I secured permission from two neighbors who have large tracts of land to hunt on. They gave me permission to mow and till and plant on certain sections. I have a Swisher 44" trail mower that I pull with my ATV. The 14 1/2 HP model. That is an absolute animal! They say it goes through up to 1 1/2" trees. I hacked through some a little larger than that. It does a real nice job. After I mowed, I laid down the "Round-Up" again. I waited a week and tried the disk again. I absolutely destroyed the poor thing. Bent the angle iron frame, lost numerous nuts and bolts and twisted the main axle to about 90 degrees. Time to break out the sledge hammer and head to the hardware store.
Anyway, after checking a hunting catalog, I came across another item from Swisher. It is called a "True Plow". About $150 plus shipping, so I grabbed one. Let me tell you, this thing is definitely NOT a "True Plow". It worked, but it took me the better part of two days to put in three more plots. Granted, they were larger than the first, but what a nightmare. I ended up making the plots in an oval configuration because I got tired of trying to criss-cross and get the centers. I put more effort and time into this than I ever would have imagined. The plots are actually growing nice right now. Rain came within a day and things pretty much took right off. I limed and fertalized everything before I put down the seed. I used my ATV wheels instead of a cultipacker, which I don't have. I just can't imagine doing this every year. I busted my butt to get this far. If that True Plow hadn't started coming apart, I would probably return the thing. It may be OK on an existing plot with just dirt, but forget breaking ground with it, unless you have a lot of time and money for gas. You may also get dizzy going in circles for two days straight!
Is there anyone out there who knows of any ground engaging equipment you can purchase for an ATV, other than the commercially marketed all-in-one units? I don't want to pay 3 grand for one of them. I thought about getting one of those self-contained 36" pull behind roto-tillers for my ATV, but even they are pricey. Does anyone make anything like a small one-bottom plow that you can pull with an ATV? I just need to break the suface, then go at it with the disk(after I repair it).
If I spend any more money on Deer Hunting prep, my wife is going to kick my butt. Any suggestions for cheap or reasonable eguipment that really does the job?
Thanks1
JBow
