Weed Eater Clears Weeds From Fence Rows

Weed Eater Clears Weeds from Fence Rows CROPS Weed Control 14-3-9 "If you've been looking fora good way to clean weeds out of fence rows, you'll like this new tractor-mounted, rotary "Weed-buster" that uses 3/8-in. steel cable to wipe out wind-blown weeds. Built by Glenn Sletten, Wolf Point, Mont., the hydraulic-driven "Weed-buster" bolts onto either side of a front-end loader. The patent pending "Weedbuster", powered by an orbit motor, consists of a series of 2 1/2-ft. long, 3/8-in. dia. cables clamped to a pair of 1-ft. dia., 1/4 in. thick steel discs (a single-disc model is also available). The discs mount on a vertical steel shaft supported by a horizontal arm that bolts to the loader bucket. The discs rotate at 550 rpm's and the outer cable tips at 2,800 rpm's, fast enough to wipe out weeds in fence rows at travel speeds of 1 to 2 mph. "It saves a lot of time repairing fences," says Sletten, who does custom fencing for farmers in his area. "It's been so dry here in the past 3 years that weeds such as thistles, kochia, and tumbleweeds pile up against fences and snow later drifts over them. The weight of the snow and weeds can weaken the fence posts and snap wires. I use the Weedbuster in spring when weeds are dry. One farmer used it last year on 150 miles of fence with no problems. The single-blade model works well for weeds under fences, while the double-blade knocks weeds off two rows of fence wires at a time. If the cables get tangled up with broken wires, you can run it in reverse to get free." He adds that the unit is also available with a grass trim blade for mowing roadsides and irrigation ditches. Sells for $745 complete with orbit motor, hoses and valve. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glenn Sletten, Box 2243, Wolf Point, Mont. 59201.

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