Modified Mower Chops Straw

Modified Mower Chops Straw HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Mowers (38) 18-2-12 James Clark, Hudson, Fla., says he's used this modified mower deck as a straw shredder for more than 20 years to chop straw for bedding strawberries. "It chops straw up so fine, you can blow it into the strawberries and it won't cover the plants. Makes good mulch," says the 84-year-old gardener. He cut a hole in the deck and mounted a small sheet metal hopper above it. A wooden "shear block" bolts to the under-side of the deck, to one side of the hole. The blade sweeps across the hole and then past the block so it helps chop straw as it drops down. The cutting edge of the balde is reversed so it pulls material downward, making the shredder self-feeding. A spacer beneath the blade lowers it enough to clear the shear block, which is made of seasoned oak. The mower's powered by a 3 112 hp. Briggs & Stratton engine. Length of cut can be varied by changing engine speed. Clark also uses it to chop up garden waste and small branches. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, James S. Clark, 18815 Shore Dr., Hudson, Fla. 34667 (ph 813 862-7708).

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