How to choose a cultivator for farming

Recommendation points

• Types of cultivators
• Small
• Average
• Powerful
• Small cultivator Ryobi RCE-254 / RCP-254
• Electric cultivator DDE ET 1200-40
• Motor-cultivator DDE Hobby 500
• Petrol cultivator Efco MZ 2050 RK

In this article, we will tell you what types of cultivators are, we will make a comparison of several of the most common models that would be suitable for use in everyday life and small farms.

The cultivator is one of many tools for preparing land for planting, cultivating or harvesting it. A distinctive feature of cultivators is loosening the soil without “turning” the cultivated land. Although some models of cultivators do double wrapping of the fertile layer, which allows you to keep the most saturated with useful substances part of the land near the surface.

Types of cultivators

In accordance with the power (productivity) of cultivators, they are conventionally divided into three groups – small, medium and large.

Small

This type includes models of cultivators with an electric and low-power gasoline drive. This technique is incapable of performing work in areas heavily overgrown with weeds, the working width does not exceed 20-30 cm, and the depth is 20 cm. The main application is re-cultivation of the land before planting, hilling, control of young weeds.

Average

Most cultivators of this type are capable of plowing virgin lands that do not contain large stones or thick tree roots. The capture width of the cultivated layer of soil can exceed half a meter, and the processing depth is 25-30 cm.

1. Equipped with powerful gasoline engines.
2. Can be used in conjunction with several types of soil cultivation attachments (duckfoot shares and cutters).
3. Supports the installation of transport wheels.
4. Possibility of connecting a mini-trailer.

Motor cultivator

Powerful

They are used as part of special tractors, they can simultaneously process up to 4-6 meters of land, serve to prepare the land for planting or processing after harvesting.

The most common in everyday life and small farms are milling cultivators, which is associated with their simplicity and reliability. In powerful and special models of machines, cultivators with duckfoot shares, plowshares, disc cultivators are used. Discrete micro-elevation cultivators are used for forest planting.

The principle of operation of the milling cultivator is based on crushing the soil using milling cutters rotating from a separate drive, regardless of the cultivator’s movement system. Arrow shares are fixed in place and are ideal for inter-row loosening or plowing, while forward movement is ensured by a special traction mechanism or a tractor.

Consider a number of typical home cultivators:

Small cultivator Ryobi RCE-254 / RCP-254

It is produced in two modifications, differing in the type of used drive motor (electric – 1.5 kW, gasoline – 25 cubic cm). The cultivator is capable of deepening 20 cm into the ground, processing a 26 cm strip of land with a 4-section milling cutter. At the same time, the cultivator in transport condition weighs no more than 14 kg. This is a very light cultivator, in which for high-quality loosening it is possible to make it heavier by filling a special container with sand. The model is not suitable for processing heavy soil with stony inclusions, a lot of roots, clay soils.

Electric cultivator DDE ET 1200-40

Lightweight cultivator with 1.2 kW electric drive motor. Provides loosening and processing of previously prepared soil to a depth of 22 cm and a width of 40 cm.Due to its low weight (12 kg), when working, it is poorly buried in the soil.

Motor-cultivator DDE Hobby 500

Quite a powerful model with an installed 6 horsepower gasoline engine. The cultivator is capable of cultivating virgin lands that do not contain thick roots and large stones. The cutter can cut through a layer of earth 50 cm wide to a depth of 25 cm. The model has only one working speed, it has no reverse capability. With a weight of 42 kg and its simplicity, it can be a good helper even on large land plots.

Petrol cultivator Efco MZ 2050 RK

This multifunctional cultivator can not only plow and loosen the soil with base mills with a working width of 600 mm and a depth of up to 310 mm, but also effectively work with a duckfoot, trailer, etc. The power of the drive motor is 5 HP. with., which is less than the previous model. Work efficiency is achieved by a more advanced gearbox that can operate at two different speeds when moving forward, and also has a reverse gear.

Summary table of the considered cultivators:

From the material discussed above and the experience of farms, it can be concluded that a medium-power cultivator (motor-cultivator) is not only a good help when doing household work, but also a tool that allows you to make money by plowing small land plots. Despite its relatively high cost, in skilled hands the cultivator pays for itself very quickly, and with proper care it can bring a net profit to the owner for five or more years.

When deciding on the acquisition of a cultivator for one’s own needs, it is necessary to know exactly the “zone” of its application: whether it will be used to cultivate virgin soils, whether it will be necessary to use it for hilling and weeding in the beds. The best option may be to purchase two cultivators at once – medium and low power.

A medium power cultivator (motor-cultivator) will be used in the future for primary cultivation of the land, preparation for planting or winter cleaning of plots, and a light and maneuverable small cultivator with an electric or gasoline engine will be used for caring for planted crops, removing young weeds, surface loosening and hilling.