Hemp Stripper Speeds Process, Boosts Quality
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“Hemp is getting to be a popular crop here in Kentucky, and I realized that my son-in-law and a renter on my farm both needed a good practical stripper for processing the crop,” says Mark Hoover, Leitchfield, Ky. “The machine I built works 20 times faster than stripping the plants by hand.
“Other machines on the market require breaking off the branches and feeding them in. They use rubber fingers or brushes, which may work but are slow and have a hard time getting to the center of bushy plants. My machine runs at a fairly low speed and has curved tines. It does a good job without knocking off too many branches if the moisture content is right. It strips a plant in 10 to 30 sec.
“Two people can strip an acre of hemp in about 4 hrs., with one person feeding the machine and the other picking out the twigs that get knocked off. The crop is carried out the back on a slow-moving conveyor belt.
“The strippers are available with either a gas engine, which allows speed to be varied on the go, or an electric motor, which is set at the optimum speed.
“Some growers have been experimenting with combines and other big equipment to strip hemp, but they often seem to damage the value of the crop and make it unacceptable to buyers. Because of the plant’s big woody stems and spreading branches, it’s difficult to design a machine that’s totally automatic or self-feeding. But I could build bigger machines if there’s a market for them.
“My current units sell for $4,500.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Hoover, Handyman Fabrications, 7220 Brandenburg Rd., Leitchfield, Ky. 42754 (ph 270 945-4547).
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Hemp Stripper Speeds Process Boosts Quality CROPS Miscellaneous “Hemp is getting to be a popular crop here in Kentucky and I realized that my son-in-law and a renter on my farm both needed a good practical stripper for processing the crop ” says Mark Hoover Leitchfield Ky “The machine I built works 20 times faster than stripping the plants by hand “Other machines on the market require breaking off the branches and feeding them in They use rubber fingers or brushes which may work but are slow and have a hard time getting to the center of bushy plants My machine runs at a fairly low speed and has curved tines It does a good job without knocking off too many branches if the moisture content is right It strips a plant in 10 to 30 sec “Two people can strip an acre of hemp in about 4 hrs with one person feeding the machine and the other picking out the twigs that get knocked off The crop is carried out the back on a slow-moving conveyor belt “The strippers are available with either a gas engine which allows speed to be varied on the go or an electric motor which is set at the optimum speed “Some growers have been experimenting with combines and other big equipment to strip hemp but they often seem to damage the value of the crop and make it unacceptable to buyers Because of the plant’s big woody stems and spreading branches it’s difficult to design a machine that’s totally automatic or self-feeding But I could build bigger machines if there’s a market for them “My current units sell for $4 500 ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Mark Hoover Handyman Fabrications 7220 Brandenburg Rd Leitchfield Ky 42754 ph 270 945-4547
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