowers and large hoe blades.
