Re: Hiller/furrowers

[conundrum]

Sounds like you are heading toward a small single bottom plow for the furrows-there are tons of those around-unfortunately they seem to be more popular as mailbox ornaments anymore!
Even if the moldboard is bad, which most are unless you buy new, if you are not doing huge tracts of ground, it should do a nice job for you. If you have a PTO driven rototiller to condition the soil and then run the plow through, it should be dandy.
As far as "topping" the furrows, what about a box scraper or blade on your 3 point? Easy to set the desired height.

[Eastex]

Deberosa, like Conundrum said, the guys around here use a moldboard or turning plow to build large / wide rows for melons, potatoes, etc.

To build small rows, they'll use a single or double middlebuster plow. Those are pretty common. You can use the middlebuster also to dig up your potatoes when they're ready.

[DM]

If you want to keep the work load down, then till the field and buy a 3 point attachment that will lay plastic down. Then plant through the plastic..

For a cheaper way to do it, i do as the other poster said, till the ground good and then plow 3 or 4 furrows together. I then hand lay plastic (or not) down the center and plant in the middle furrow.

http://www.fototime.com/50782345582A851/standard.jpg

Once that's done i mulch heavily on both sides to keep the weeds down, and to make harvesting easy.. I "mostly" do this for mellons...

http://www.fototime.com/89BC066F2AEACD0/standard.jpg

Then the next year i plant where i mulched this year.... This works out very good when you organic farm like i do..

DM