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"ChopZilla" Prunes Fast And Clean
An attachment developed to top and hedge blueberry shrubs in Florida is catching on across the country for all kinds of pruning jobs. With two 24-in. saw blades mounted on a rotating 7-ft. beam, and a vertical reach up to 15 ft., ChopZilla means business.
“The blades spin at a constant rpm depending on the e
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ChopZilla Prunes Fast And Clean WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous An attachment developed to top and hedge blueberry shrubs in Florida is catching on across the country for all kinds of pruning jobs With two 24-in saw blades mounted on a rotating 7-ft beam and a vertical reach up to 15 ft ChopZilla means business “The blades spin at a constant rpm depending on the engine’s rpm and the boom rotation is variable from 0 to about 200 rpm’s ” says Don Whitman of ChopZilla LLC “It’s 100-percent hydraulically driven and quick-taches to the tractor or skidsteer It’s configured to run off one or three sets of hydraulics ” ChopZilla cuts limbs up to 3 to 5 in at speeds of 4 to 5 mph “A consultant to the blueberry growers says that besides saving time ChopZilla’s cut is so clean ” Whitman adds That’s important to reduce stress and plant diseases The machine’s ability to prune 12 to 15 acres a day saves many hours of labor The saw blades at about $200 each can be sharpened for about $50 apiece If they don’t cut into dirt they can last a long time At 800 lbs the ChopZilla’s main requirement for a tractor is that it has at least a 9 2 gpm hydraulic flow The company has used it extensively on a 100 hp Massey Ferguson where ChopZilla reached 19 6 ft and a 7040 Kubota tractor Whitman notes that counterweight is needed for small narrow gauge tractors A 4-ft extension is required to use it on a skidsteer ChopZilla comes in two models The first which requires an adaptor to use it on tractors with just one set of hydraulic remotes costs $13 400 The second is for tractors with three sets of hydraulic remotes It sells for $12 900 A video on the company’s website shows ChopZilla in action Moving the boom engaging the blade and setting the speed are all safely controlled from the driver’s seat More applications are being discovered for the ChopZilla The Southwest Florida Water Management District uses it to maintain roads and cut brush And a ChopZilla was recently sent to Iowa to use for cutting limbs after ice storms The company currently sells ChopZilla direct but is working on setting up distributorships Contact: FARM SHOW Followup ChopZilla 5455 Scott View Lane Lakeland Fla 33813 ph 877 304-2467; www chop-zilla com
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