Homemade Straw Spreader Designed For Controlled Traffic Farming

Homemade Straw Spreader Designed For Controlled Traffic Farming HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Miscellaneous MR & HL Wandel Farms of Scaddan Australia grows cereals and beans on a large operation under a strictly controlled traffic farming CTF policy Driving is restricted to a 3 m 10 ft track width and 18 m 60 ft tramlines To adhere to this policy the farm needed to chop and spread its harvested straw in a separate pass as its earlier equipment dropped too much material directly behind the combine rather than spreading it evenly over the field Additionally they hoped to increase the efficiency of their harvester by using a separate machine for the task “We had to chop and spread straw up to 18 m 60 ft for the proper execution of our harvesting system ” says Mark Wandel Finding no suitable existing straw-spreading equipment options he designed his own trailed machine After many sets of drawings and several attempts he developed a prototype a twin-axle 18-m 60-ft unit with a pick-up to collect the straw and an elevated shredder to transport material on conveyor belts to six rotating spreaders “When we first started we’d take the machine into the paddock for an hour and then back to the workshop for 6 hrs ” Wandel says “Then we’d go out to the paddock for 2 hrs and bring it back for 4 hrs ” Eventually persistence paid off and the farm’s last harvest saw the “Straw Spreader” operate smoothly Its combine headers now pick up 10 to 30 percent more horsepower and increase ground speed by not having to chop the straw Contact: FARM SHOW Followup MR & HL Wandel Farms Griffiths Rd Scaddan WA Australia 6447 ph +61 427 753 043; admin@mrhlwandel com au

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