Garden Planter

[Papa's Cub]

I've almost exhausted the idea of locating and purchasing a complete Cub mounted planter/fertilizer unit at a price I'm willing to pay. I've seen several drives, planter and fertilizer units on ebay, but they are priced separately and I'm not familiar with them enough to know what will work with what. So now I'm considering one of the walking planters like an Earthway. I'd like to know if any of you use or have used them in the past and which brand would you recommend and why? Thanks, Tom.

[Barnyard]

Depending on the size of your garden an Eathway walk behind is great. Our garden is only 50'x150' and I can plant most of it in a day if the ground is ready. They run $85.00 to $90.00. A side dresser attachment is about $50.00.

[SONNY]

I gave $69.95+tax for mine last spring at BIG-R store near us! ---never got to try it out yet!Am going to try to make brackets to use it under my "new" creeper, making a self propelled unit for planting then take it off!---it will hold steady and plant straighter that way and I can see the seed in the box better.
Another idea would be to make a bracket to adapt it to a sleeve hitch and use the 917 to plant with. thanks; sonny

[baldwindiesel]

Tom:
Cub planters are out there, 172, 174, FH 184 but you need to search in the area's that might have used them. I use Craig's list, and search in states where there are hills. You're not going to find them in the flatlands because they scrapped that small stuff years ago !
Search Craig's list in larger cities, farm and garden, and look everyday . They are out there. Be willing to drive over 200 miles to get one.


Baldwindiesel

[Brandon Webb]

A complete 172 or 174 setup will cost you $1000. Sidedresser units alone with a good fertilize hopper and drive gear will cost you $550. You add to that the runner assembly, planter drive and hopper and your knocking on $1000 and you don't have drop tubes or seed plates.

One of the forum members in Georgia had a cub for sale awhile back on Craigslist and they had just the runner of a 174 planter. If you could get the runner the rest is UPS-able and you could assemble a unit as you go. It'd be hard to do by spring planting time especially if your in south Georgia where I'd imagine you plant very soon. There are lots of guys on here who are very knowledgable about planters and they are relatively all the same and interchangable. Not as scary as they seem once you get started.

[DD92cubs]

The earth way planters are great for smaller gardens and for the money you just can't beat them. Every once in a while mine will skip small areas and have to replant it later, but then again mine is pretty old it has a golden harvest logo on it. I have seen a handful of homemade planters on cubs and garden tractors so I figure that is probably the more feesable option if you want a mounted one. I have access to a ground drive row unit similar in style to a model 56 or 58 ih planter that I'm going to convert to mount on my cub.

[baldwindiesel]

I don't wish to debate the price of a 172 or 174 planter, nor do I wish to offend anyone, but my personal experience is that one can be purchased for under $500.00.
Look up your local Craig's list under Farm and Garden; type in "Farmall Cub" and start searching. Also search under CUB.

Baldwindiesel

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I used one of the old Garden harvest push type planters such as DD92cubs mentioned, till it finally wore out, and for the last few years I have been using an Earthway. You do have to put a little downward pressure on them, especially when planting corn, etc. as it sometimes gets bound between the edge of the disk opening and the seed channel, but it sure beats the daylights out of a hoe. Prepare ground, install proper seed plate, and start walking, as fast or slow as you prefer. Row is opened, seed dropped, and covered all in one pass. Not only is it easier and faster than a hoe, but you will realize how much seed you have been wasting.

[rexxon]

Wengers has a rear mounted planter for a non fast hitch Cub, looks good but I do not see the pressure rods in the photo's listed at $475 but it's been on there for a while.

I use a 185 IH unit on a toolbar works great for larger areas, I use my GardenWay for small areas but remember to only fill the hopper to the line or better a little below the line. Also I have better luck with mine if I make one pass without any seed, then come back down with the seed in seems like the wheel does not want to slide as much.

[Jim Becker]

I have an Earthway, bought it slightly used for about $50, got some more plates later on. I have had the wheel sliding problem on occasion too. It is pretty good if you just want to plant a little of something. However, if you only have a small packet of a given seed, it may take most of the packet just to have enough for it to feed into the seed plate. I've also found that for some seed it feeds more reliably if you lean it somewhat to the right. Of course, that aggravates the sliding wheel and makes it even more back-breaking to push.

I've contemplated the idea of remounting the hopper at an angle, but put no thought into how to do such a modification.

[Jim Becker]

Another thought, if you want Cub implements you need to put some effort into finding them. They are out there, but nobody in a phone bank is going to call to sell you one. Trying to put one together from pieces is probably the most expensive way to get one. Buying one with a tractor is generally the least expensive and gives you the best chances of getting a complete unit.

[SONNY]

At least buying one already on the tractor and ready to plant has a better chance of all parts being with it! thanks; sonny

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I have toyed with the idea of putting some bolts through the drive wheel on my Earthway to help with the sliding, but since it appears to come from seed hanging between the chute and seed plate opening I figured all the bolts would do was cause the belt to slip or break the seed plate. All it takes is backing up 2 or 3 inches to clear it.

[clodhopper]

My Tractor Came With A Planter But No Runner. Over A Few Years I Was Able To Buy PileS Of Cub Stuff, Sell What I Didnt Need And Come Out With A Complete 174 Setup For Little Money. Its DefInetly Doable With.A Little patience

[DickB]

Tom,
Some early morning thoughts here....

One thing to consider for Cub planter arrangements is to get as much info from the various implement catalogs, instructions, part lists that are on the forum here. That might give you a good idea of what you need, how it goes together, how to operate it.

Another thing is "The Vine" -- a sell/buy forum that's part of this overall forum. Write up what you want to buy, and see what happens. I never find that what I want to pay fro something equals the selling price. But then I maintain that the nickel candy bar was correctly priced, as was the 5 cent bottle of pop. Well, price demands have weaned me of those unhealthy snacks.

On hand pushed/pulled seeders, check out Johnny's Seeds online catalog, look at the various seeders -- 4 row seeders, even something called the Jang seeder. I was surprised that there's options out there not imagined. Looks like you could buy another Cub for the price of some of these things.

I've never planted with the Cub. Don't know what acreage would justify setting up the Cub for planting. My experience with home and small market gardening is that the push type seeder (watching the seeds come out or not come out) are somewhere between hand seeding and something mechanical like the Cub set up for the work. I'd be inclined to match my seeding options to my garden/field size.

With today's growing emphasis on organic gardening, the integration of many plant types into the row, companion planting...I find that I'm back to hand seeding, and enjoying it.