The Electric Tractor How-To

I took my first ride on the electric tractor recently – so cool! It’s so quiet and not smelly, unlike the bigger diesel tractor that Bill has. It’s working just perfectly for Bill. He uses it primarily for cultivation, hilling, and marking the rows, but he is working on setting it up to lay plastic mulch, next year he will also use it to plant three rows of seeds in one pass.

For people interested in a few more technical details, I’ll do my best to give the highlights as I understood them. (Keep in mind that I’m an urban planner with a journalism degree – not exactly a technical expert!!) Our friend Dave Kennell converted a 20-horse power Tuff Bilt tractor to an all-electric cultivating tractor. I believe the company had a rough plan for doing the conversion while keeping the hydrostatic drive, but Dave removed the hydrostatic drive. Email us for a copy of the plans.

The original Tuff Bilt had a hydrostatic drive, which was part of its gas-powered design. Dave converted all the hydraulics over to electric and built a little box for them. Dave removed the gas-powered engine and replaced it with an electric engine. The original engine and hydrostatic pump were located behind the seat. Dave put the four batteries in their place. The batteries were a marine deep cycle type. With this 5kWhr battery pack, we’ll spend about 35¢/hour versus the $7/hour he’d be spending on 2 gallons of gas per hour. Over the course of a year, Dave estimates that we’ll be able to charge the batteries for about $10!!

Dave also rearranged the brakes and pedals so that the brakes are now on the left and the accelerator is on the right. (Why they had it reversed is beyond me.)

In regard to durability, Dave said the first thing to wear out in an electric engine is typically the brushes, which are fairly easy to replace. That’s provided, of course, you haven’t burned out the engine by misuse first!! What would qualify as misuse? Towing it in gear, running it at a high RPM while not in gear, etc.

Dave added an AWESOME safety feature. There has to be weight (i.e. Bill’s rear end) in the seat of the tractor for it to move. That means it will be much harder for a child standing next to the tractor to press on the pedal and start the tractor moving, which wouldn’t make enough noise to scare the kid out of the way. I didn’t even think about the danger until the safety mechanism had been installed – way to go Dave!

So what qualifications should you have before attempting this tractor conversion? Aside from befriending Dave, you really need to have experience with electrical work, such as wiring relay switches and reading electrical diagrams. Welding experience is also helpful.

If some of this doesn’t make sense to you, it’s probably my explanation!

CSA membership -- What's it all about?!

Are you interested in fresh, locally grown, chemical-free vegetables and can't make it to the Bloomington or Normal farmers markets?

If so, you should join the Blue Schoolhouse Farm 2008 CSA! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It’s a way to connect consumers directly to a farmer who will supply them with freshly picked, local produce for an entire harvest season. The way it works is that you pay for a share of our farms produce at the beginning of the growing season and then you get weekly deliveries of 5-7 different vegetables every week for 24 weeks. The types of vegetables vary with the season, but everything is picked the day it is delivered to the CSA pickup. A typical weekly share will fill a large paper grocery bag. One share will feed two vegetarians or four people on a mixed diet for a week.

How to become a member: The CSA runs from May 28 – November 5 with weekly pick-ups on Wednesday night from 5-6pm in Eureka (Location to be determined). One share in the CSA costs $382 (24 weeks @ $15.50/week + $10 cookbook). Full payment is due by May 28. Send a check made out to the Blue Schoolhouse Farm at 550 County Road 1625 E, Congerville, IL 61729. Throughout the season we will post a weekly blog to give you updates on the trials and tribulations of raising three acres of vegetables and two small, rambunctious boys.

More info on the CSA: At the Blue Schoolhouse Farm, we use absolutely no chemicals or GMOs, which makes the produce that much healthier for you and your family. What would your weekly box of produce look like?

Spring means the crisp, fresh veggies that you’ve been craving all winter: lettuces, spinach, arugula, green onions, broccoli, carrots, radishes, green garlic, turnips, and beets.

Summer brings the mouth watering classics like tomatoes (I could go on all day about Bill’s 24 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and their indescribably delicious flavors), summer squash, green beans , potatoes, green, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers, cucumbers, garlic, sweet corn, watermelons, muskmelons and basil.

Fall is like spring in reverse, but with a few additions: leeks, parsnips, brussel sprouts, celery root, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.

Frequently asked questions:

1. Why do members have to pay up front for the season? There are a few reasons. First, as a farmer I need to know how many people I am growing food for. Second, as a member of a farm CSA, you are taking part in the risks and rewards of a full farming season. Third, your membership fee helps cover the seasonal start-up costs, which include seeds, mulch, drip tape, greenhouse supplies, and much more.

2. How does the price of a CSA compare with grocery store prices? Depending on what's in a weekly share, the cost is typically about the same as at the store or considerably less. This is particularly true if you're looking at organic produce (if you can find it!). On top of that, the quality of our produce can not even be compared with the industrial produce found in the stores.

3. Why can't members choose which vegetables they'll get every week? The record-keeping for that would be incredibly time-consuming. Instead, I choose the vegetables that are at their peak ripeness and flavor each week for your share. This strategy also helps me manage my crops at maximum efficiency. For example, if the forecast is calling for a drop in temperature, you will see heat-loving veggies in your share that week.

4. Can I visit the farm? Sure! We just need a little bit of notice since we're not always at the house. There are also times in the week and season where we are just too busy to stop working. We usually try to have members out to the farm at least once in a season.

About our farm: We are a small but diverse vegetable farm in Woodford County, about 4 miles southeast of Eureka. We are entering our 6th season of growing and selling vegetables. We sell our produce at the Bloomington and Normal Farmer’s Markets and to local restaurants and a grocery store. Our market stand is very well known among the local “foodies” because we have such a spectacular array of high quality, hard-to-find vegetable varieties. This year we will grow more than 120 varieties of 40 different vegetables.


Call us (Mercy or Bill Davison) at (309) 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com for more information.