Been pickin 6 rows of corn by hand,---I have the NI 310 picker but too much trouble to go to the neighbors shed and drag it home for that small amount.
A neighbor at the other place picked with a 4-row Uni for several years til he quit farming.

Jim,--it will be worth it to make your swing longer! Bigger cylinders will do more side push and wont slow you down that much from what I can tell.
My old homemade excavator will come all the way around to the cable end, then you can go all the way the other direction the same amount making it kinda handy at times. Most of the diggin that I did with it was a 90 degree or dump,--as pile got bigger, I went a bit past that.
One job I did I had to go down 17 feet,(max for my hoe) and there was a mountain of dirt. I would dump and push the top over as I went but still a lotta dirt to move!
Side push is a handy feature to have. ---- Ole 580 Case will slide the tractor IF you get a big bite! lol! --- still need to get the injection pump fixed for that one too!
That pumpkin idea is neat too!!


"A machine you build yourself is a vote for a different way of life. There are things you have to earn with your hands."