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Build Yourself A Self-Propelled Chopper
FARM SHOW's article on New York dairyman Jack Janssen, of Scipio Center, who designed and built a front-mounted chopper for his tractor (Vol. 7, No. 3) reported that a commercial front-mounted chopper for 4-WD articulated tractors would soon be on the market.
It's here! Shortly before this issue went to press, the Crary Co., Fargo, N. Dak., introduced a "chopper power" kit that lets you attach pull-behind choppers to the front of large tractors converting them into self-propelled forage harvesters.
"With the chopper mounted on the front of your tractor, you have more power and traction than even the best self-propelled choppers. And by using a tractor you already own, you can build your own self-propelled chopper at about half the cost of a comparable size, conventional self-propelled machine," says Dave Majkrzak, Crary vice president.
The chopper kit consists of a support frame that bolts to the tractor, and a front pto kit that can be used to power other equipment (featured in FARM SHOW's Vol. 7, No. 2 issue). You can purchase the front-mount kit and chopper, complete with a 7-ft. wide hay head and 4-row corn head, or you can convert your existing pull-type chopper by disassembling the cutterbox and mounting it on the Crary frame along with the blower.
The chopper retains its lifting range and is powered off the tractor's hydraulics. Switches controlling the direction of the discharge chute are powered electrically and set in the cab.
To remove the chopper, you simply loosen two turnbuckles, remove the V-belts off the blower, and back the tractor out of the machine. Both the pto and the chopper mounting frame remain bolted to the tractor. Majkrzak notes that the initial installation of the front-mount kit takes about 24 man hours. Most farmers, he says, can complete the installation in their own workshops.
A unit with the 4 row corn head sells for about $45,000. The mounting kit alone without the chopper, sells for right at $18,000. Kits are designed to fit Steiger and Versatile tractors. Kits for other tractors are in the works.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Crary Company, P.O. Box 1779, Fargo, N. Dak. 58107 (ph 701 282-5520).


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1983 - Volume #7, Issue #5