The best ATV cultipacker will have a combination of the following qualities. It’s going to increase your seed germination rate by providing good seed-to-soil contact, it will last a long time with a low amount of maintenance needed, and it will be easy to use and move around when transporting it.
When I started planting food plots, I quickly learned about the importance of seed to soil contact. My seed was only germinating in the spots where my ATV tires drove over the dirt. That led to less than half of my plot germinating. If I wanted to get my entire plot to germinate then I needed something that could roll over every inch of the food plot. I started shopping for ATV cultipackers on the Internet and wondered, where could I buy the best ATV cultipacker for the money.
There are a few ATV cultipackers that stood out in my research. Black Boar, Packer Maxx, Field Tuff, and King Kutter. These brands are all widely known by serious food plotters. Each of these companies cultipackers are engineered completely different from one another. They each have their own set of pro’s and con’s, so let’s find out what makes each brand unique and help you decide which cultipacker is best for you.
Black Boar Cultipacker Review
Pro's
The cultipacker is made of steel and weighs 35 lbs, making it somewhat easy to install onto the lift. You can use the weight of your AVT to apply downward pressure on the ground to increase the weight of the cultipacker on ground.
Once the Black Boar Cultipacker is assembled it’s pretty easy to install into the hitch of your ATV. The lift allows for transporting the rollers suspended off the ground for quick access to your food plot and also prevent damage to the cultipacker itself.
Con's
There are a lot of different component’s, which make assembly a little more involved than the other models. If all you need is a cultipacker and no other implements, then having two separate components can be frustrating.
The implement lift can be difficult if you decide to buy the manual model. Even brand new lifts with greased fittings have been reported as still having a tough resistance. The electric lifts do make it easier but also adds more wires and complexity to setup. Also, electric lifts can be frustrating if you do have a short or something in the wires. Electric models tend to need maintenance more than manual ones.
The Black Boar appears to need more maintenance than the other models. Several users have mentioned breaking the wheels and having issues with the lift.
Packer Maxx Cultipacker Review
Price: >$500 for the 4’ model (various sizes & models)
Pro's
The Packer Maxx is easy to assemble and doesn’t have a lot of movable parts that can come apart and cause you problems.
This cultipacker is going provide you a lot of weight on the ground when its filled. If you fill it with water it’s going to weigh 360 pounds, and 550 pounds if you fill it with sand. Even with this much weight it’s not too bad to pull with your ATV.
This cultipacker is going to be easy to transport from one location to another if its not filled, and you can easily lift it and throw it in the bed of your truck.
The amount of long-term maintenance needed for this cultipacker is going to be low.
Con's
The Packer Maxx cultipacker is made of polyethylene, which is a synthetic resin that most food containers are made out of. Cracking is the major cause of concern especially if you have rocky ground. Also, if you plan on using water to fill it and happen to leave the water in it over winter and it freezes then you can damage it.
If you can’t fill the cultipacker near your food plot then you need to think about any issues you might have getting it to the area where you need to use it. For example, if you have to cross a ravine with it or drive from your neighbors house down a gravel road then you are at risk of damaging the cultipacker.
Field Tuff Cultipacker Review
Price: >$600 for the 4’ model (various sizes & models)
Pro's
The Field Tuff Cultipacker is a very well built product weighing 328 pounds. It’s made of steel and heavy-duty cast iron packer wheels. This cultipacker is very easy to assemble and its simple design makes it easy to use.
Transportation in the field is easy if you have difficult terrain to cross on the way to your food plot. All you have to do is flip the cultipacker over onto the pneumatic wheels, connect the pin hitch to your ATV and off you go. The design of the Field Tuff cultipacker is great for protecting your cast iron wheels from damage during tranportation.
Maintenance is going to very low with the Field Tuff Cultipacker. I would recommend greasing the pneumatic wheels when you first assemble it and you won’t have to worry about doing much maintenance for a long time.
Con's
Transporting the cultipacker with a trailer can be difficult depending on your trailer setup. If your trailer is narrower than the cultipacker, it can be difficult to load it on the trailer bed. You will have to load in by hand sideways instead of driving it up with your ATV.
Some people have had bolts come loose and needed to reorder hardware. The bolts come with slip nuts so as long as you install everything correctly you shouldn’t have many issue. And if you do lose hardware, its common hardware to get but if you call customer support it’s going to take a few days to get what you need.
King Kutter Kulti-Packer Review
Price: ~$1,000 for the 4’ model (several sizes and models)
Pro's
The King Kutter cultipacker is a very well built product made by a highly reputable company in the farm implement market. Just like the Field Tuff Cultipacker, the King Kutter is made of steel and cast iron wheels. It’s shipping weight is 350 pounds.
Transporting the King Kutter cultipacker is similar to the Field Tuff cultipacker. The big difference between them is that the King Kutter uses a ball and hitch attachment instead of a pin hitch. Both model’s have pneumatic tires and you flip them over on the pneumatic wheels to transport it.
Maintenance is going to very low with the King Kutter Kulti-Packer. Grease the pneumatic wheels when you first assemble it and you won’t have to worry about doing much maintenance for a long time.
Con's
The cons of The King Kutter cultipacker are practically the same as the Field Tuff cultipacker. However, it is very expensive compared to its competitors. The Field Tuff Cultipacker is offering its customers the same results as the King Kutter at almost half the price.
Cultipacker Alternatives
If you can’t afford to purchase a cultipacker and are looking to get creative then there are a few options out there for you. I have seen homemade products that work but they can take a lot of effort to build. If you are going to make your own, then consider the downward pressure needed to provide effective seed to soil contact.
Popular examples are filling a culvert pipe or steel pipe with concrete and fabricating a custom steel frame to drag it. You could also try buying a lawn roller at about half the price of a cultipacker and used that. These seem to be on Facebook marketplace often.
Don’t mistake drags as doing the same thing a cultipacker does. Drags will help get the seed to the soil if they happen to get hung up in the existing vegetation but they aren’t going to compact the seed into the soil. Using a drag is better than nothing if that’s your only option, but be careful to not gather a big clump of debris in you drag. This removes your organic matter and can affect the even distribution of the seed that you spread.
Homemade drag’s can be as easy as using a section of chain-link fence or tying a log to some rope and dragging it by hand or behind your ATV.
Summary
Cultipackers are going to make a big impact for the success of your plot. It’s easy to blame bad seed, or birds eating your seeds, or acidic soil, but most people don’t consider the seed to soil contact that their seed is getting.
If you are looking to buy a cultipacker than you are part of a select group of serious food plotters, and most of us are looking for a high quality product at a great price that will last for life. I chose to buy the Field Tuff Cultipacker with zero regrets, and would recommend it to anyone that uses an ATV to plant food plots.