Nice. I've considered this exact design idea (using a log). On a commercial crimper, you'll notice that the blades are laid out in a chevron pattern. That way, a blade is in contact with the ground at all times; no "in between blades"... and as a result, it rolls smoothly and doesn't bounce. Yours bounces, as it rolls from blade to blade. Aside from making the ride less comfortable, I'd be concerned that the constant "vibration" will result in the thing beating itself up in due to time. My idea for avoiding this potential issue and making the ride smoother would be to cut the blades into three sections. Instead of one long blade from one end to the other, cut it into three pieces and offset each blade from the previous blade by a couple inches. So each third of the long still have 7 blades going around it, but they're only 15" wide (instead of 4 feet) and no one third of the log blades lines up with either of the others. With more blades touching the ground and at given moment, the ride should smooth out an the log shouldn't bounce. Make sense? What do you think?
Great thoughts- I actually almost built mine the way you are describing (offset sections of angle iron). Ultimately, I decided to keep my angle iron one piece because I was worried about the unit being too lightweight. Having all the weight of the log impacting harder on one single point, should kink the plants better I’m thinking. If you did offset the sections I would just make sure you have the option to add weight. I think either approach would work well. It does feel like it almost “bounce” the way I built it which I think helps with that downward pressure on the plants. Thanks for sharing
I was thinking along those same lines. It is a little ridiculous how much they charge for things like that nowadays. I being on a fixed income will have to follow your great idea thank you!
Ha- glad you liked it. It’s well built and ready for this season. I’ve got an acre of buckwheat and an acre of rye I’ll be roller crimping this summer.
Great idea! .. A simple no-build option: Find one of those smooth lawn rollers people fill up with water chasing golf-course-flat lawns they later sell at garage sales. Drag that roller "down and back" and you'll flatten the rye just fine, any that try standing back up after the first roll are bent completely backward and stay down. Hints to try: I have broadcast dry beans into standing rye like seeding the lawn and wait until the beans sprout into first leaves then roll down the rye. Or run the cultivator shoes down to cut rows and plant corn into them, then roll after the corn emerges. Standing rye keeps the ground more moist for beans/corn germination.
Have considered a similar design, but was looking at solid-tired wheels to screw the angle into, thus having a true axle. Looking at how it ran, I would pull it the other direction to give the angle more of a leading edge rather than trailing. Also, from looking at your buckwheat crimping, extra weight is probably needed and, as you stated, waiting for the pods to appear. It would be interesting to see if anything browses the new growth offshoots from the buckwheat. I hope it lasts a few seasons fof you. 👍👍
@@northernforestwhitetail It did pull fine in the video. My point was changing the rotational direction would change how the edge of the iron struck the plant. It should still pull just as well.
Awesome, I did something similar. I had an old eight inch pvc tube about 4 foot long laying around. I blocked each end and drilled a hole in each end for 1/2 inch pipe. I also found an old rake handle for a sleeve for the 1/2" pipe to fit into. I filled the pvc tube with cement. Attached angle iron to the outside of the pvc. Built a hitch similar to what you did. Works great for what I needed.
To pull with a pushbike or push by hand, should I make the log or drum even narrower, or do you think this one already can be handled by a human being alone? Regarding managing jumpiness, you could split your blades into 8 pieces, and offset four of the pieces by (180/n)° where n is the number of blades you initially started with. (The maths works because 180° is half of 360° and you want to offset 4/8 of the pieces half-way between the other 4; you could also split into 9 pieces, offset 3 by (120/n)° and 3 by another (120/n)°)
Being a civil engineer, I appreciate your math! You are correct it is jumpy. Your idea would solve that. I would say this size I made is manageable for a grown man to pull. Add weight as desired.
Ha. I gotta think up a design on that one (disc)… as far as the chunk of culvert goes, I thought of that too. I’m sure a guy could come up with something there. Good luck!
I like the DIY low-cost ideas as most of us don't have the endless money other You Tubers have to buy equipment! I suppose an oak log may retain more weight after it dries? Do you get good mortality on your rye and buckwheat with just crimping or do you herbicide after crimping?
Right. I need the low cost approach as well. I think an oak log would be much better than pine. Denser wood and much heavier. I actually rolled my log up in a tarp full of water for a few days to water log it and add weight. I’m experimenting on your question of mortality right now. If you want a good clean kill, you will want to spray with herbicide after you crimp. But it is really dependent on how many weeds were mixed in your rye in the first place. I’m experimenting with seed rates to see how clean of a food plot I can get without using herbicide. I try to avoid using the stuff. I haven’t sprayed any since I started my food plot a few years ago at our new place.
@@greyhawk-111 great idea- would last much longer than a native log because it’s already treated wood. Plus it’s already round and smooth. That would be a better design than mine. Thanks for sharing!
When a pole gets broken some utility companies will cut them into various lengths and leave them where they fall. Check with your local provider to see what they do. I'm sure they'd be happy to get rid of them. @@greyhawk-111
Honestly this probably wouldn’t do what you are looking for. I bet mulching the leaves with a mower deck would be your best bet. Or else wheeler tires or a cultipacker if not mulching them.
Did it end up crimping as well as you hoped? Did you have a lot stand back up/would you add more weight next time? I’m thinking about doing this for my plots this summer so wondered if you had additional input after doing this?
It didn’t terminate the buckwheat as well as I’d hoped- I believe the issue was I needed to wait longer to let the plants mature more. I believe I terminated it too early in the plant development cycle. I terminated exactly 6 weeks after planting. This coming summer, I’m going to give it 7-8 weeks. The key is you need the seeds to get to the “dough” stage. Where they start to firm up but aren’t quite viable yet. I terminated last summer when a large percentage of the field was still in the flower stage. That’s too early. Learned my lesson the hard way. The weight of the crimper seemed just right. Plants all had kinks in them.
@@northernforestwhitetail I planted winter rye last fall, but the deer ate it to a putting green. Hoping it comes back this spring and I can seed into that and terminate. Seems like timing is critical with rye as well.
@@newgen_oldlifts5389 I’m doing the same thing you are with my rye area this coming summer. I’m going to let the rye get plenty mature- even if some of the seed heads are viable, that’s ok in my mind. They will grow up and mingle in with the oats and radish. That’s my plan for this summer anyways.
@@northernforestwhitetail sounds good to me. I’m going to try a blend from GreenCover this year. I’ve tried buckwheat as a summer plot the past couple years and the deer eat it to the dirt. Hoping a blend will help slow them down long enough for something to take hold so I don’t go into fall with bare dirt again. Though, I’m not very optimistic since they kept rye at putting green height
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Nice. I've considered this exact design idea (using a log). On a commercial crimper, you'll notice that the blades are laid out in a chevron pattern. That way, a blade is in contact with the ground at all times; no "in between blades"... and as a result, it rolls smoothly and doesn't bounce. Yours bounces, as it rolls from blade to blade. Aside from making the ride less comfortable, I'd be concerned that the constant "vibration" will result in the thing beating itself up in due to time. My idea for avoiding this potential issue and making the ride smoother would be to cut the blades into three sections. Instead of one long blade from one end to the other, cut it into three pieces and offset each blade from the previous blade by a couple inches. So each third of the long still have 7 blades going around it, but they're only 15" wide (instead of 4 feet) and no one third of the log blades lines up with either of the others. With more blades touching the ground and at given moment, the ride should smooth out an the log shouldn't bounce. Make sense? What do you think?
Great thoughts- I actually almost built mine the way you are describing (offset sections of angle iron). Ultimately, I decided to keep my angle iron one piece because I was worried about the unit being too lightweight. Having all the weight of the log impacting harder on one single point, should kink the plants better I’m thinking. If you did offset the sections I would just make sure you have the option to add weight. I think either approach would work well. It does feel like it almost “bounce” the way I built it which I think helps with that downward pressure on the plants. Thanks for sharing
I think that would be a great modification. Almost like a spiral helical cutter head on a surface planer.
Very nice design to begin with as well. I was shocked at the prices online.
Really good instructional video for the every-day joe on a budget! Great vid👍🏼
Hey I appreciate that!
I was thinking along those same lines. It is a little ridiculous how much they charge for things like that nowadays. I being on a fixed income will have to follow your great idea thank you!
Hey glad you like the idea. I just used it last weekend on some buckwheat and it honestly worked really well. I’m happy with the design.
Very enjoyable video Matt. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you- was fun making The video
Great idea! Keep up the great work on your content. Really appreciate your videos. Blessings
Thanks man I appreciate it! Blessings to you as well.
Great idea. Let us know how it holds up. Getting cell cams out.
Thanks- will do
Good idea and simple!
Was fun to make
You beautiful genius haha this is exactly what I was wanting to do. Thank you!!
Ha- glad you liked it. It’s well built and ready for this season. I’ve got an acre of buckwheat and an acre of rye I’ll be roller crimping this summer.
Great idea! .. A simple no-build option: Find one of those smooth lawn rollers people fill up with water chasing golf-course-flat lawns they later sell at garage sales. Drag that roller "down and back" and you'll flatten the rye just fine, any that try standing back up after the first roll are bent completely backward and stay down. Hints to try: I have broadcast dry beans into standing rye like seeding the lawn and wait until the beans sprout into first leaves then roll down the rye. Or run the cultivator shoes down to cut rows and plant corn into them, then roll after the corn emerges. Standing rye keeps the ground more moist for beans/corn germination.
Good ideas thanks for sharing
Have considered a similar design, but was looking at solid-tired wheels to screw the angle into, thus having a true axle. Looking at how it ran, I would pull it the other direction to give the angle more of a leading edge rather than trailing. Also, from looking at your buckwheat crimping, extra weight is probably needed and, as you stated, waiting for the pods to appear. It would be interesting to see if anything browses the new growth offshoots from the buckwheat.
I hope it lasts a few seasons fof you. 👍👍
I’m happy with how the design turned out it seems to pull great. Yeah I need to give the buckwheat just a little more time is all.
@@northernforestwhitetail It did pull fine in the video. My point was changing the rotational direction would change how the edge of the iron struck the plant. It should still pull just as well.
@@williamgaines9784 yep makes sense
Awesome, I did something similar. I had an old eight inch pvc tube about 4 foot long laying around. I blocked each end and drilled a hole in each end for 1/2 inch pipe. I also found an old rake handle for a sleeve for the 1/2" pipe to fit into. I filled the pvc tube with cement. Attached angle iron to the outside of the pvc. Built a hitch similar to what you did. Works great for what I needed.
I like your idea too
I was also thinking that you could use a side grinder and put a dull edge on the angle iron! What do you think?
Great idea. Thanks for sharing. It for is way cheaper than the industry standard.
You bet!
Very cool. Looks like you guys sure do a serious pumpkin patch
My dad doesn’t mess around when it comes to pumpkins! Thanks for the note
That's brilliant!
Thanks- I appreciate you watching
To pull with a pushbike or push by hand, should I make the log or drum even narrower, or do you think this one already can be handled by a human being alone?
Regarding managing jumpiness, you could split your blades into 8 pieces, and offset four of the pieces by (180/n)° where n is the number of blades you initially started with. (The maths works because 180° is half of 360° and you want to offset 4/8 of the pieces half-way between the other 4; you could also split into 9 pieces, offset 3 by (120/n)° and 3 by another (120/n)°)
Being a civil engineer, I appreciate your math! You are correct it is jumpy. Your idea would solve that. I would say this size I made is manageable for a grown man to pull. Add weight as desired.
Really admire your design. How much weight do you think is needed to crimp? Thanks
Thanks. I bet my crimper weighs at least 50 lbs. seemed adequate. Could go a little more depending on the amount of thatch on top of the ground
Thanks for your response.
Nice i have a space piece of culvert i want to make one out of, thought of filling it with concrete. Could you make a disc next please? Haha
Ha. I gotta think up a design on that one (disc)… as far as the chunk of culvert goes, I thought of that too. I’m sure a guy could come up with something there. Good luck!
i made a disk, cultipaker and 7 ' rake, thinkig of a crimper now
I like the DIY low-cost ideas as most of us don't have the endless money other You Tubers have to buy equipment! I suppose an oak log may retain more weight after it dries? Do you get good mortality on your rye and buckwheat with just crimping or do you herbicide after crimping?
Right. I need the low cost approach as well. I think an oak log would be much better than pine. Denser wood and much heavier. I actually rolled my log up in a tarp full of water for a few days to water log it and add weight. I’m experimenting on your question of mortality right now. If you want a good clean kill, you will want to spray with herbicide after you crimp. But it is really dependent on how many weeds were mixed in your rye in the first place. I’m experimenting with seed rates to see how clean of a food plot I can get without using herbicide. I try to avoid using the stuff. I haven’t sprayed any since I started my food plot a few years ago at our new place.
@@northernforestwhitetail... what about a length of an old telephone pole?
@@greyhawk-111 great idea- would last much longer than a native log because it’s already treated wood. Plus it’s already round and smooth. That would be a better design than mine. Thanks for sharing!
@@northernforestwhitetail, maybe not "better", just a potential improvement. The trick will be finding one. :)
When a pole gets broken some utility companies will cut them into various lengths and leave them where they fall. Check with your local provider to see what they do. I'm sure they'd be happy to get rid of them. @@greyhawk-111
I'm looking for something that will really smash down leaves making walking my trails much easier. Would this be a good option?
Honestly this probably wouldn’t do what you are looking for. I bet mulching the leaves with a mower deck would be your best bet. Or else wheeler tires or a cultipacker if not mulching them.
Bravo... subbed
Glad you liked it- appreciate the sub. Take care
Did it end up crimping as well as you hoped? Did you have a lot stand back up/would you add more weight next time? I’m thinking about doing this for my plots this summer so wondered if you had additional input after doing this?
It didn’t terminate the buckwheat as well as I’d hoped- I believe the issue was I needed to wait longer to let the plants mature more. I believe I terminated it too early in the plant development cycle. I terminated exactly 6 weeks after planting. This coming summer, I’m going to give it 7-8 weeks. The key is you need the seeds to get to the “dough” stage. Where they start to firm up but aren’t quite viable yet. I terminated last summer when a large percentage of the field was still in the flower stage. That’s too early. Learned my lesson the hard way. The weight of the crimper seemed just right. Plants all had kinks in them.
@@northernforestwhitetail I planted winter rye last fall, but the deer ate it to a putting green. Hoping it comes back this spring and I can seed into that and terminate. Seems like timing is critical with rye as well.
@@newgen_oldlifts5389 I’m doing the same thing you are with my rye area this coming summer. I’m going to let the rye get plenty mature- even if some of the seed heads are viable, that’s ok in my mind. They will grow up and mingle in with the oats and radish. That’s my plan for this summer anyways.
@@northernforestwhitetail sounds good to me. I’m going to try a blend from GreenCover this year. I’ve tried buckwheat as a summer plot the past couple years and the deer eat it to the dirt. Hoping a blend will help slow them down long enough for something to take hold so I don’t go into fall with bare dirt again. Though, I’m not very optimistic since they kept rye at putting green height
Well done
Thank you
Cool
How much does it weigh?
Probably close to 100 lbs. maybe a little less