Custom-Built Silage "Defacer"

Custom-Built Silage "Defacer" HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Forage Handling 26-2-32 "We custom-built this silage defacer for an older skid steer loader that didn't have enough hydraulic capacity to run most commercial units," says Leon Leinbach, Blue Mountain Equipment, New Tripoli, Penn. "It cuts a 4-ft. swath about 3 in. deep. We took heavy flail knives and bent them to a 90_ angle and bolted them solid to the beater head. This cuts a smooth tight face on the silage pile that seals off the air. It's so effective that after a couple hours, you can actually feel the difference in temperature between the shaved surface and where silage was scooped away with a bucket. "The defacer is powered by a 4.5 cu. in. hydraulic motor and the beater head is chain-driven at 75 percent of motor speed. It has four rows of 12 knives each. The knives are spaced on 4 in. centers. Two rows have the knife edge turned to the left and two to the right. This offsets the knives so there is a knife cutting every 2 in. across the face. The knives cut about 2 1/2 in. wide so there is some overlap. We made the frame 4 1/2 ft. long so we can reach the top of a 14-ft. pile. "We designed the machine and did the hydraulic work. A local machine shop did the fabrication and lathe work. Total cost was around $1,800." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Leon Leinbach, Blue Mountain Equipment LLC, 7280 Borman Road, New Tripoli, Penn. 18066 (ph 610 298-3483).

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