Which cutter head rotation ?
- Thread starter Eagleview
- Start date
Iron Horse said:
I would guess that it is because it would be difficult to mulch small trees that you had knocked down. With the mulcher spinning "top down" it would seem to pull the small tree toward the machine and into the mulcher. With the mulcher spinning "bottom forward" it would seem to push the small tree away from the mulcher.
What should happen is it would lift the cut ends mechanicaly and aided by vacuum draw the material into the top of the chamber where it is pulverised against the secondary cutters in the chamber the same as a flail mower . Engineers have proven that using the ground as an anvil as in top forward rotors does not work , thats why you have to back over the material again using the back of the rotor . As when your going backwards the drum is spinning bottom forward (with your reverse travel) . So why do they persist in building them this way ? Have any of you guys backed over virgin scrub with a top forward mulcher ? Does it completely shred the material in one pass ?
alchemysa
Veteran Member
I know absolutely nothing about this, but out of interest I watched a youtube video of the Gator 400 at work. It would seem to me that by rotating 'top forward' it safely pushes large logs UNDER the drum so no real harm is done if you hit a big one too fast. On the other hand if the drum was rotating 'top backwards' and you drove too fast into a log you would have an almighty explosion as the a log was 'sucked' into the mulcher head faster than it can be shredded. (Sorta like trying to force a baseball bat through a keyhole)
alchemysa
Veteran Member
alchemysa said:
I see this one DOES rotate 'top backwards'...
Loftness >TimberAx > Specifications
But not this one...
Carbide Cutter, forestry products by Loftness, tree brush cutter
I'll go away now. This is not my field at all.
Thank you for your effort in supplying the link . That is what i think is the best way to rotate a cutter . Yesterday i cleared 5 acres of dense regrowth up to about an inch thick with my 100hp tractor and flail mower . Being able to mow this material in one pass is definately the way to go . If i can source a new excavator base i will fit a TimberAx/type head to it . Im sure the technique would work on the larger scale .
Well in my search for an excavator track base to build a mulcher i found a new 23ton excavator at the right price . So i paid the man and it will turn up tomorrow night , i'll leave it as is . It has 2 digging buckets and a mud bucket . Now all i need to do is buy a land clearing rake for it , a vertical tree extraction grab , a rock grapple and a mulcher and something to carry it around........ ah well it's only money
What is the best , a drum shredder or a disc shredder like the Slashbuster ? I'll be doing creek bank mowing of saplings up to around 8 inches and woody weeds and some right of way work . We have the FAE , Berti and Ahwi(which is your Fecon i think) in OZ . Some of you manufacturers should think about sending some gear too our little island .
What is the best , a drum shredder or a disc shredder like the Slashbuster ? I'll be doing creek bank mowing of saplings up to around 8 inches and woody weeds and some right of way work . We have the FAE , Berti and Ahwi(which is your Fecon i think) in OZ . Some of you manufacturers should think about sending some gear too our little island .
cbturf
Gold Member
IH,
On the track or tire type mulchers you are better on the top down rotation because you have to work backwards to create a smooth and level finished product. When you are working forward you are piling the debris up in front of your machine. As you backdrag the processed material is picked up run through the head and deposited fairly uniformly out in front. On the other hand if the bottom down design really was better it seems like more than one manufacturer would jump on board. Usually if there is an earth shattering innovation like this would be EVERY other manufacturer would jump on board to get a piece of the pie.
On the track or tire type mulchers you are better on the top down rotation because you have to work backwards to create a smooth and level finished product. When you are working forward you are piling the debris up in front of your machine. As you backdrag the processed material is picked up run through the head and deposited fairly uniformly out in front. On the other hand if the bottom down design really was better it seems like more than one manufacturer would jump on board. Usually if there is an earth shattering innovation like this would be EVERY other manufacturer would jump on board to get a piece of the pie.
Landwise
Silver Member
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Iron Horse,
Loftness makes a Timber Axe now that fits an excavator. It is not advertised yet, but it can be purchased. I run one on a Kubota 080, but it is really way too heavy for this machine. It would be awesome on one as large as you bought. It weighs #1600 lbs, and I am running it with ~26 GPM. Very satisfied.
Loftness makes a Timber Axe now that fits an excavator. It is not advertised yet, but it can be purchased. I run one on a Kubota 080, but it is really way too heavy for this machine. It would be awesome on one as large as you bought. It weighs #1600 lbs, and I am running it with ~26 GPM. Very satisfied.
This site used to have very good diagrams of what they are talking about but i can only open the cached version at the moment but it is a very good read . This engineer says that it is very ineficient to have a mulcher chop down against the ground as the ground is not a good anvil . I do'nt know if they are correct , but it sounds feasable to me and the other makers just stick with the same "O" design . My flails do not throw material forward , they cut at the bottom while the material is bent forward and then lift it up to strike the first and second set of anvils to further reduce it's size and then throw it out the back with the huge air stream created by the rotor . I never have too go over ground a second time , scrub turns to lawn in one pass . I have attached a couple of pics of it mowing Lantana and braken but it does bigger stuff just as well .Weed Removals : Weed Removal : Weed Handling : Australia