Maximus Mini Tractus

The BCS is the gold standard for two-wheeled tractors used in market gardening. For the last few years, we have borrowed one from a local source. We got to experiment with it, learn how to use it, and better understand the attachments. This year we decided to turn our productivity up a notch by purchasing one of our own, and as you can see, she's a beauty. “BCS was founded in 1943 by Luigi Castoldi in his workshop in Abbiategrasso, a small town near Milan.” These powerful two-wheel tractors feature a PTO (Power take-off) to power dozens of attachments. And because the handle pivots 180°, you can attach implements on the back or front—genius! So far, we've invested in three attachments:

• 30" tiller- Our beds are already 30" wide, so this is perfect

• Vertical Plow - this attachment throws dirt to form the raised beds we have adopted.

• Harrow - like a tiller, but the tongs stir the dirt from the top, and then the roller shapes the beds nice and flat. The surface of the bed is essential when using our JANG seeders. (more on those later)

• Spreader - This allows us to lay a perfect 2” layer of compost or worm castings on our beds. Thus eliminating hours running wheelbarrows back and forth while hand spreading the loads out as evenly as possible.

We can't wait for the fields to dry out enough to see what this Italian Stallion will do. Stay tuned for some videos on our new workhorse in use.