Utilizing the Hillco Harrow in the Spring, Summer, and Fall
Seasonality of agriculture equipment is a real thing. When considering a new purchase, of often
high-ticket items, farmers weigh the pros and cons of just how many acres or hours will be put
on a piece of equipment and just how long that equipment will last before repairs or
replacement are needed, in order to justify the value of their purchase. According to Nathan &
Christopher Riggers of Clearwater Farms, they’ve found the Hillco 84’ Harrow Cart (HC1010) to
be a durable, valuable, multiple application tool that is able to be used throughout the seasons
of the year.
Hillco ventured out to Nathan & Christophers farm, on the Camus Prairie of Northern Idaho, to
ask them straight up about the value of the HC1010 and just what applications they are using it
in. ( check out the full interview below) Nathan reports that the first time they demoed a Hillco
Harrow Cart was in the spring of 2018. They took the harrow out to a field with heavy wheat
stubble and took off with it, “We knew instantly that this was the harrow we needed ahead of
our air seeder in the spring.” Riggers stated, “In the past we’ve used long (spring) tine heavy
harrows, but due to them being very fickle, difficult to operate, and easy to create a mess with,
we really liked how the Hillco harrow ran.” He stated that, “It won’t leave piles, it’ll condition
the stubble very effectively and being 84’ wide they are able to stay ahead of the air seeder to
keep productivity high.”
In addition to the spring use, Clearwater Farms utilizes the harrow in the summer to prep
chemfallow stubble, sizing the stubble and preparing it for winter canola. Then again, as a
seedbed prep tool, they will pull the harrow ahead of fall wheat seeding.
Riggers’ found the HC1010 brought the most value to their organization through durability of
the cart – the frame specifically and the ease of transport. Nathan values having a tool that’s
efficient but doesn’t require a ton of training. With the ease of operating they are able to have
multiple employees trained on this piece of equipment allowing them to cover a lot of ground.
It’s easy for them to effectively transition between field mode and transport mode allowing
them to quickly move from one field to another.
“Compared to other harrows I’ve pulled in my career here, it’s way more productive because of
the working width. It’s built better than any harrow cart and harrow we’ve ever pulled. It’s
robust in every area it needs to be: wheels, tires, all of the metal” says Nathan.
Overall the Riggers’ of Clearwater Farms are more than happy with the ability to use this one
tool in multiple different applications throughout the year. In addition to multi-season use, the
durability and ease of use have more than satisfied these customers.
