A review of the best cultivators for inter-row tillage, and how to make them yourself

Farm work is monotonous, difficult, and extremely tiring. Therefore, people have always sought to make this labor easier. Today, the abundance of agricultural machinery makes it possible to efficiently cultivate fields with minimal physical effort. The use of inter-row cultivators in potato fields has simplified and simplified plant care, making it possible to cultivate large areas with ease.

Benefits of using devices

The device consists of a metal frame, support wheels, and cultivator parts. These units come in various types and are used for cultivating potato fields in industrial farms and on small farms. The cultivator is used to cultivate the soil before planting.

The units simplify the care of potato plants by loosening the soil and saturating it with oxygen, which is essential for their development and growth, effectively destroying weeds, and facilitating the process of introducing essential mineral complexes into the soil.

Important: When planting potatoes, for subsequent cultivation with a cultivator, you should take into account the width between rows - the beds must be perfectly level.

There are various types of devices - they can be milling, paw-type, for single-row and multi-row soil cultivation, and are available in tractor and manual versions.

When choosing an assistant, you should take into account the areas to be treated and the recommendations of the equipment manufacturer.

Types of potato cultivators

Devices for inter-row soil cultivation are called row crops; another type of unit, steam, is used for pre-planting soil preparation.

They also differ in the type of working tools used, weight, power and type of traction:

• chisel - a device for deep loosening of soil;
• milling machines - they are used to process heavy, dense soils;
• disc - for light soil and weed removal;
• with arrow-shaped paws - used for loosening the soil and applying fertilizers.

Cultivators can be heavy or light, with different power:

• ultra-light, with a power of 1-1.5 horsepower and a weight of no more than 10 kilograms, loosen to a depth of 8-10 centimeters;
• lightweight, with a power of 2-3 horsepower and a weight of about 20 kilograms, they process the soil to a depth of 15 centimeters;
• medium-sized ones, with a power of 4-6 horsepower and a soil cultivation depth of up to 20-25 centimeters;
• heavy - with a power of 10 horsepower, a weight of more than 60 kilograms and the ability to deeply process large planting areas.

When choosing a device, you need to pay attention to these parameters.

And finally, the traction method, as cultivators can be multi-row trailed ones, designed for powerful tractors, or hand-held ones, easily handled by a petite woman:

• manual – devices that are reliable and easy to use, operating through human physical action;
• electric - requiring recharging or the presence of electricity in the area;
• gasoline - such cultivators are very easy to use;
• mounted, which are attached to a walk-behind tractor or tractor.

Various models of potato cultivators are available at agricultural equipment stores. If you're looking to save money, you can build your own unit, which significantly reduces the cost.

Equipment and technology for inter-row cultivation

Perfectly even rows are suitable for cultivating with a cultivator. Each stage of planting care must be agriculturally sound. For example, in dry summers, cultivate the spaces between the rows without turning over the bottom layer to conserve soil moisture.

The first cultivation takes place 2-2.5 weeks after planting the tubers. Using interchangeable or additional equipment (rotary cutters, rakes, and hillers) significantly expands the machine's functionality. When hilling potatoes, the soil is worked along the row, loosening the soil, oxygenating it, and eliminating weeds.

Rotary cultivator – KF 2.8 and KF 3.6

A popular type of rotary cultivator, designed for cultivating not only potato fields but also any other type of agricultural crops. These units are manufactured by the Belarusian manufacturing company Tekhmash. They are used for loosening the soil and for applying fertilizer, using fertilizer spreaders installed on the cultivator.

They are used on level, rock-free surfaces (with a slope of no more than 8°), with a tillage depth of 2-12 centimeters. The working speed when cultivating row spacing is 6-9 kilometers per hour, the working width is 2.8 meters, and it cultivates four rows at a time. It is coupled with tractors with a 1.4 traction class according to GOST 27021. The KF 3.6 has a wide working width of 3.6 meters and cultivates six rows.

Cultivator for inter-row soil cultivation USMK-5.4, with a fertilizing device

Mounted on a tractor, it performs soil tillage before seeding, complete and inter-row loosening, mineral fertilization, and insecticide treatment. It cultivates 12 rows at a time.

Suitable for cultivating crops with row spacings of 45-60 centimeters. The cultivator is optionally equipped with a fertilizer attachment. It can be transported on public roads up to 2.5 meters wide, as it can be folded for transport.

USMK-5.4 with AVPU-12

The cultivator is designed for cultivating 12 rows of crops. Equipped with a herbicide applicator, it is suitable for cultivating various crops planted at 45-centimeter row spacings.

The device is equipped with:

• flat-cutting single-sided paws with a cutting width of 80 and 165 millimeters;
• with arrow-shaped hilling paws;
• protective discs;
• chisel-shaped loosening paws;
• with arrow-shaped paws with a working width of 270 millimetres.

The cultivator can be optionally equipped with a device for applying loose mineral fertilizers, a kit for treating crops with herbicides, and liquid mineral fertilizers. These are not included in the delivery and are available for an additional fee.

Mounted KRN-4.2 and KRN-5.6

The working width is 4.2 or 5.6 meters. It cultivates 6 or 8 rows, with row spacings of 600, 700, and 900 millimeters. It is used for inter-row and continuous tillage.

Inter-row tillage machine

The tool is designed for inter-row loosening, has 3 varieties, and can cover 60, 80 and 90 centimeters.

Used for various types of plantings; the device with the widest coverage is the most popular among customers.

Neva walk-behind tractor

A unit manufactured by Krasny Oktyabr in St. Petersburg. This multifunctional device, with its additional accessories, can:

• to plow and cultivate the soil;
• carry out a full cycle of potato care (planting, loosening the soil, removing weeds, harvesting);
• mow the grass;
• water the area and pump water;
• transport goods;
• clean the area.

The machine is ideal for individual farmers and small farms. Depending on the model, it weighs between 70 and 115 kilograms. It provides a tillage depth of 16 centimeters for the lightest model and up to 20 centimeters for all others.

We make a homemade device for processing potatoes

A homemade cultivator is not too difficult to make and is significantly cheaper than a purchased unit.

To manufacture you will need:

• welding machine with electrodes;
• drills and metal drills;
• grinders.

The materials for making a cultivator can be found in the barn of a thrifty peasant.

There are a huge number of cultivator designs. A hand cultivator is easy to make. All you need is a handle, a sturdy U-shaped bracket, and a shaft with wheels or spiked discs attached.

Holes are made along the edges of the bracket, a shaft with spikes or disks is attached, or you can simply weld pieces of well-sharpened reinforcement along the perimeter of the disks.

You can make a handy hand tool from the remains of an old bicycle - you will need the remains of a frame with a bicycle wheel and a well-sharpened steel strip for making a flat cutter.

Making a tractor cultivator is a bit more difficult, and there are a huge number of homemade cultivators available online. To ensure the unit is truly effective, it's best to carefully select from a wide variety of options.

Today, manual methods of cultivating planted crops are becoming a thing of the past. A cultivator—manual, gasoline, or electric—is found in most farms where people plant large areas of potatoes and other vegetables. After all, any work should be satisfying and done well, and speed and fatigue-free work are a pleasant bonus.