Portable Scale Lets Cattle Weigh Themselves Modifi cations to the dethatcher Cattle producers don’t have to guess how include caster much their animals weigh or how many wheels for lbs. they’re gaining per day thanks to a new maneuverability, 24/7 weigh station introduced by Hencol of a hitch for towing behind a mower Sweden. CEO Johan Karlberg says the new with an extended scale provides accurate weights for individual throttle cable, cattle or a group. The sturdy metal scale and a turnbuckle weighs about 770 lbs. and can be set up in a for height barn or fi eld to accommodate several cattle adjustments. during the course of a day. The scale is part of a web-based service called LiveStock Planner that works from a computer or mobile device. Information collected by the scale is transmitted to the computer automatically. The scale is placed The Hencol portable scale provides Dethatcher Converted so animals with an RFID tag pass through accurate weight to producers by tracking and over it during their daily routine. Each RFID tags that are read as they pass time an animal steps on the scale its weight over the scale placed in an area the cattle frequent. To Tow-Behind is registered without human intervention. Earl Line wasn’t getting the results he wanted Karlberg says getting animals used to should be able to keep and market 15 percent from his Husqvarna DT22 dethatcher so he walking across the scale is done by placing more animals annually because they have made several modifi cations, including a hitch the unit in an area where the cattle walk better control over feed consumption, actual to tow it behind his riding mower. during their normal daily routine. A mineral growth rate and know exactly when animals “When I began using it, I found it to be block or food source can be helpful so are ready for market. very cumbersome and hard to turn,” recalls animals learn to walk across the scale. Karlberg says the Planner really simplifi es Line. “The holes for height adjustment were Using the scale and LiveStock Planner animal management and takes the guesswork too far apart for good depth control. If the benefits cattle producers by providing out of feeding and when to market the thatch was moist, it would stick to the rear accurate rather than estimated daily gain. animals. Hencol is responsible for installing wheels, increasing the height of the machine Producers get data for individual animals or a the system and providing training and support and affecting the working depth.” group and can adjust feeding rates and easily for the system. Contact the company for Line got busy making improvements. Small scrapers that rest on the rear wheels predict fi nishing weights and dates. pricing. He removed the front wheels and built a and are pinned to brackets he mounted to During testing, the scale was providing Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hencol framework for 3 caster wheels. He bolted it the dethatcher. from 6 to 12 readings per day per animal in AB, Nedra Langgatan 48, 1tr, 457 72 to the original front wheel mounts. a Swedish cattle operation with 350 animals. Grebbestad, Sweden (e-mail: info@hencol. “The caster wheels solved the A turnbuckle welded in place to reconnect By using the scale Karlberg says producers se). maneuverability issue,” says Line. the rod gives Line near infinite height Line made dethatching even easier by adjustments. rigging up a small hitch to connect the Line also dealt with the wet thatch problem. dethatcher to his riding lawn mower. He ran He fabricated small scrapers that rest on the a steel rod through the lawn mower’s rear rear wheels and are pinned to brackets he lift arms, extending it half the width of the mounted to the dethatcher. dethatcher to his mower’s left side. “I purchased the wheels at our local A hitch plate pins to the center of the caster hardware store,” says Line. “I had everything wheel framework and to the rod through else on hand. It was a low-cost fi x, and now the lift arms. Line also extended the throttle it works great with no issues.” control cord, so he can adjust it from the Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, riding lawn mower’s seat. Earl Line, Box 366, Melita, Man. Canada To solve the height adjustment problem, he R0M1L0 (ph 204 522-5046; eline@mymts. cut out a section of the height adjustment rod. net).

Dave Adams extended his Cub Cadet garden tractor to allow for a metal dump bed and added dual-wheels. Garden Tractor “Dump Truck” Dave Adams of Irwin, Penn., had an idea 3-piece fi berglass panel and with winter years ago to convert a garden tractor into a coming on, he made a trip to his boneyard Kits from Bryant Combine Parts repair worn reel pipes. The bearing and holder are dump truck. After his fi rst attempt ended up to fi nd a replacement. removed, the worn pipe is cut and the section slides into the OEM pipe, and is pinned on the junk pile, he fi nally got the job done “I just wanted to cover the motor up over in place. using a 1996, 1863 Cub Cadet tractor. the winter, and I found this hood, threw it on “To begin with, I extended the frame about and it fi t perfectly. I painted it and it looks Kit Makes Pipe Reel Repair Easy 30 in., had to make another driveshaft for it, like it was made for it,” he says. and fi t the hydraulic lines to lower and raise He explains the driveshaft was the Combine reel pipes worn thin at their bearings company website make it even easier. The the cargo box,” he says. “There is a shaft on hardest part to adapt as he needed to extend are easy to fi x with a repair kit from Bryant fi rst step is to remove reel fi ngers to either the passenger side of the tractor that works it 30 in.. His fi rst effort using welded 3/4- Combine Parts. Instead of replacing the pipe, side of the bearing to verify the pipe style, the blades and the hydraulics. Well, I ran an in. black iron pipe blew apart but when he just cut out the worn section and splice in should the original reel have been replaced arm down off that, bent the fl oorboard up adapted a harder steel pipe of 9/16 in. dia. a new one. The kit comes with everything previously. Combine models with their OEM just a wee bit, and came back with a series it worked fi ne after a center carrier bearing needed except for a tool to cut the pipe. pipe reels in place can be checked against the of levers that went up through the frame to was added for support. “We started selling replacement pipe reels, kit “fi t” list. lift the bed hydraulically.” After building the dump truck, Adams but shipping a 30-ft. reel is not effi cient,” Once the bearing holder and bearing have He built the 40 by 40-in. metal bed wasn’t sure how much weight the box says Ryan Davidson, Bryant Combine Parts. been removed, the worn pipe is cut and with 11-in. metal walls including a tailgate would lift as he had to extend the stroke “The kits are a way to save farmers money. removed. The new section simply slides into completely from scratch. Dual wheels were on the hydraulic piston that raises the deck Since introducing them, they have gone the OEM pipe and is pinned in place. With the added using sections of corrugated spacers from 3 to 11 in. everywhere, all over the U.S. We have a new bearing installed and the bearing holder from an old truck, welded so the 4 bolts “I had to move 5 tons of topsoil and distributor in Australia, and some kits have and reel fi ngers returned to their places, the between the rims would hold securely to the loaded the cargo box until it wouldn’t hold gone to Canada.” combine is ready to go. original heavy-duty hydraulic axle. another shovel and it dumped the loads no The company has kits to match common Kit prices vary from $28 to $30 each. Adams found and installed a Craftsman problem. It only goes up to a little less than pipe styles used by major manufacturers Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bryant Briggs and Stratton 18-hp. motor to replace a 45-degree angle but it’s enough. It was fun for different models. Each kit includes pipe Combine Parts, P.O. Box 176, Bryant, Ind. the stock Kohler engine. “It purred like to build and is a really useful machine.” sections to splice into place and new pins to 47326 (ph 260 997-6940; toll free 800 255- a kitten, fi t right in there, and bolted up Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave lock it in place, as well as a new bearing. 1071; [email protected]; www. nicely.” Adams, 2305 Robert Street, Irwin, Penn. Installation is easy, and videos on the bryantcombineparts.com). The original hood was a damaged 15642.

1-800-834-9665 • [email protected] • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 45, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 23