Wild Grass Seed Harvester

Wild Grass Seed Harvester CROPS Miscellaneous 27-5-19 "Heavy duty" and "thorough" are words that might be used to describe a new native grass seed harvester designed and built by Steve Ratliff of The Hitch Shop in Munfordville, Kentucky. The 8-ft. wide pull-type machine makes use of four hydraulic variable speed motors and boasts a 90 to 95 percent seed recovery, even in rougher, rolling terrain. Header height adjusts to grasses from ground level up to as high as 8 ft. A pair of rotary brushes behind the reel adjust "in and out," each controlled by a variable speed hydraulic motor. "Because wind causes tall grass to lean over, the reel on this machine stands the grass back so the rotary brushes can strip off the seed," Ratliff explains. "Our machine has been used on over 2,000 acres with no mechanical failures." The Hitch Shop, a welding fabrication and design business, has built five of the units so far. The machine comes with 20-in. truck tires and has an independent pto-driven pump to power the hydraulic motors. The basic machine is priced at $22,000, plus shipping. The cost includes one day of technical assistance and in-field service on start-up, if desired. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Ratliff, The Hitch Shop, 4185 Raider Hollow Rd., Munfordville, Ky. 42765 (ph 270 524-5298; email: barlyn@scrtc.com)

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