Revolutionary New Rotary Sicklebar

Revolutionary new Rotary Sicklebar HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Mowers (38) 15-5-16 You've never seen anything like this revolutionary new "countershear" rotary mower that combines the low knife speed of a sickle bar with the rotating motion of a rotary mower, allowing fast, safe cutting and reduced bunching of hay. Sverker Persson, agricultural engineer at Penn State University, University Park, Penn., spent years looking for a new mower design that would make use of the best features of existing machines. He says tests of his prototype "countershear" mower have been exciting. "It gives you the benefits of sicklebars and rotary mowers without the slow forward speed of conventional sickles and the high power and dangerous speed of rotaries," he says. The prototype mower is fitted with a pair of cutting units, each unit consisting of two counter-rotating rotors, one above the other. The top rotor has 2 1/2-in. long curved fingers while the bottom rotor is fitted with 2-in. long cutting knives that run just below the curved fingers, turning in the opposite direction. "The knives are able to run at a much slower speed than the knives on a rotary mower because of the countershear action of the rotors," says Persson, noting that his new mower requires much less power than a conventional rotary mower. "The design makes the rotor less vulnerable to damage from rocks and less likely to throw them. The fingers, which are longer than the knives and move slower, push rocks out of the way before the knives can hit them." According to Persson, the rotary action of the mower produces much less vibration than a sicklebar mower which allows a faster travel speed, about the same as a conventional rotary mower. "The rigid design of the rotors keeps knives from working loose like they do on a sicklebar mower and allows them to work with less clearance for a cleaner cut. I've tested the mower successfully in everything from heavy weeds to fine grass. It doesn't plug up as easy in bunched hay as a sicklebar mower does. The curved forgers and the paddles mounted on the sides of the cutting columns keep hay moving. Cut material is left in a fluffy swath that dries fast" The rotors are belt-driven by a hydraulic motor. Front-mounted skid shoes and an adjustable rear-mounted support wheel are used to adjust cutting height. A hydraulic cylinder folds the unit inward for transport. Persson's small test mower is front-mounted on a Deutz-Allis tractor, but could easily be converted to a pull-type unit with additional cutting units. Persson says at least one company has already shown interest in manufacturing the mower. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Sverker Persson, Dept. of Agricultural Engineering, 249 Agricultural Engineering Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Penn. 16802 (ph 814 865-2963).

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