Cutting Silage with a Chainsaw

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 95, Issue 3, 16 September 1957, Page 257

Cutting Silage with a Chainsaw

By

D. F. SCOTT,

Machinery Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Auckland EARLIER attempts to cut silage in either a pit or a stack with a chainsaw were largely unsuccessful owing to the silage jamming in and around the chain and sprocket. In these attempts saws were used with chain speeds of about 1200 ft. per minute or less. In recent trials near Auckland with a small chainsaw with a 17in. blade and a chain speed of 3300 ft. per minute it was possible to make a cut about 12in. deep across a pit 20ft. wide in about a minute. The saw required one minor alteration to a shield, and this completely eliminated blocking without reducing the safety of the machine. It was also found advisable to remove the spiked bumper. The type of chain tooth used in this saw is that used on most saws sold for general use and is known as the chipper tooth. This tooth can be readily sharpened by unskilled operators. The only other common tooth in use is the planer or chisel tooth, which is used only by timber workers cutting hardwood and requires servicing by an expert. This tooth is unsuitable for general farm use and would very likely block on silage. In regular feeding out it appears that the most satisfactory system would be to spend 5 to 10 minutes cutting silage into blocks about 2ft. 6in. square and lOin. to 12in. deep. Forking is then much easier and the silage can be

loaded on to the trailer in easily handled lumps. After use the saw is allowed to cool, washed with a hose, and run briefly to spread oil round the chain. The saw is immediately usable for its normal duties of cutting wood