Heavy Duty Cultivator information

The following is a brief outline on Pluck’s Engineering, together with further information on our range of Heavy Duty Cultivators, going into much greater detail.

Company Background

Pluck’s Engineering was established in 1967 and is a family owned and operated business, with upwards of 15 employees at any one time. We have been manufacturing and servicing agricultural machinery since our company’s inception.

Because of the large number of tradesman within our company, we can guarantee that at least one will be involved with your implement throughout its manufacture or assembly. These members of our staff are extremely skilful and intelligent people, trained to very high standards, with many years specialising in agricultural machinery and we insist they work to these standards all the time.

Over the years we have spent a lot of time working on design. This continues today as we are looking to update materials, construction, and the way we do things to produce an even better finished product. Of course clients play a large role in explaining what their requirements are, and what we need to do to achieve them. What this means is a purpose-built implement designed around your needs and suited to all conditions that the New Zealand countryside can throw at it.

Heavy Duty Cultivator

The Heavy Duty Cultivator is one of many different types of agricultural machinery that we manufacture and import. We pride ourselves on what we have achieved with these machines, and the results they are achieving in all types of New Zealand conditions.

Leg Assembles

Designed from its beginnings by Pluck’s Engineering, the Plucks built Cultivator incorporates a Canadian auto reset trip leg assembly. These trip leg assemblies are set to activate at 755lb (340kg) pressure. When this pressure is met and overloaded the leg will trip. However, the pressure on the point only slightly increases for a short distance of the leg stroke. It then starts to decrease, but only to 650lb (295kg) at 270mm (11″) of lift.

This trip system and leg assembly achieves a number of things on your Cultivator.

  1. Because the trip will not allow the leg to move from its working position until it meets a greater resistance, your cultivation depth is maintained all the time across all of the points.
  2. The legs are solid 50mm × 32mm (2″ × 1¼″) high-tensile steel, this means they will stay straight whilst in the ground so they will not swerve around a tough weed, root or tuft of grass etc whether you are using sweeps or spikes.
  3. Again because of the trip pressure keeping the leg where it should be, this means you are not towing the spring pressure that builds up in conventional flexi-type tines. You are only towing the ground/earth resistance on the point, without the flexi-tine trying to pull itself straight again. This creates huge savings in tractor engine, transmission and tyre wear, also savings on your diesel. More importantly you could tow a wider cultivator with the same horse power tractor. Because the legs stay put whilst carrying a point of any width 50–304mm (2–12″) you will have all the ground moved, cultivated and mixed right across the width of the machine – in just one pass every time.

Points

There are various types of points available for your implement, ranging from 50mm (2″) wide spike type points through to sweep type points ranging in sizes of 150–406mm (6–16″). Also available is a type of sweep point called a penetrator. This is a very angry sweep which will penetrate very hard ground, coming in sizes 150–304mm (6–12″). All these points and sweeps are extremely solid and hard working. They each have their own specific function for your implement.

The spike type point at 50mm wide × 16mm thick (2″ × 5/8″) is designed to penetrate even the hardest ground. eg. where trucks have been driving over your paddocks all season or winter feed paddocks that cattle have turned into a rock hard surface. There are two types of these, one made shorter and very sharp, designed for extra hard ground, also a spike type point with a twist, to guide dirt to one side or the other of the leg for very trashy ground. eg wire weed etc.

The sweep type points are designed to cut off, lift, move, mix, cultivate and incorporate what is on the surface, whether it is straw, stubble, left over feed or dung and because all our cultivators are set at 228mm (9″) tine centres and three to four rows deep, this allows you to run the sweep points wide enough to give good wing overlap with each other. This gives you total ground movement right across the cultivator width, regardless of its depth in the ground, again In just one pass, every time.

By reincorporating the surface materials into the ground and not ploughing it under, it is found that decomposing of the materials takes place better, rather than sealing the material under six to eight inches of dirt. Proper composting of the surface materials means a better and faster breakdown of all the nutrients contained in all of the materials.

Combinations

It has been found that on an extremely hard surface all that is needed is one pass with the spike type points to loosen up the top, then a second pass with the sweep points to prepare the ground ready for drilling. If the ground is a little freer there will be no need for the use of spikes. What has become very popular with our clients is a combination of spike points 50mm (2″) wide on the front row, 203–254mm (8–10″) wide penetrator sweep points on the middle row, then 304mm (12″) wide penetrator sweeps on the back row, then finally Morris four-row finger harrows on the rear of the cultivator.

What this does for you is the equivalent of a number of passes in just one pass. Because the narrow points on the front open up the ground by ripping about 50–100mm (2–4″) slots through the paddock, the middle row sweeps then start to cut off and mix, then the back row because they are very wide points (but with most of the ground already moved) cut off, mix and turn what is left. Finally and easily the harrows mix in what is left on the surface and leave the paddock flat and ready to drill.

These points are held on with Cat bolts and are very high tensile, which means that they last extremely well and are very easy to change from points to sweeps or vice-versa.

There can be misconceptions about the wide sweep points on our cultivators, that because the points are wide they must be hard to pull through the ground. This is not the case, because the leg holding the point is very solid, it does not move or spring, so you are not towing the spring pressure of the leg trying to straighten and reposition itself as with most other cultivators. You are only towing the ground resistance against the point that is staying at the correct entry angle and with a point combination set up between the three rows (the front row being narrow points) each leg is doing a similar amount of work and load, giving the cultivator good balance and only reasonable towing power is required – generally about the same as a soft tine cultivator of the same width, but with the huge difference that you will be moving all the ground right across the total machine width with this set up every time and in just one pass.

Construction

Frame design is made of heavy high tensile box section. All ends of the box section where they are welded are Veed out with a grinder to ensure a full penetration of weld metal, therefore making this an extremely strong and durable frame, up to the rigours and demands placed upon it.

Wheels are of a very heavy duty nature. All are 203mm (8″) × 368mm (14.5″) rim × 10 ply mounted on very heavy stub axles. All mounted on oscillating axles for good ground contour following whether in ground or on road. They have presented us with very few punctures or repair requirements. The assemblies are also mounted central in the frame so there is no extra digging in of front or rear tines, as the cultivator rides over humps etc.

Axles are in keeping with the rest of the implement – very heavy duty – and in fact are oversize for the individual machine. This means the daily pressures placed upon them are not extreme, thus giving them a longer life span in the bearings and seals. There is no risk of bending an axle.

Hydraulics on the Plucks built CP750 series (designed especially for this machine) are locally made, which assists in replacement parts for seals etc. All parts are readily available.

Summary

In general we at Pluck’s Engineering are aware that we have developed and are importing a very versatile implement. One that has at least three separate individual uses.

  1. Heavy Duty Cultivator work.
  2. Surface incorporation.
  3. General cultivation.

They are a very tough and robust machine that serves you, our clients needs all year round, year in year out. Because these units are “over engineered”, it means its daily use is easily handled, despite any ground condition. It’s as simple as hooking it on and towing. No need to look behind all the time, because of the reassurance it is doing its job with ease.

Pluck’s Engineering takes pride and care in what it manufactures. Our work force contains at least 75 per cent tradesman at any one time. We take a lot of care in preparation before we weld or bolt a machine together. Grinding of all areas to be welded are not only to clean up the steel, but also to prepare the ends or edges to be welded to allow full penetration welds. This means that the full strength of the section of steel is being used, therefore the weld captures the full thickness – not just the surface. This also means the frame is stronger and stiffer, thus preventing any cracking.

Finally all sharp corners of the machine are ground off again, as part of the overall finish to the machine. This also allows us to obtain a much better finish with the paint.

Guarantee

Naturally we stand by all our workmanship and machinery. Each implement is covered by a two year guarantee of manufacture and parts. If there are any concerns at any stage we will address them in the quickest possible time frame, to alleviate any lost hours for you, our client.

PPS Finance

Finance arrangements have been made with a local finance company providing competitive rates, which you are most welcome to make use of should you wish.

Should you require any further information, please feel free to call us on 0800 758 257.

Kind regards
Pluck’s Engineering Ltd