New-Style Sharpener For Forage Choppers

New-Style Sharpener For Forage Choppers FORAGE HARVESTERS Forage Harvesters (31F) 1-4-31 You can put a razor-sharp edge on forage chopper knives with the machine operating at full capacity, thanks to Murphy Engineering's new-style sharpener. By sharpening the knives while the chopper is operating, material moving through the machine acts as a lubricant, and all knives remain true and aligned to cut equally and evenly, explains Charles Murphy, inventor and manufacturer. "Only when chopping dry hay do we recommend sharpening the knives with the machine running dry," he points out. To sharpen the knives, you simply flip a lever to lower the stone against the knives. After about 10 minutes of operation, you flip the lever to raise the stone up and out of the way so it won't be damaged by rocks or stones. The Murphy sharpener sells for $575 and fits most forage harvesters with curved knives, including Hesston, Fox, Gehl, Field Queen and New Holland. It takes only about ten minutes to replace a worn out stone and install a new one. "There's no advantage in keeping the stone in the down position to provide continuous sharpening," Murphy explains. "There's too much danger of rocks or tramp metal damaging the stone and it's not necessary since the knives retain their sharpness if the edges are simply trimmed up two or three times during the day." Murphy figures his sharpener will more than pay for itself the first year in reduced fuel, time and maintenance. "You'll also get 15 to 25% more feed in your silo by keeping the chopper knives sharp," he notes. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Murphy Engineering Co., 1301 S. Bebe, Wichita, Kan, 67209 (ph. 316 942-1673 or 913 263-4010).

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