Making forest cleaning more efficient
It looks like a giant hedge clipper. Just mount it on a harvester and start cleaning your stands.
“The latest version of this attachment is only a few weeks old,” says Göran Normelli, a forest contractor from Eskilstuna, Sweden. “I’ve tested the previous version on my machine with good results.”
Mense Oy manufactures feeder wheels for harvesters and cleaning attachments. This new cleaning attachment is a patented solution for the mechanical cleaning and maintenance of seedling stands.
“We got the idea when we were developing attachments for roadside cleaning,” says Seppo Mentula, who developed the new attachment. “Why not test a similar attachment in a forest environment on a harvester?”
No sooner said than done.
“I’ve had the best results from cleaning planted stands,” Göran Normelli says. “The attachment can handle dimensions up to nine centimeters.”
Quiet and safe
The hydraulic cutting attachment is lightweight and compact.
“Despite this, it is strong and powerful,” Göran says. “The shape and profile of the blades means I can still saw with it even when the stems exceed nine centimeters.”
Another advantage becomes clear when Göran demonstrates the attachment at work:
“It’s quiet and because it has a cutting action it doesn’t throw stones or cutting residue around.”
Göran says the attachment means forest machines can be used to do more tasks.
“For example, a number of electricity companies are interested in this method for cleaning their power line corridors.”