In agriculture, the mulcher is an indispensable piece of equipment for tillage from both a regulatory and technical point of view.
Its primary function is related to shredding agricultural pruning residues of any fruit plant or crop, including grass cutting. In addition, it is a legal tool for the disposal of organic waste, regulated under DL 152/06 having no negative consequences for the environment.
The practice of chopping, with the removal of woody materials from the soil, occurs on a regular basis (annually and biennially mostly) also promotes subsequent cultivation operations.
While not mandatory year-round, it is strongly recommended because it returns some organic matter to the soil, and makes it easier to fertilize. By virtue of this aspect, it is essential to consider the result of chopping because ineffective chopping could lead to a number of pathogenic effects on crops with increased costs for the farmer who needs additional tillage to remedy the problem.
Therefore, choosing the right mulcher for one’s needs, and for one’s terrain, is critical to reducing operating costs and having the best result. In fact, an inadequate machine, could result in excessive maintenance costs derived from several factors:
Presence of stones
Significantly sandy soils
Residues of different sizes
Type of crop
Which mulcher to choose based on your tractor
Just like a suit, every mulcher needs the right tractor to work to its full potential. One aspect that could often collide with the type of soil and the type of crop that is intended to be shredded.
Generally, mulchers are chosen according to the type of tractor, basically following this pattern:
Very light for micro tractors with power up to 25 horsepower
Lightweight for tractors of 25 to 50 horsepower
Medium-light for tractors from 45 to 70 horsepower
Averages for tractors from 50 to 80 horsepower
Medium-heavy 60 to 90 horsepower
Heavy 90 to 120 horsepower
Semiforestals from 120 to 160 horsepower
Foresters 160 horses and up
This distinction takes into account the weight of the mulcher, which are defined purely indicatively in:
Very light – up to 150 kilograms
Lightweight – 150 to 320 kilograms
Medium-lightweight – 320 to 400 kilograms
Medium – 400 to 500 kilograms
Medium-heavy – 500 to 650 kilograms
Heavy – 650 to 950 kilograms
Semiforestals – 1000 to 1300 kilograms
Foresters – over 1,300 kilograms.
However, these aspects must be contextualized to the type of farmland and the size of the material to be shredded.
Is weight always important when choosing a mulcher?
Weight, when choosing a flail mulcher, is an important but not always decisive factor in the purchase of the implement. In fact in order to reduce machine weights, with benefits from the point of view of tractor effort (and further fuel savings and less wear and tear on the machine), special (higher cost) but much stronger materials can be used.
These factors are also compounded by the use of mechanical and structural materials and components that can extend the life and durability of the mulcher on all types of terrain. The latter elements are crucial in reducing maintenance costs.
Which mulcher to choose according to the terrain
Despite the fact that tractor and weight are important aspects in choosing a mulcher, however, they are not essential elements in buying the right machinery. In fact, stony soils require special attention to the mechanics of the implement, which if properly oversized (through the use of materials appropriately designed to withstand different stresses) significantly reduce problems related to:
rotor failures
Of the bearing supports
of bearings
to the bumps of the body
rotor unbalance
breaking of club pins
of the rear roller
Of the rotor axes
gearbox
On the contrary, in sandy soils, the issue may arise from the emery effect that can be caused by frequent use of the machine causing premature wear and tear of the body and any mechanical parts.
