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Deere Introduces New Header-Mounted Stalk Chopper
Want to eliminate the need for a stalk chopper? Then you'll be interested in this brand new header-mounted stalk chopper from Deere. It was on display for the first time ever at the recent Farm Fest show near Redwood Falls, Minn.
  The StalkMaster chopper is designed for use on 8-row, 30-in. and 12-row, 22-in. corn heads.
  "StalkMaster eliminates the need for extra passes in the field with a rotary or flail shredder," says Kelly Granatier, marketing manager, John Deere Harvester Works.
  The system features one gearbox unit per row with two rotary chopper knives, which can be easily removed if chopping is not desired. The speed at which the blades rotate varies with the corn head gathering speed but can reach up to 3,300 rpm's.  
  "The system requires additional horsepower to perform the stalk chopping process compared with regular corn heads," says Granatier. "For this reason, we recommend the combine be equipped with a high-torque, variable-speed feederhouse drive system. Such a system is available on the new bullet rotor STS combines, as well as a retrofit attachment for prior 60 series models."
  Deere's header-mounted stalk chopper comes at a time when there's more interest than ever in the idea. Today's BT-resistant corn hybrids have tougher stalks that don't cut as easy, and higher plant populations leave more trash so the soil doesn't warm as fast in the spring. The problem is especially bad when corn is planted after corn. And growers are making fewer tillage trips in order to reduce compaction and save on time and fuel.
  Other companies have been offering header-mounted stalk choppers for years. They include Drago (Dragotec U.S.A., Inc., 3701 30 Ave., Fenton, Iowa 50539 ph 515 889-2723; dragobk@netins.net); Harvest Tec (1124 Mayfair Road, Oakville, Ontario, Canada L6M 1G8 ph 888 432-3271; fax 905 827-8543; headers@harvestec.com; www.harvestec.com); and Geringhoff (Degelman Industries, Inc., P.O. Box490, Minot, N. Dak. 58702 ph 701 852-1876; www.geringhoff.com).


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2005 - Volume #29, Issue #5