Between-Row Mower Made From Electric Motors

Between-Row Mower Made From Electric Motors MOWERS Mowers (31H) 23-4-20 I had a bad problem with wild oats last year. The situation developed after it was too late to use herbicides," says Don Waldorf who quickly designed a between-row mower to save his certified 40-acre grass seed field. The mower attaches with a pin to the back of Waldorf's roguing bike, which he uses for in-season crop work. What makes the mower unique is that Waldorf used three 3/4 hp electric motors. Each motor is fitted with a 19-in. mower blade. The mower frame is built out of sq. tubing and rides on dirt bike wheels on 48-in. centers to straddle Waldorf's 24-in. rows. Separate switches control each motor, which Waldorf mounted so the blades cut 1 1/2 in. above the ground. Power is supplied by a gas-powered 4,500-watt Kohler generator he got out of a motor home. "It's a lot more than I really needed but I was looking for a quick fix and I had this around," he says. Like the bike, the mower frame has 36 in. of ground clearance to keep the number of seed heads knocked off to a minimum. Waldorf used the mower last year to cut wild oats and other weeds just before rows closed (when the crop was 2 to 3 ft. high). "If anyone considers building one of these mowers, utmost safety must be observed during operation because blades are unshielded," Waldorf notes. Out-of-pocket expense was less than $300 (Canadian). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Don Waldorf, Box 352, Nipawin, Sask., Canada S0E 1E0 (ph 306 862-4793).

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