10
3)
Depth of Coulter Blade
The best depth is just deep enough to do the job. If it is too deep, it will be more difficult to get the
gopher getter into the ground. If it is too shallow, roots will catch on the knife and tear up the ground as
shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8: Roots catching on knife due to coulter blade set too shallow
When operating in sod or pasture:
Set the coulter just deep enough to cut the upper layer of roots, approximately 4 inches.
When operating in alfalfa:
Set the coulter deeper so that the bottom of the 22” coulter blade is ¼” or more below the bottom
of the torpedo tube as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9: Coulter placement for application in alfalfa