Fence Cleaner Chops Tumbleweeds, Thistles

Fence Cleaner Chops Tumbleweeds, Thistles FENCING Miscellaneous 31-4-42 Mark Stelter and his son, Preston, created a machine that removes and chops tumbleweeds and thistles along fence lines. The New Leipzig, North Dakota, inventors rent out their fence cleaning machine, which eliminates hours of hand labor. "One customer cleaned a mile long fence in an hour," Mark says. "He said it would have taken all day or longer by hand." The fence cleaner is pulled behind a minimum 50 hp tractor. It's offset slightly to the right side. Its size is similar to a silage chopper, Preston notes, at about 11 by 11 ft. by 5 ft. tall. It runs off the tractor's pto and hydraulics. Driving at 1 mph, the vertical picking unit - with street sweeper-type bristles - runs close to the fence wire, picks up weeds and debris, kicks it over to the machine and chops it up fine into 2 to 5-in. lengths with double-edge knives. The debris is fine enough to blow through the wire fence and disperse, Mark says. Along chain link fences, the windrow of chopped weeds could be baled and used for windbreaks or bedding. Tumbleweeds banked against fences first caught Stelter's attention in 2002, when the weeds were especially thick due to drought conditions. As the third generation owner of Stelter Repair, Inc., Mark came up with a design, and Preston did most of the work building and testing the fence cleaner. "The concept we have is down to a one-pass system. It picks and chops at the same time," Mark says. "The closer you can keep it to the fence, the better the job." Customers have been very interested in it, Mark says. But it may be a piece of equipment landowners rent or purchase in a partnership. The fence cleaner is in the patent process and Mark expects the cost to be $20,000 to $25,000. As he's driven through Midwest and Central U.S. states, Mark says it appears the machine would be useful in many places. State highway departments, conservation districts, departments of natural resources and other agencies will also likely be interested. One recent customer said he was amazed how the machine chopped up the tough tumbleweeds even under damp conditions. He couldn't even see the machine because the weeds were so thick, but they kept feeding into the machine and windrowing behind, he told Mark. The Stelters hope to have machines available for sale by fall. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stelter Repair, Inc., Mark and Preston Stelter, 224 Main Ave., New Leipzig, N. Dak. 58562 (ph 701 584-2278; srinc@westriv.com; www.stelterrepair.com).

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