Mow Plow Drops Residue On Plowed Ground

Mow Plow Drops Residue On Plowed Ground TILLAGE EUIPMENT Plows 21-6-41 "It lets us cut residue and distribute it evenly into plow furrows for increased erosion control and also does a better job of burying weed seeds," says Dale Wilkins, a USDA ag engineer about one-pass "mow-plow" system he's developing. Used for three years at USDA's Agricultural Research Service Pacific West Region, Pendleton, Ore., the equipment consists of a modified combine header mounted on front of a tractor that pulls a standard moldboard plow behind. The header cuts and conveys residue out onto the freshly plowed ground making it easier for the trailing plow to cleanly turn the sod. The 12-ft. header came off a Gleaner combine. It mounts on a Deere 4455 with FWA and a Deere front-mount 3-pt. The header's hydraulically driven by the tractor and its auger was modified to convey material out the right side of the header instead of conveying it to the middle. A special straw spreader mounts on the side of the header to help distribute residue on top of the plow furrow. Stubble is cut as close to the ground as possible, given that the header can only cut as low as the top of the plow furrow. A 6-bottom, 8-ft. wide International moldboard plow is pulled behind the tractor. With the residue gone, it's easier for the plow to do a clean job turning and burying weed seeds on top of the ground. The moldboard operates 6 to 8 in. deep, with the rig operated at 3 to 4 mph. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale Wilkins, USDA-ARS, Columbia Plateau Conservation Research Center, P.O. Box 370, Pendleton, Ore. 97801 (ph 541 278-3292; fax 3795).

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