Super A

Mark · Aug 14, 2009

Did Farmall ever make any narrow row vegetable implements for the Super A?

I"d like to be able to plant and cultivate 2 narrow rows instead of one wide row. Thirty six to forty inch rows in the garden are a terrible waste of space and although I am well aware that the A series were designed as a ONE row machine....it appears to me that under special applications, it could easily do two rows....or even more. Examples being carrots, beets, onions, etc.

I know this can"t be an original idea, so any comments/suggestions are welcome.

ScottyHOMeY · Aug 14, 2009

Where the A was a single-row and the same-size B/BNs were the double-rows, I'm not aware of any double row implements for the A/SuperA. That's not to say they weren't made. There might have been something over the sort after the C replaced the B, but none come to my mind.

You'd have to do some modifications with the smoke wrench to modify A implements to take a second row, or to modify B/BN implements both for mounting and spacing.

Don't know how such things are priced or what you want or already have on hand. I'd assume you want at least a planter and cultivators, but can only speculate, factoring in cash and the value of your time, on how the costs would work out: a) buying B/BN implements and modifying them b) buy one or two of each A implement to simplify the mounting issue and just deal with modifying for spacing or c) look for somebody selling a BN (narrower than the B) with its implements.

Rootsy · Aug 14, 2009

Wouldn't be very difficult to cultivate narrow rows. If you can find an old pull type two row planter, the early ones would go down to 28" rows. Widen the SA out and with deluxe toolbars you can adjust the standards and the extension bars to get the outside as well as between the rows.

The adjacent twin rows would have to be spaced farther away.

Quite a PITA continually adjusting cultivators... Since I mostly cultivate sweet corn planted on 38" rows I put everything else on 38" rows cept melons and pumpkins which get planted at the spacing the need...

Bspauld · Aug 14, 2009

My Super A has a one row cultivator mounted.You set right over the row ,easy to see where your at

Big Don · Aug 14, 2009

Yes, there were two and four row cultivators made. The A-452 and the A-252? I think were the models. They used a different type of shank amd different bars that ran crossways under the tractor to get the row spacing. They were called a beet and bean cultivator, and worked best on bedded crops that did not grow very high.
Don

Mark · Aug 14, 2009

AH HA!

That"s the information I was wanting to learn. Thanks very kindly.

I"ll try to find a manual for these models and see if can fabricate the tool bars.

bjr · Aug 14, 2009

I've tried to find the right tool bar material and have failed miserably. I was looking for some 1080 (High Carbon) 1-1/4" square bar. I want to convert some cultivator sweeps from a C to my 35 hp Jinma. The closet 1-1/4" square bar was some 4140 (Alloy steel) from a machine shop. I'm not gonna use A-36 (Low Carbon, Mild Steel) as it will just twist over on first little rock or root. I can get the IH wedge clamps from Agri-Supply but I just can't find the square bar. I've got some A-514 I'm gonna try and see how long they'll last. Keep us inform on how your cultivators turn out. bjr

mattofvinings · Aug 14, 2009

JMHO but the 4140 is a tool steel...much higher quality. It also has higher potential for both hardness and toughness than a "basic" 1080.

gene bender · Aug 14, 2009

Yes they did.You will need the planting units that go on the veggie type cult as it had tool bars. You could make one its not that hard to do finding the planting units will be the big problem. I have the one for the A. It would do 6 rows 15 on center. I dont have the planting units but i did cultivate sweetcorn on 30in rows.

Hugh MacKay · Aug 14, 2009

Mark: Cultivators, yes, planters no, however you can adapt other planters for small vegetables.

I've had tool bar cultivators for 51 years, two 72" tool bars center mount and two on the rear fast hitch. I can plant two 26" rows with my 130 set at 52 inches. I have used tractor set at 60" and 2x30" rows or 3x 20" rows. I just purchased a tool bar 4 row Stan Hay small seed precission vegetable seeder. I plan to use that behind my 140 planting 4, 10" rows between the wheels set on 60" tread. It will be 48" between the 12.4x24 tires and the row spread will cover 30". That seeder will precission seed such crops as pelleted carrots seed, onions. cole crops, rutabagas, etc. In the case of carrots and onions it also seeds three seed lines about 1" apart per row. I actually have 10 of these seeding units, each row being a unit.

Send me an e mail, I'll see what I have around for photos. By the way my tool bars are 1,5" square cold roll steel, IH made a clamp to clamp either 1/2"x 1-1/2" rectangular shank or 1-1/4" round shank to 1.5" square tool bars. There are a few items I don't have photos of yet, mainly the planters, I just bought them 4 weeks ago.

CNKS · Aug 14, 2009

IH made vegetable cultivators for the A and B. The cultivators had tool bars on them allowing any row spacing. My dad usually used 20 inch rows for carrots, etc, wider for tomatoes and peppers. I don't know if the frame for the vegetable planters were IH or not, the units on ours were made by Planet Jr. It was rear mount.

Hugh MacKay · Aug 15, 2009

CNKS: Was Planet Jr. in fact owned by IH, or at least some sort of association.

Hugh MacKay · Aug 15, 2009

Mark: Don has the model numbers and from his discription it is the same cultivator I've had for a half century. I have never had the model number. Wouldn't matter anyhow as I modified my cultivators

CNKS · Aug 15, 2009

I don't think they were owned by IH, but we also had a couple of Planet Jr push planters that probably came from the IH dealer. Since I come from a vegetable growing area, Planet Jr was common. I barely remember the planter -- My dad lost everything but an H in 1950, when I was 12 -- the planter for the H used Planet Jr units but was fabricated by a local blacksmith, if I remember right.

Mark · Aug 15, 2009

Thanks to everybody for the information.

I bid in a 452 cultivator manual on fleabay....seems like it is 32 pages. There should be plenty of pictures to get an idea about how to go about fabricating a set.

gene bender · Aug 15, 2009

Scotty the A-435 would cultivate 6 rows spaced 15 on center. I have set mine to do two rows 30. Several types of tooling was used. The clamps for the round shanks are hard to find and new ones are expensive. They also had clamps for flat bar 3/8 and 1/2 thick and up to 2in wide. The B and BN also had "veggie" cults using the same tooling. I only have brackets for 4 round shanks and would like to have 4 more then i could have a 4 row 20 in on center on a BN WHAT FUN TO SHOW THAT.

Hugh MacKay · Aug 15, 2009

CNKS: The reason I asked is in Nova Scotia a lot of miles from you, all the IH dealers sold Planet Jr., that is until Stan Hay came along in the 1960s. Here in Canada, Stan Hay wiped out all the competition until small seed air planters came along in the 80s. Stan Hay do have an air planter but someone else beat them to it.

Paul in Mich · Aug 16, 2009

Mark, The "A" did indeed have multi-row capabilities. My Dad had a 39 "A" that had a single row beet lifter, but a 2 row cultivator and 2 row bean puller. we always planted everything on 28 in rows so having a 2 row cultivator was no problem for the "A" just a little more work for the "Armstrong' lift system.

Mark · Aug 16, 2009

Paul,

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a beet lifter and a bean puller? I can only assume that these implements worked well.

The only beet lifting I ever did was with a 4 or 5 tined fork and beans all got hand picked...regardless of type (fresh or dried)!

Jim Becker · Aug 20, 2009

Here is a picture of my A-452 that I mounted on a Cub, set for 4 rows at 24".

Mark · Aug 20, 2009

I"ll be dadburned.....that"s a nice looking outfit.

Your picture reminds me of my dad....when he was a might younger, mind you.....and I mean that as a compliment.

Thanks for sharing.

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