Brush-Type Mower Conditioner

Brush-Type Mower Conditioner HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Mowers (38) 19-5-25 A new-style mower conditioner that uses a stiff-bristled nylon brush running against a metal roller to condition hay drew lots of attention at the Royal Show in England. Developed in Holland, several prototype units of the "Greenland HPC" were put out on farms in England this past summer to test the concept before full-scale commercial production begins. One farmer who tried it told Farmer's Weekly magazine that "Development of the Greenland HPC conditioner is one of the most significant advances ever in the production of high dry matter forage. We sent two samples of hay for laboratory testing - one which had passed through the HPC conditioner and another which had not. Both were cut at the same time and sampled at the same time later that day. The results revealed the conditioned sample had a 32.3% DM and the other 24.5% DM," said Richard Furber, of Audlem, who is a commercial hay producer. The mower is equipped with drum-type cutting discs. Cut grass passes through two rollers - one with stiff nylon bristles and the other horizontal metal bars. Both rollers are powered with one rotating faster than the other, to cause a "rasping" action that breaks down the outer covering of the stems and speeds wilting. A free-wheeling third roller deflects the exiting grass onto the ground, spreading it out evenly for fast drying. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eric Richards, Greenland UK Ltd., Adderley Road, Mkt. Drayton, Shropshire Tf9 359 (ph 01630 653501).

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