Reciprocating Spader - Earth Tools

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Reciprocating Spader

Reciprocating Spader on BCS walking tractor

We offer a reciprocating (true) spader for walk-behind tractors from the Tortella company in Italy. Reciprocating spaders have cam-lever driven spades which thrust into the ground at about a 45 ° angle and then “kick” the soil up against the underside of the hood to break it up. The spading action results in minimal inversion of soil layers and no measurable hardpan formation. Maximum working depth 8” (with multiple passes).

Spaders have gotten a lot of “press” as great primary tillage tools on 4-wheel tractors (where a depth of up to 14” can be achieved) because of the high tractor-to-implement mass ratio. On walk-behind tractors, operation is more of a challenge, as the thrusting action of the spades makes the relatively light walk-behind tractor shake…in hard soils, it can be like running a jack-hammer. This vertical thrust also is demanding of the tractor’s PTO coupling flange. For these reasons, we only offer the spader for the largest walk-behind tractors we carry: the BCS 750, the Grillo G131, and the Barbieri model “Leopard” super-duty walking tractor. Even though these are the smallest spaders available, they still weigh around 200 pounds, so a front-weight on the tractor engine will be needed for proper balance.

25” Spader can be supplied to fit BCS 750 or Grillo G131 (Can also be supplied to fit older BCS machines with heavy-duty PTO-mounts, such as BCS 745, 755, 945, 946 & 948). We also offer a 35” spader to fit the Barbieri model “Leopard” super-duty walking tractor (35” spader shown on the Barbieri tractor page linked here)

Click Here for a video of a spader in action on a walk-behind tractor (this video shows a Gramegna spader, but the action is the same)

25” Tortella Reciprocating Spader

25” Working Width, overall width 27”
198 pounds
Item 001-060 MSRP: ~~$3699~~ $3500
REQUIRES PTO flange assembly below for appropriate tractor brand / model:
Item TORT-FLANGE-BCS-750: ~~$499~~ $450
Item TORT-FLANGE-GR-131: ~~$399~~ $380
Front-weight required on tractor for proper balance (see our Tractor & Implement Accessories page for weight options

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