Description
The Firminator is by far the most versatile piece of equipment in the industry. The operator can choose from a wide range of angle and pitch adjustments to perform many different functions. If a site is to be planted for the first time and is heavy with debris, the disk angles can be set aggressively along with a heavy forward tilt of the entire unit for deeper disk penetration. If a minimal till operation is desired, then the angles and pitch can be adjusted to just slightly cut through top litter without disturbing the soil excessively. A common question we get is do I need to disk the soil with other equipment first before using The Firminator? The answer is NO! The Firminator will do all the necessary work of planting a food plot from start to finish
The main pitch adjustment of the unit is controlled through the top link of the three point connection. By shortening the top link adjustment, the Firminator is leaned more heavily onto its disk assembly and thus provides a deeper cut. A mid range setting will give varying degrees of disk depth while still allowing the cultipacker to maintain good ground contact and continue to break apart clods while leveling and firming the soil. By lengthening the top link even more, the disks can be carried up off the ground allowing the cultipacker to roll on the soil with additional frame weight being transferred to it. This is ideal for passing over the field to firm up the seed bed prior to planting small seed, and also for the seeding pass itself, where seed is dropping directly in front of the packer wheel where it is pressed into the soil surface for perfect contact.
The disk angles are adjusted easily by the removal of a pin and sliding the pivoting disk beam to one of many holes on an arc: Choose from straight, 5, 10, 15, and 20 degree angle settings. You may set the aggressiveness of the disk angles suitable to loosen your particular soil type and situation. We recommend using the straight or a minimal angle for lightly opening thatch and soil to perform over seeding without disturbing existing forages. It is this method also that allows for “no-till” type seeding.
The disk blades of the Firminator food plot implement are heavy, 18″, notched 9-gauge steel. One very beneficial feature is that our disk blades are spaced at 6 spacing with custom made iron disk spools. Competitors disks are spaced at the standard 7-1/2″ distance. This translates into more disk blades across the width of The Firminator (12 on the six foot unit) which results in a more thorough cut into the soil which in turn means fewer passes to get great results! The Firminator comes standard with disk blade scrapers to prevent mud and vegetation build-up, and an adjustable center-ripper shank to cut the margin of soil between the two center blades. This shank is depth adjustable, and removes with two pins. The disk axles are carried in triple-sealed replaceable bearings, and feature cast-iron spools for weight and durability
The 4 ,5, and 6 ft Firminators come standard with 9 inch cultipackers and a 16 inch upgrade option. The 8 ft comes standard with 16 inch cultipackers. The new 16″ cultipacker upgrade will be very beneficial for use on sandy or extremely loose soils. The larger diameter will prevent soil from flowing up and over the wheels. The larger wheels will effectively overtake and cultipack the sandiest and flour-like silty soils.
The cultipacker is a very important component for proper food plot installation. The heavy, notched, cast-iron cultipacker wheels are proven to eliminate air space, pulverize clods and level the soil while providing a beautifully prepared, firm seed bed. This is essential for achieving high germination rates. Small seeds should be applied on top of a cultipacked seed bed while larger seeds can be cultipacked into loose soil to cover them and provide great soil contact. The Firminator got its name from the resulting seed bed that it produces! Each unit is also equipped with a series of cultipacker scrapers to keep the assembly clean and rolling in even less than ideal conditions.
The Accurate Seeding System is another incredible feature of The Firminator. It handles seeds of all sizes from the tiniest of clovers up to corn, soybeans, peas, sunflowers and everything in between! It is this versatility that makes it an excellent choice for todays land managers and can be used to properly install food plots, filter strips, pastures, lawns, and other conservation plantings. Because the system is ground driven, the seed is metered out relative to the speed you are traveling. When the Firminator stops rolling, the seed stops falling. No more wasted, expensive seed! You may fill the seed hopper and adjust the metering openings by moving the linkage handle on the back of the seed box. An indicator on the handle shows the seed size selections in one-sixteenth inch graduations. Simply set the size for the largest seed in the hopper, and the metering system will dispense the seed at the generally accepted rate. It almost sounds too simple!
