This will be an ongoing thread....the initial post is not intended to be all inclusive for everything you'll need to grow a production crop.
The following list of equipment is based on a crop of one acre or more. The more acres you grow, the bigger the equipment will be and the need for additional equipment will increase with the size of the crop.
The first piece of equipment you will need is a tractor. Crops less than an acre can be maintained with a large rototiller and hand held sprayer, but one ace is the absolute limit...unless you have 8-10 hours a day to dedicate to your 1 1/2 acre crop.
The tractor will need to be large enough to pull a setter and a sprayer. High-crop tractors work best because they allow spraying later in the season. John Deere makes an excellent high crop tractor, but they're pricy ($4000 to $12000) A restored J.D. will go for $40,000 and more.
A basic Ford 8N will be plenty of tractor for crops up to 5 acres.
These are available for between $1500 and $3000. Almost all implements made for this scale crop will work with this basic 3 point hitch and PTO. The four point stance is far safer than any 3 point wheal base even on flat ground.
Next piece of equipment would be a plow. A single drop will be fine for a couple of acres, but any more than that, you'll want to use a 2 bottom plow. These are pretty cheap and generally available for about $300. I've seen "no till" farming and I think the only tobacco that would grow using no till would be an Oriental planted like clover or alfalfa hay...and harvested the same way. Depending on the condition of your tractor and the type of ground you're working, you might not be able to pull the 2 bottom with an 8N. Heavy clay will be really tough, but sandy soil will be easy.
Next is a disc.
You can get a decent set of discs for around $500, but they can go up to $1000 depending on how far you want to travel to get it. Invest in a good set...you'll use them several times a year.
Cultivator:
I like the rotary hoe for cultivating. I think it does a better job of uprooting weeds and it also aerates the soil at the same time.
Standard or traditional are a lot easier to find than the rotary hoe and they do work at furrowing the rows too. Spaced properly, you can throw dirt on to the rows where a rotary hoe can not. These are available for $400- to $1000 depending on condition. You'll probably use this implement more than anything other.
Spring rake/ Spring tooth cultivator:
These are somewhat optional, but they will level the ground out if you have some deep furrows from over discing or turning to hard with the disc down. The cultivator can also work at evening out the field a little also.
This soil is a good example of working a field when it's too wet. Never work wet soil. You can get away with plowing somewhat damp soil, but that's about it.
Setter/Transplanter:
This is probably the single most important piece you'll need. Of course it won't do you any good without a tractor, but you'll want your setter in very good working order. A single row setter can do 5 acres with no problem and it will only set you back $500 -$1000 for a good one.
This is the one I grew up on and it's probably the most common single row setter around. A four row setter will make short work of getting all your plants out.
Sprayer:
Sprayers are necessary for both weed control and pest control. What's more important than the size or type of sprayer is the nozzle type your using. Follow manufacturer's recommendation for proper coverage.
The following list of equipment is based on a crop of one acre or more. The more acres you grow, the bigger the equipment will be and the need for additional equipment will increase with the size of the crop.
The first piece of equipment you will need is a tractor. Crops less than an acre can be maintained with a large rototiller and hand held sprayer, but one ace is the absolute limit...unless you have 8-10 hours a day to dedicate to your 1 1/2 acre crop.
The tractor will need to be large enough to pull a setter and a sprayer. High-crop tractors work best because they allow spraying later in the season. John Deere makes an excellent high crop tractor, but they're pricy ($4000 to $12000) A restored J.D. will go for $40,000 and more.
A basic Ford 8N will be plenty of tractor for crops up to 5 acres.
These are available for between $1500 and $3000. Almost all implements made for this scale crop will work with this basic 3 point hitch and PTO. The four point stance is far safer than any 3 point wheal base even on flat ground.
Next piece of equipment would be a plow. A single drop will be fine for a couple of acres, but any more than that, you'll want to use a 2 bottom plow. These are pretty cheap and generally available for about $300. I've seen "no till" farming and I think the only tobacco that would grow using no till would be an Oriental planted like clover or alfalfa hay...and harvested the same way. Depending on the condition of your tractor and the type of ground you're working, you might not be able to pull the 2 bottom with an 8N. Heavy clay will be really tough, but sandy soil will be easy.
Next is a disc.
You can get a decent set of discs for around $500, but they can go up to $1000 depending on how far you want to travel to get it. Invest in a good set...you'll use them several times a year.
Cultivator:
I like the rotary hoe for cultivating. I think it does a better job of uprooting weeds and it also aerates the soil at the same time.
Standard or traditional are a lot easier to find than the rotary hoe and they do work at furrowing the rows too. Spaced properly, you can throw dirt on to the rows where a rotary hoe can not. These are available for $400- to $1000 depending on condition. You'll probably use this implement more than anything other.
Spring rake/ Spring tooth cultivator:
These are somewhat optional, but they will level the ground out if you have some deep furrows from over discing or turning to hard with the disc down. The cultivator can also work at evening out the field a little also.
This soil is a good example of working a field when it's too wet. Never work wet soil. You can get away with plowing somewhat damp soil, but that's about it.Setter/Transplanter:
This is probably the single most important piece you'll need. Of course it won't do you any good without a tractor, but you'll want your setter in very good working order. A single row setter can do 5 acres with no problem and it will only set you back $500 -$1000 for a good one.
This is the one I grew up on and it's probably the most common single row setter around. A four row setter will make short work of getting all your plants out.
Sprayer:
Sprayers are necessary for both weed control and pest control. What's more important than the size or type of sprayer is the nozzle type your using. Follow manufacturer's recommendation for proper coverage.
