New-Style Stalk Chopper Fitted With Rubber Tires

New-Style Stalk Chopper Fitted With Rubber Tires STALK CHOPPERS Stalk Choppers 20-6-40 "It lets you break up the life cycle of insects and diseases that overwinter in standing stalks and does a much more thorough job of clearing and chopping residue. It's simply the best stalk chopper ever built," says Christian Nichols about his company's new-style stalk chopper that uses spinning rubber tires to pull stalks out by the roots and then chops them up with a drum-type chop-per that follows behind. Amadas Industries unveiled its prototype machine at the recent Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition near Moultrie, Ga. It features a gang of heavy-duty 8-in turf tires mounted on drive shafts up front. They're chain-driven off a ground-driven gearbox on the machine's left side and are adjustable from 6 to 18 in. off ground. The tires rotate against each other to pull stalks. "You can operate at ground speeds of up to 13 mph. The faster you drive, the faster the tires rotate. They pull stalks out down to their roots so they can be completely chopped by the chopper behind the tires," says Nichols. "The ground-driven chopper drum is fitted with 14-in. long blades, one set per row. They chop stalks into 4 to 6-in. pieces." Developed for cotton, the machine has also been successfully tested in corn and sorghum, Nichols notes. Available early in 1997, the stalk puller/chopper will come in 4 to 8-row units for 30, 32, 36, or 40-in. spacings. It'll be priced at $18,000 to $22,000. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Amadas Industries, 1100 Holland Road, Suffolk, Va. 23434 (ph 757 539-0231; fax 934-3264).

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