2017 - Volume #BFS, Issue #17, Page #71
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Skid Loader-Mounted Mower Systeme
Jorden Leib with Eterra Attachments, LLC, recently contacted FARM SHOW about the company’s new skid loader-mounted, RT-20 boom mower attachment. The system is brilliantly designed to be maneuverable and capable of reaching or cutting at any angle. The rotary actuator that links the attachment plate to the boom arm allows the Raptor to rotate and reach behind at around a 45 degree angle as well as directly in front of the machine and anywhere in between. The linkage and coupling bracket on the end of the boom where the attachment head mounts also has an extreme range of rotation reaching nearly 180 degrees.
  Other mower heads available with the Raptor system include a 36-in. flail mower, 5, 7 and 9-ft. sickle heads, and a string weed trimmer and this year we’ve added the 48” Cyclone Rotary Mower head. Without an attachment head mounted on the Raptor, the Boom Arm achieves 14 ft. of reach from the centerline of the machine, and an amazing 22 ft. with the 9 ft. Sickle Bar Cutter.
  The boom arm is operated using a high-tech wireless controller. A built-in linear actuator is used to control the swing, breakaway, and park. A hydraulic rotary actuator acts as a breakaway to protect the boom arm and mower head from damage in case of any contact, and the advanced hose routing protects the hydraulic circuits.
  “The history of this skid loader-mounted mower system goes back more than a decade, with working models marking each new innovation,” says Leib. “In 2014, we redesigned the system to include the rotary mower head. It lets you mow straight ahead or up to 22 ft. out to the side. Or, you can use it to mow brush as high as the loader arm can reach.”
  He says their biggest customers have been park management associations, universities, off-road clubs, government municipalities/townships and even the U.S. military, but some farmers have also bought them.
  According to Leib, the biggest selling point of the Raptor system is its versatility and cost efficiency. “You can do a variety of tasks such as roadside brush clearing, maintaining fence lines, ditch clearing, and more, eliminating the need for multiple mowers. And, you have a great view in front of you. The wireless controls are easy to operate, and unlike tractor boom mower systems that are much more expensive and in most cases dedicated to the machine that carries it, the Raptor Boom Mower from Eterra can go on any Skid Steer as fast as it can be detached from the quick attach and picked up again. Need to change over to a brush cutter or grapple attachment? You can do that easily and keep the productivity going. The Raptor’s ease of use combined with the awesome capability of mowing off to the side with a Skid Steer make it one of the industry’s most innovative attachments for skid steer loaders. Equipment Today awarding it a Top 50 Product Award in 2016. Note: We do have a smaller design called the “Scorpion Boom Mower”, more information on these two boom arm attachments are available online.”
  The RT-20 boom arm without attachments retails for about $18,995.
  You can watch a video of the Raptor in action at www.farmshow.com.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jorden Leib, 2316 E. Bakerview Rd., Bellingham, Wash. 98226 (ph 201 730-2538; www.eterra-usa.com).


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2017 - Volume #BFS, Issue #17