Silo Blowers Keep Apple Orchard Clean

Silo Blowers Keep Apple Orchard Clean CROP STORAGE Silos (50) 20-6-11 "We cut fungicide use by one-half, thanks to these blower units that help clean leaves and downed apples off the ground in our orchard," says John Van Diepen who used silo blower units to make two big tractor-pulled leaf blowers. "We repositioned the outlets on two Dion silo blowers from their original vertical position to a horizontal position so they blow at ground level," says Van Diepen who had to cut off the mounting brackets on the blowers to rotate them. Van Diepen uses a Landini 6560 60 hp tractor to pull each unit at 5 to 6 mph for windrowing apples and leaves. A flail mower then chops the windrows. The result is a reduction in the source of apple scab as well as some harmful insects that would normally overwinter in the debris. As an add-on to the silo blower units, Van Diepen made a wind machine that sucks warmer air from aloft and blows it around young trees to keep them from freezing in the spring. It consists of a 23-ft. long, 3 by 2-ft. rectangular sheet metal tube that attaches to a mounting bracket on the back of the blower. It sucks down air from 25 ft. above ground, where it's 3 to 4? warmer, and blows it around trees. It operates at 1,900 rpm's pulled at 2 to 3 mph. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Warwick Orchards & Nursery, R.R. 8, Watford, Ontario, Canada NOM 2SO (ph 519 849-6730; fax 6731).

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