Two French entrepreneurs have developed a new combine-mounted stubble-mulching system they claim can improve combine performance by up to 25%.

 

Developed by Claude Bertholle and Benoit de Valous, their broyeur de chaumes sous coupe (under-cutting straw-crusher) fits directly onto the combine elevator, allowing the header to be attached or removed without interference.

 

The mulcher cuts straw at 2.5-5cm above the root ball, spreading it evenly along the width of the combine’s header. The principle behind the design is to leave as little straw stubble as possible, minimising the risk of bearing diseases like Septoria into new crops and making cultivations more effective.

 

For transport, the mulcher, which takes its power from the elevator’s pto shafts without needing to be adapted, folds up within the combine’s width.

 

The design was originally based on a conventional disc mower, but the bearings under the vertical shaft became damaged from ground contact. Instead, the two Frenchmen have placed the bearings on top of the rotor, like a power-harrow, and replaced the disc blades with powerful tines.

 

The mulcher does require extra power to run it, but reduces the load on the combine’s own rear straw chopper, more than offsetting its horsepower needs. This allows the operator to keep the reel higher, harvesting less straw and achieving higher speeds of 6-7kph.

 

German manufacturer Michael Horsch, who allowed BSC to share his stand at last week’s SIMA show in Paris, is supporting the product’s development and has tested it on his own combine.

 

You can watch a video of the Horsch-BSC straw mulcher in action here.