WINDROWING ATTACHMENT FOR HARVESTING RYEGRASS

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 2, 15 August 1949, Page 165

WINDROWING ATTACHMENT FOR HARVESTING RYEGRASS

By

P. THAINE,

Assistant Fields Instructor, Department of Agriculture,

Rangiora.

TT is widely recognised that the most efficient method of harvesting -®- ryegrass is by cutting with the binder and threshing out of stock. Owing to labour costs and the introduction of the header, this method has declined in popularity until today, in Canterbury, the header is used almost exclusively. Good results have been obtained, by windrowing the crop with either the mower or' binder and picking it up with the header, Though this system of threshing is quite satisfactory for normal crops, heading costs are high when crops are thin, and the windrow does not have sufficient bulk to prevent seed falling to the ground as the pick-up comes in contact with the swath. A North Canterbury farmer has overcome these difficulties by using the simple attachment described in this article..

THE materials required were a -®- piece of sheet steel or tin about 3ft. 6in. x 4ft., a rod of fin. steel about 4ft. 6in. long, 2 pieces of flat steel each about 2ft. 6in. to 3ft. long, a length of cord, and a few nuts and bolts. The piece of sheet steel was taken from an old binder platform and cut to the 'Size required. (The size of the sheet depends on the binder in use, as it must be made to fit right under the table.) The fin. steel rod was then fitted across the sheet and attached by U bolts at either end so that the steel rod acted as an axle upon which the steel sheet pivoted. The next step was to attach the sheet to the binder. This was done by fitting steel stays at either end of the table to act .as a support for the attachment. The stays were extended from the table .and strapped by light steel at either end of the fin. rod. When the binder was in motion it was found that uneven ground was causing the sheet to buckle, but the defect was eliminated by cutting one

corner on an angle. The sheet was weighted with pieces of old iron, which were placed at either corner of the attachment near the table. Cord was used to tilt the sheet, the cord being tied to one corner, threaded through a ring on the knotting and packing machinery, and carried across the elevators to the whip holder. At this point two rings • were tied to the cord about 12in. apart and fitted over a piece of wood which was placed in the whip holder. The points at which the rings are tied depends upon the crop which is being harvested, as this determines the angle at which the sheet will operate. The only alteration which had to be made to the binder was the removal of the knotting apparatus. By keeping the packers in position it was found that the crop was kept on .the' move and the flow was more even. Opening a Paddock The method of opening a paddock is to cut three rounds with a mower.

When windrowing the first two rounds with the binder the sheet is held in position against the table, which allows the cut material to pass over the tin and fall alongside the mown swath. When the binder comes round for the third time the attachment is released and the material is deposited near the wheel. At the start of the next round

the sheet is again brought up under the table and the crop allowed to flow over the tin and be placed alongside the previous cut. The result, when a 6ft. binder is used, is to place two rows in one, giving a windrow every 12ft. In this way heading costs are kept to a minimum, threshing time is halved, and, in the case of light crops, there is added bulk and the header is able to work more efficiently. The attachment could be used to advantage on most cropping farms and the cost of construction is negligible, as the materials required could be found in many farm yards.