2016 - Volume #40, Issue #6, Page #26
[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story
| Read this issue]
“No Hydraulics” Big Bale Cutter
“It’s practically maintenance-free,” says Fisher. “It has a grease zerk on a brass bushing, but it never spins, only turning slightly each time a bale is sliced.”
The Quikut consists of a sharpened disc coulter blade. The blade on its bushing mounts to a tubular steel arm sized to slide over a skid steer or forklift fork.
“Just slide it on, and a quick-attach pin locks it in place,” says Fisher. “Drive up to a bale and lower the arm. The down pressure alone is enough to slice through bales.”
Control provided by the down pressure makes it easy to adjust how much of the bale is sliced open. Fisher and his son Michael use it to slice bales into quarters for forking off layers for hand feeding or into a TMR mixer. Bales can be sliced open, whether wrapped or unwrapped.
“We leave the plastic and net wrap on as we don’t use plastic on the ends,” says Fisher. “It slices right through the plastic and into the bale. If it hesitates on the plastic, we know we have a dull blade. It takes only a couple of minutes with a handheld grinder, and it’s good to go again.”
Fisher estimates having to sharpen the blade a couple of times a year. He has seen no other wear on his 5-year-old unit.
“I see no reason it won’t last another 20 years,” he says.
The Quikut is made locally, and Fisher ships them direct from his farm. The 52-lb. unit sells for $295, plus shipping. While most sales to-date have been within Pennsylvania, he has shipped units to surrounding states and as far west as Missouri.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Levi Fisher, Wireless Valley Farm, 409 South Groffdale Rd., Gordonville, Penn. 17529 (ph 717-355-2068).
Click here to download page story appeared in.
Click here to read entire issue
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.