By David Sayell & Richard Witt, Vitifruit Equipment
These days there are a multitude of makes, models and sizes available. Finding the right one may not be straightforward. Typically there are flail types and rotary types.
Flails are generally heavier and can be used to cut grass but also mulch prunings and rough areas around the property.
Rotary mowers are generally less robust and only cut grass and lighter vegetation, however there is a heavy duty rotary type with extra wood chopping blades which also mulches prunings but gives a neater cut in grass alleys than a typical flail.
Flail and twin rotor mowers can also be equipped with vegetation side ejection systems for mulching under the vines, the flail ejects to one side and the rotary both sides.
Single rotor mowers are cheaper than twin rotors but are longer and can be a problem when turning on short headlands. They are normally only equipped with side skids which can be a problem if the ground is uneven and the blades scalp and dig into the ground; the skids drop down into a depression made by the tractor tyres or a trench made by a Rollhack and the blades follow so to overcome this problem fit an adjustable height rear roller and possibly front wheels to keep the blade above the soil.
Variable width mowers with side wings or with a lateral expansion facility enable cutting close up to the vine stem however they don’t get close enough to deal with the immediate area around the base of the vine so it’s necessary to either manually strim or use an inter vine tractor mounted Boisselet system equipped with its super sensitivity wand with strimmer, mower or cultivator.
If growing cover crops there are special front mounted cutter bar mowers coming onto the market which lay the cut plants down without shredding them to produce a summer thatch stopping the sun from baking the soil. For winter pruning mulching there are special flail mowers with pick up reels which lift the prunings into a chopping chamber; these are particularly useful over stony ground where blades would otherwise be worn out quickly but they are also better at producing a finer mulched material which integrates faster back into the ground thereby reducing the risk of disease carry over.
Typical manufacturers:
- www.fehrenbach-maschinen.de
- www.sauerburger.de
- www.aedes.bz
- www.boisselet.com
