Make a Garden Cultivator From Recycled Bikes

1 / 4
Dennis's recycled cycle makes a terrific cultivator.
Dennis's recycled cycle makes a terrific cultivator.
2 / 4
The bicycle-fork tines are fastened to the lower part of the frame with threaded rods.
The bicycle-fork tines are fastened to the lower part of the frame with threaded rods.
3 / 4
Notches cut into the head tube provide a socket for the handlebar clamp.
Notches cut into the head tube provide a socket for the handlebar clamp.
4 / 4
The garden cultivator also works as a row marker.
The garden cultivator also works as a row marker.

In the Fabulous Bullwinkle Garden Cultivator, William and Jimmie Ruttencutter explained how they turned what they’d thought was a useless discarded bicycle into a preposterous-lookingbut totally effectivepush-driven horticultural tool.

Recently we asked our resident junkophile, Dennis Burkholder, to exercise his imagination and try to develop some wheeled weeders of his own design–and though he came up with several viable loam looseners, the version that proved to be the easiest to piece together (and seemed to do the most between the rows) was simply a reincarnation of that old “velocipedes for vegetables” theme!

Now Dennis certainly wasn’t trying to show up the Ruttencutters when he built his “Fabulous Burkholder Garden Cultivator,” but we think that even those kind folks will have to admit that this second cousin to Bullwinkle is an improvement on the old “moose.” It’s easier to build and a bit more sturdy once put together, because the original bike frame remains intact.

In fact, the only drawback we can think of with the Burkholder design is that you’ll need parts from two bicyclesor at least the front fork from a second oneto make the machine. But as Dennis points out, the components needn’t be suitable for cycling, so “junk” is perfectly acceptable (though he does recommend that the wheel be fairly straight and possess enough spokes to keep it that way when in use).

The tool’s construction couldn’t be much simpler. To start, Dennis took a men’s 26″ bike and removed the front fork assembly, handlebar stem, crankset, brakes and cables, and both wheels from the frame. He then located a fork assembly from a second 26″ bicycle and, using a hacksaw, cut the fork stems from both front wheel holders. (The stem is the tubular stub that fits into the head tube, or neck, of the bike. It’s fairly difficult to saw through, so you might want to just leave both stems intact, since they won’t be in the way.)

  • Published on May 1, 1984
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368